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15-17 July 2013 Cochiti Lake, Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument, Tetilla Peak Recreation Area, NM because of the cool and breezy weather we were able to pick a camping spot without water or electricity. We are the only campers in this loop, Ring-tailed Cat loop. Here, the Rio Grande is dammed by one of the world’s largest earth dams, 5 miles long. The lake that the dam forms seems to be a decent height, and not devastatingly low like so man other lakes this far west. I supposed it is because it so much closer to the source of water in the mountains. I didn’t get to go fishing, but there are bass, crappie, catfish and walleyed pike at the lake. Alfalfa and oats are grown by irrigation at a pueblo just south of the dam. Wind surfing is very popular at the lake.
We visited Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument and hiked the cave loop trail. We then drove up to the Veterans Viewpoint overlooking the park. We have been attracting humming birds with our feeder witch hangs right outside the kitchen window.
19 July 2013 Storrie Lake, Las Vegas, NM
With fond memories and a little regret we left Lake Ochiti and headed north. We passed by Santa Fe on our way north and climbed further in altitude. We decided to make a one night stop at Storrie Lake State Park. This park is
basically right off of Route 25 and is on the sloping hillside of Lake Storrie with a backdrop of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains and the Pecos Wilderness Area. It is a huge, wide open meadow that was once covered by the lake, but now has become grassland until it meets the more rocky parts of the mountains. The lake itself has dwindled in size but still attracts Canada Geese and white pelicans. The wind has been steady and the temperature has been 70’s in the day and high 50’s at night. It rained briefly last night, but the day started clear and sunny.
20-21 July 2013 Coyote Creek State Park, NM
This was a small state park, located high in the mountains. There were beaver ponds and trout fishing, but we failed to see any beavers but there were hummingbirds galore. This was the first time fire restrictions had been lifted since we entered New Mexico.
23 July 2013 Cimarron Canyon State Park, NM
This was another small park high in the mountains nestled in a steep valley with a stream meandering through. It was shaded with Cottonwoods and tall pines. Mule deer came out as the evening came.
24 July 2013 Sugarite Canyon State Park, NM
views were fantastic. Mule deer and turkeys walked around, day and evening. Maloya Lake was a little further up the canyon. Since most of the lakes downstream are too low or too warm to support trout, Maloya Lake gets twice the amount of stocked trout as it normally would get. This made for some great catches for the fishermen. We drove along the lake and Kim spotted a bear cub and managed a nice picture. The moon was full and I to tried to take some pictures, but I can’t seem to take pictures with low light. Because of the moon it was light enough to
watch the deer feeding after the sun set. It has ll of the camp sites were reserved at this small park. Even though it is small, it is the number one park in the state. There are only 8 sites that have both electric and water. Soda Pocket Campground located about two miles up the canyon which we took. l No electric or water, but we did fine. I set up the solar cells to help keep the batteries topped off. We had no problems with electric, although we did have to get some water since I don’t keep the water tanks full due to the weight. It was secluded and the been raining in the late afternoons or early
evening each day along with occasional sleet and hail. It doesn’t last long before the sun comes out again.
24-30 July 2013 Trinidad Lake State Park, CO
We headed north to Trinidad Lake State Park in Colorado. You can definitely see a big difference between the New Mexican and Coloradan systems. Colorado Parks seem to be based more on the National Park model. New amenity buildings, everything is paved, more rules and one has to pay separately for showers, some parks have a water usage fee. Also, it seems you must travel from your campsite to see different sections of the park. One portion is the lake and dam for fishing, then another is for wildlife viewing, etc. We weren’t allowed to hang our hummingbird or wild bird feeders either. This is not to say it isn’t beautiful here, just different. We both prefer the unpaved roads and more rustic accommodations and natural settings with more wildlife and nature close around us.
We had a rain and hail storm in the afternoon. We went into town and had pizza, it was really good. The town has great architecture with a flair that is more Midwestern than southwestern. This had been a very active coal mining town, and the structures resembling those from back east are prevalent. Trinidad is also the county seat so the municipal buildings are larger and made of crafted stone masonry. The bank is also made of masonry and marble with gilded bronze double entrance doors, like in the old days, so the saying goes.
We were told that there was a nice
wildlife
viewing section of the park a few miles down the road and off into the hills with blinds and trails. We headed out about 5 o’clock hoping to see the animals emerge. We didn’t have much luck other than attracting a bunch of mosquitoes. It was a nice ride and hike all the same. There was a music offering at the campsite amphitheatre featuring a guitarist and harmonica player. The park gave out marshmallows and sticks for the kids to roast during the music. It was fun.
