Great Sand Dunes National Park - mid August 2018

Click on any image for a larger view

View of Great Sand Dunes NP

This is our first extended trip where both Nicida and I are officially retired.  Being retired means we are leaving on a Monday, when most people are back to their routines.

I have made several improvements in the camper since the Great Basin trip.  I added an inverter so I am able to work on images and writing for this blog while on the road while memories are fresher.  I have added several small storage pockets for miscellaneous stuff. Employing YouTube I found an idea for a shower frame modifying it for the camper and adding a curtain.

Great Basin National Park, July 2018 - part 2

You can read the first part of this trip on the August 5, 2018 posting

Click on any image for a larger view

Day 4 - No rain this morning.  There are human made noises this morning; lots of people packing to leave their campsites before the noon checkout time.  I am hiking the glacier trail today.  I did the first 2/3 of the trail yesterday when I hiked to the Bristlecone pines.  The glacier is just another mile and a 500’  elevation climb.  My camera is the only piece of camera gear coming with me today.  I saw what the trail looked like and I know there will be no room for a tripod on the rocky trail.  I was on the trail by 800.  I saw three other people coming down the trail as I was going up.  Nobody had gone all the way to the glacier; I will be the first today.  Progressing through the scree I have to pay attention to the close-up underfoot trail as well as the distant trail.  One can easily step on a fist sized rock the wrong way, but one can also lose track of the trail especially when the only real difference between being on trail and off is the size of the rocks.  

Great Basin National Park, July 2018 - part 1

Click on any image for a larger view

Bristlecone pines - Great Basin National Park

As of July 10, I was out of work... do not worry, I am out of work by choice - retired.  It has been a long time coming, 34 years.  I kept thinking about it and events over the past few years have led me to this decision.  I plan on keeping up this blog but it will change yet again.  Last year it morphed from a day hike, photography, fishing blog to a multi-day camping, hiking, photography, fishing blog with the addition of my truck camper.  The camper allowed me to go farther staying a few days at the location of choice.  Now my horizons will expand even further by going for longer periods of time.  My/our goal is to visit all of the National Parks within the United States.  There may be a few other places thrown in from time to time.

Abiquiu Reservoir - Ghost Ranch, mid May 2018

Click on any image for a larger view

Now that it is getting warmer we are looking to camp in northern NM.  Ojo Caliente Mineral Springs Resort and Spa are on our agenda for an afternoon of relaxation so our campground search starts there.

I have not been in this area for many years, I remember the Chama River below the highway and Ghost Ranch in the general area but that is it.  My internet search reveals the Abiquiu reservoir and campground as a possibility.

Bisti Badlands, early May 2018

  Click on any image for a larger view

Dinosaur eggs, Bisti Bandlands

Before we left for this weekend I planned a route using my Garmin taking back roads from Chaco to Bisti.  Looking at the roads with Google earth I felt pretty confident we would make it to our destination with no problems.  The washboard road was in prime condition causing us to fishtail if we did anything over 15 mph.  Five miles into the trip we spotted the turn off to one of the county roads, the shortcut – except - there was a locked gate across the road next to what looked like a house that hadn’t been used in a while…  So much for the shortcut.

Chaco Canyon, early May 2018

Click on any picture for a larger view

We were enchanted with our visit to Chaco Canyon last year, Nicida and I decided to make another trip catching at least some of the sites we did not see.  Most of the campsites are reservable, I highly suggest you make reservations.  Each afternoon/evening we saw several campers arrive at the Gallo campground to a ‘Campground full’ sign greeting them.  Kind of tough considering it’s a 15+ mile drive on gravel roads enroute to the Chaco site.

Gila Cliff Dwellings, March 2018

Click on any picture for a larger view

Kids – pay attention.  Enjoy camping time with your family.  Go with them whenever you can.  When you get older and want to camp YOU get to do the work.  My sister and I were fortunate; as we were growing up our family went camping almost every other weekend during the summer.  All we did was come along for the fun.  Mom and dad were planning, cooking, packing, and driving; then putting it all away so we could do it again a couple weeks later.  Living in WI means going pretty much from mid May through September; maybe October.   After that it gets too cold.

Red Rock Balloon Rally, early December 2017

Click on any picture for a larger view

The weather forecast the entire week leading up to the balloon rally has Gallup with lows in the teens to low 20’s for the weekend.  I am not cancelling this trip; I promised Lori I would help crew her balloon.  My initial plans were to go without electric for my camper, I have batteries and solar so I should be good, right?  Probably, but I am not taking any chances, Nicida is coming along and she was very cold the first time we went camping and it only got down to the upper 30’s.  The fact that I forgot to close one of the overhead vents may have had something to do with that.  I will hook up to the electric so I can have a small, quiet heater running all night if need be.  It actually only got to the upper 20’s each morning, still cold enough that I am glad I brought it along.

Three Rivers Campground, early November 2017

Click on any picture for a larger view

Camping in November; when I was younger, a long time ago, a buddy of mine and I talked about winter camping but for one reason or another; mainly cold weather, we never made it.  (We lived in WI at the time)  It seems the hard part of camping in NM this time of year is finding an open campground.  I have to admit I almost always go north when exploring NM.  I am not familiar with pretty much anything south of I-40, so here is my opportunity.

Pecos Wilderness, Iron Gate Campground, Early October, 2017

Click on any image for a larger view

We are looking for peak fall color!  Rain and winds have been passing through the state this past week; my hopes are not high as I intently study the weather on the three local TV stations.  I didn’t see any fall color when I passed through northern NM on my trip back from WI in mid September so maybe there’s a chance.