May 31, 2023 Carlsbad to Cloudcroft NM

Wednesday, May 31 

Happy Anniversary.  Year 48 is in the books!

The hotel has a decent breakfast, so we sleep in and eat up. Eggs, sausage, muffins, etc.  Pretty busy too.

We head northwest on 408, then 137 The Queen's Highway.  Both are pretty rural, with free-range cattle, rolling hills and scrubby grass and bushes. 

 As we approach the Falls we enter Lincoln National Forest, with some fairly steep climbs in and out of canyons.  At the low point of the road there are always signs saying "Watch for Water", as flash flooding is fairly common.  But we encounter a few cows and no water.

We arrive at the Falls area just a few minutes before the Ranger comes to unlock the gates. There is a nice picnic area with stone shelters built by the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) during the depression years.  They hold up well

We make the short walk to the Falls. Since we are first of the day, we hoped to find some animals enjoying the water, but only a flock of buzzards are startled by our arrival.  They say the Falls are fed by an underground spring and never dry up.  Not exactly a thundering falls, but very impressive considering we are in the Chihuahuan Desert!  A few other people soon arrive and several wade into the pool at the base of the falls.

A little rainbow action near the bottom

There are people in the water if you look closely.

It is already getting quite warm when we leave around 10:00.  We are heading to Cloudcroft, which has the highest elevation in New Mexico and should be a good 10-15 degrees cooler.

First, we head north to Artesia, where we pause to take in some of their many murals and bronze statues.

Each bronze has a plaque with name and artist.  This last one is called "The Rustler"  by Robert Sommers.  It was cast in Bastrop, Texas.

 And from there we turn west on Hwy 82.  No signal and not a lot of scenery till we get close to Cloudcroft and real trees.  We decide to try a Forest Service campground after our potential boon docking spot appears taken over by a group of equestrians, horse trailers and all.  Pine Campground is nearby and has a few spots available.  When I open the door to pick up the registration envelope, the smell of pine is wonderful!! We register for site #9 before heading into the town of Cloudcroft to look around! 

The town is small and is most popular in winter for skiing and snow activities.  Downtown is one or two main streets with attendant shops, gas station, and a few restaurants. 

This mural was on the side of a turquoise shop.

 One store had hummingbird feeders hanging outside and sure enough we saw one (maybe the same one twice?) imbibing.  The store sold quite a few humming bird items and the cashier said they are really starting to arrive and will be most plentiful in July and August.

We didn't find anything  we couldn't live without, though I did admire some southwestern pottery.  We found a couple of postcards and filled them out and mailed them at the small post office.  It was windy and cool enough that Beth pulled on a jacket!  What a difference a few thousand feet makes!  On the way back, we drive a bit past our campground - if we kept going for an hour or so this road would take us to Ruidoso.

There is a sign for Silver Lake, so we decide to check it out.  Unfortunately, we find that the lake is on the property of Silver Lake Campground and you can only get to it if you are camping there.  We've got signal here, so chat a bit with Greg's Mom before returning to the campground.

Just before the turnoff to our campsite there is a lovely meadow with beautiful horses.  Three mares with their young foals and a stallion.  When I get back to the campsite I walk through the woods in that direction and spot the horses.  The mares and foals gallop off when they notice me, right to the stallion, who raises his head, looks at me and begins meandering in my direction.  Since the fence between the campground and the meadow had long ago ceased performing its intended function, I decided to head back to our site.

We had noticed  a trailhead in the campground, so Greg and I set off for a quick walk. Nice woods, but nothing spectacular - until  Greg spotted this horned lizard about 6-7" long. Have never seen one before and he didn't seem in a rush to get away. Really blended well with its surroundings, eh?

I asked a ranger later to make sure what it was and he said he grew up in Arizona and used to see them all the time, but they are becoming more scarce.  

Spoke with a nice couple, Jim and Becka, from Arkansas who pulled in next to us. They are on their way to Bryce Canyon.

Dinner was worsts and those juicy (and expensive) Fredericksburg peaches🙂. Greg started a campfire, but it was pretty windy so we weren't out too long.  Why is it that campfire smoke seems attracted to me wherever I sit?  Quiet, chilly night.

May 30, 2023 Guadalupe Mts; Carlsbad

Tuesday, May 30

Sixty-three degrees this morning at 7AM, with overcast skies.  We continue on 190 a short distance to I-10 west.  But we are only on it a short time till we take 285N through Pecos and toward Guadalupe Mountains National Park.

This takes us through the oil production part of Texas.  Drilling sites, storage tanks, water supplies, and lots of oil field workers' traffic. Worker housing is basic apartment complexes or, as below,  rv's parked under shade structures.

Throw in some road construction, where we are down to one lane, and we aren't exactly flying along.  But we aren't in a hurry, so it's OK.

First stop will be McKittrick Canyon in Guadalupe Mountains National Park. where we do a 1 1/2 mile loop trail.  The Canyon itself is a little beyond us - we've hiked here in October when there are some sweet gum and maple trees that offer Fall color.