We've been waiting for a package to arrive, so we’ll stay a few more days. It looks like we may
mountainous area west and north of Santa Fe, andhead back into New Mexico. We hadn’t seen the
we really like the New Mexican Parks. After that it’s probably back to Texas to visit most of the places we missed the last time.
We received our package at the post office today! Thanks again Jean, you rock, and Jason thanks for the cigar, it will be thoroughly enjoyed. The afternoon storms hit again today. Its’s always heavy rain, hail and wind for about an hour, then it’s gone like it never happened,
except for the puddles. The gusts shake the trailer, and you have to be sure you put up anything that was outside.
30-31 Jul 2013 Sugarite Canyon State Park NM
K- Love this campground. Unlike Colorado State Parks, there is wildlife in the campground. Lots of Mule Deer this time and a couple of Turkey's. The weather is nice and cool during the day and at night. We have the same campsite as the last time. There is a nice meadow right behind us for the deer to walk in and have a bite to eat. The second night we were here we drove down to the lake. The Black bears come down from the hills and eat the fish. We saw a big bear down a the shore and it was so awesome. The bears are going to be really active now with the cooler weather. Time to fatten up! Only dilemma is, should we stay longer or go see some new places..
1 Aug 2013 Cimmaron Canyon State Park, Maverick Campground
K- This campground is small and can get crowded on the weekends. We were able to find a spot for the night and set up. While walking around the park we stopped by and chatted with the camp host. The couple was from St. Augustine FL. They stayed at the campground from May thru October and then stayed in Florida the rest of the time. Perfect set up they have. Nice and cool during the summer and comfortable during the winter. The air smells so clean and fresh here.
2 Aug 2013 Abiquiu Lake COE NM
K- This is on of the COE parks that Bob found. We liked the COE at Cochiti Lake we decided to give this lake a try. We arrived on a Friday and were told that they were booked up for the weekend but they do have an overflow camping area without electricity or water hook ups. Now that we are no longer in a higher elevation, the no electricity thing is a big deal. It’s very hot and dry here but we were lucky to get some thunderstorms and rain in the afternoon so we didn’t bake during the night. We decided to only stay the one night since the park was sold out and we wouldn’t be able to get a regular campsite. Off to Santa Fe we go!
3-9 Aug 2013 Santa Fe and Cochiti Lake NM
We went to a Flea market just outside of Santa Fe. It was threatening to rain so many of the vendors were putting things away. There were many interesting items, many antiques and jewelry. Lots of things were overpriced and geared for tourists like us. We didn’t end up with anything, but it was interesting. You know how things seem to happen in threes? Well it seemed that with that one brake, things were going to cascade to one of those weeks from hell. One of our front brake pads failed without warning. I took a look and saw that the pad had completely sheared off of the backing and had scored the inside of the rotor. It was barely drivable so I limped to the nearest O’Reileys Auto and picked up a set of pads so the truck would at least be halfway safe until I could find a shop that machined rotors. It gave us a chance to realize the convenience of the Cochiti Lake area. I was able to find a dealer who had complete brake sets including backing plates and magnets for our trailer, which needed brakes, and I found a great little shop that took care of my front brakes on the truck. They were able to use the pads I had just bought, checked my brake system, bled the lines and all was great. We went to some great restaurants, and had tacos for lunch at a great little taquaria across from our RV site. We stayed at the same commercial RV site as the last time since it is so convenient to everything in Santa Fe. We then moved to Cochiti Lake while repairs were made on the truck brakes. When the truck was done, I figured it would be a good time to replace all the brakes on the trailer. One of the shoes had separated from the lining. What are the odds of losing the linings of one disc pad on the truck and a lining on one of the trailer brakes? Anyway, better safe than sorry, so I replaced the brake assemblies on the trailer.
I adjusted the brakes, and buttoned everything up. Upon pulling out of the camp I didn’t notice the trailer brakes helping at all. I figured the electric brake controller in the truck needed to be adjusted. We continued on our trip and I was able to bring up the instructions on adjusting the controller on the internet. Kim and I went through the process exactly and still no results. This was getting frustrating. I pulled one of the wheels on the trailer to check to be sure everything was good. Upon checking each of the brakes, I discovered that on one, one of the wires to the electric brake had gotten caught between the axle flange and the backing plate when I installed them. It had been grounding out the electric brake signal. So, with that fixed everything started to work. Now we had to adjust the controller again.