 Lots of desert flora on display. I love the ocotillo, which has a thorny stem which has tiny green leaves when water is abundant and drops the leaves during drought.  Clusters of pretty red flowers decorate the tips of each long, graceful branch.

The prickly pear cacti are blooming, with various bees and other insects enjoying them. Chola cactus too, with pink flowers. Yucca, agave, mahogany, juniper and other plants thrive in this arid, rocky place.

McKittrick Canyon is about 10 miles from the park Visitors' Center, so we head there to see if there is anything special happening.  Unfortunately, it is closed over lunch - guess their staffing is strained too.

We are in Mountain Time Zone now as we head a bit north to Carlsbad, New Mexico.  We've been to the magnificent caverns a few times, so decide to try something new today.  Living Desert Zoo and Gardens State Park. We check out the pleasant Visitor's Center which has many displays about the flora and fauna of this area.  Then we head outside.

Some of same desert plants here that we just saw, though these are tended and cared for.

The "zoo" part is interesting, though not extensive.  We watch a prairie dog town where lunchtime has everyone's attention. 

 Next there are bison, elk and antelope (and a roadrunner).

  A huge mountain lion slinks around his enclosure - wow!  I didn't know they were so big!  From nose to tip of tail I think this guy is at least 8 feet long, and moving fast.  A black bear has found a shady cave, and the poor lynx (who likes it cold) is just vegging in the shade as well.  It has really gotten hot - mid 90's!  We take refuge in a building dedicated to reptiles, but the one with succulent plants is a hothouse, so we skip it.

Whip snake

Gila Monster

The heat is really oppressive!  We chat with two women rangers back at the Visitors' Center,  getting directions to Sitting Bull Falls where we plan to boondock for the night.  When we reach the Trek, the thermometer is reading 106 degrees in the sun, but drops to a "mere" 98 as we move along. We get gas and drinks and  I tentatively mention that we COULD get a hotel, and Greg is quick to agree, so we find a Super 8 that is reasonable and has good reviews.

Ahhhh.  The AC works and the shower feels wonderful!  Greg noticed a Domino's Pizza just next door, so  I order and he walks to pick up a small Philly Cheesesteak Pizza, which is delicious. 

We thought the saying on the box was cute:  How to fix leftover pizza.  #1 was- Don't eat all the pizza. Oops!

Monday, May 29 Texas Repeat

 Monday, May 29

A comfortable 65 degrees this morning.   Greg took this interesting picture at sunrise - I've never seen the rays extending up through clouds from the rising sun!

We moseyed into town to get gas and some coffee (fuel for Greg).  This is when I realized that my wallet was missing!  What a horrible feeling!

After practically tearing the Trek apart looking for it, we retraced yesterday's activities and figured I must have left it at the Peaches stand.  We started the long drive back that way with the faint hope that the stand was operating today - Labor Day.  About 2 hours into the 4 hour drive, I got a call from brother Brett in Massachusetts, who remarkably had received a text from a woman named April who had found the wallet (in the road by the Peach stand).  I called her immediately and she gave us her home address in Spicewood, complete with entry gate code, where we could pick it up!  Alleluia!  Glad I had a slip of paper in the wallet with names and phone numbers of family!!

Greg was gracious and drove another half hour beyond the now infamous Peach stand area (no sign of the stand!) to this lovely home on a lake.

  April's husband met me at the door and was SO kind!  He even gave me a hug as I gushed my thanks😊. Nothing missing from the wallet except my list of phone numbers. Huge sigh of relief!  Then we turned around and headed back to the same spot in Iraan!  We took a little different road and found even more gorgeous wildflowers to further brighten the day!

Greg's comment:  "Darn expensive peaches!"

Slept well.

MAY28-JUNE 7, 2023 TX,NM,AZ,UT and a little CO

 Sunday, May 28, 2023

We left this morning about 8:30, with our first stop being AUSTIN, to have lunch with Matt. We met at Chuy's and enjoyed some good company and tasty Mexican food.  He is in the middle of tryouts, team formation and all - busy time. Looking good!

We head west, taking routes 71 and 29 instead of dropping down to the usual I-10.   We stop at a roadside stand for some Fredericksburg peaches -yum.  Gas is 3.09 in Llano, which we won't see again till we return to Texas.

Beautiful wildflowers along the roadside!

We travel into some spotty rain, hard but short-lived.  I love how you can see where it is raining in the distance.

We head for a boon docking spot in Iraan, Texas, passing through some hills with deep road cuts as we get closer to Iraan.  The town's name  - has nothing to do with Iran the country, it came from the winners of a contest to name the city, suggested by a couple named Ira and Ann! 

 The first place we try is no longer allowing overnight camping, only picnicking, so we backtrack to a picnic area we passed a few miles earlier.  Nice high, breezy site but no longer maintained, so no amenities at all except picnic tables and a little shade.  Even the trash cans were removed.  Graffiti among the pretty flowers (yucca and sage).

One or two cars come by but quickly continue on - we are probably disturbing some kids' hangout plans. Nice sunset - if you look closely you can see the wind turbines on the horizon.  There are a lot of these in West Texas!

The temperature cools nicely for a comfortable night's sleep.