K-What a crazy week this turned out to be. Bob worked his butt of instead of enjoying Cochiti Lake. He was gone almost every day we were there. Gypsy and I stayed behind at the campsite when Bob got the truck worked on and picked up the trailer breaks. During the day the temperature could get hot if there wasn’t a breeze and I was afraid to leave Gypsy by herself. Gypsy really likes it here. She snoozed outside during the day in the shade with the breeze blowing her hair around. Even lying in the gravel she was cutting z’s and snoring out loud. The day we were leaving I was taking Gypsy for a walk in the morning. She loves the rabbits and smelling where they have been. The rabbits like to hide under the bushes. So she smelled under the bush by our campsite and all of a sudden there was unmistakable rattle noise from the bush!! I pulled that leash so hard her front legs came off the ground. I looked closer and sure enough it was a good size rattlesnake!!! The snake stayed there the whole time we were getting ready to leave and kept giving us a warning rattle.
9-10 Aug 2013 Villeneuve State, Park, NM
This was a small park that was very remote in the panhandle of Texas. It was a place that was a common location for many of the first Spanish explorers in the southwest of the newly discovered new world.
K- The weather is still nice and cool and we are not looking forward to leaving!
11 Aug 2013 Santa Rosa State Park, NM
This was one of the few state parks that we had previously visited on our last trip. It wasn’t that it was spectacular, but it was convenient to break up the travelling day. The weather was nice enough and the breeze strong enough to not need any a/c to sleep comfortably.
12 Aug 2013 Ute Lake State Park, TX
K- Dry, hot and dusty. Ask Bob about the bathroom door one day.
13-14 August 2013 Palo Duro RV Park, TX
This was another park we had visited on our last trip. We were really looking forward to being there again. However, as we pulled up, the ranger said that the park was full already, and the people now there now had to move to different campsites due to flooding. We found an RV park just outside of town. We went to our favorite Mexican restaurant and had a great dinner. We had some suggestions of places to eat in Amarillo and decided on the Coyote Bluff Café for Green Chile Cheeseburgers. During the last couple days, I had an engine warning light come on. I didn’t notice and adverse actions from the truck, other than once in a great while, it would seem to stumble at highway speed for a second, and then continue on for another 100 miles without incident. I was paranoid or at least anxious since the trouble with the brakes, so it had me unsettled and constantly watching all the gages. It happened again, so I stopped at an O’Reileys Auto Parts and asked them to read the trouble code, which they did free of charge. It was a Crankshaft speed sensor. Luckily I was very near Amarillo, and went to the Cummins Diesel shop to pick up the sensor which they had in stock. I had to also stop and pick up a 12 point 10mm socket to pull the starter to get at the sensor. I bought a complete set of ½” drive 12 point sockets thinking they may be handy in the future. Well, half way into the job, I found that the half-inch drive too thick to fit the small space allowed. So, I buttoned everything up and planned on buying a 3/8” drive set on our way to the next park. I picked up a set at O’Reileys Auto parts, our preferred parts store when travelling. They are all owner operated and you can expect better service than a regular parts store. All the next day, as I drove, the truck never showed one sign of its previous problem; it was as if it self-healed. However, just as I parked the truck that night after our evening cruise through the park looking for animals the engine light came on and I knew I had to replace the sensor.
15-17 August 2013 Caprock Canyon State Park, TX
K-We’ve wanted to go to this park but Palo Duro was always more convenient. This park is off the beaten path. We drove thru towns with populations of 700 and 400 residents, mostly farming and cattle. This park has it own heard of buffalo. When you drive to your campsite you may just have to drive thru the heard to get there. It’s nice to see them close up. It’s hot and dry here and with the tall grass you could imagine a lion or a zebra coming out of it, just like an African savannah. One of the things that is nice are the red rock formations. It’s not as dramatic as Palo Duro, but still incredible to see. One day I took a walk, a short one mind you as it was close to 100. I walked up on a Roadrunner. I’ve wanted to see one since the last trip we took. He just stood there for me, preening and calling and tilting his tail back and forth. What a surprise! Wish I had my camera.
18-19 August 2013 Copper Breaks Canyon State Park, TX
K- This is another park that looked like an African savannah. There’s lots of tall grass and plenty of dry heat here. We took our usual night drive to see if we could find some animals. It looked like a prime location for seeing deer. But to our surprise we saw a Bobcat cross the street right in front of us!
20-21 Aug 2013 Lake Arrowhead State Park, TX
22 -24 Aug 2013 Possum Kingdom State Park, TX Largemouth bass and a fresh water drum
25-26 Aug 2013 Lake Mineral Wells State Park, TX Stiped bass
27-29 Aug 2013 Ray Roberts Lake State Park, TX A nice largemouth bass, white bass and bass. Next day some stipers in a feeding frenzy and I was in the middle. A huge Largemout followed my lure right up to my feet but didn’t bite. Deer came down to the lake to drink as the sun was setting. The parks we’ve visited in the last week or so have had very poor cell service, and internet was near impossible. They were located near very small towns and very rural.
30 Aug 2013 Bonham State Park, TX
31Aug 1 Sept 2013 Atlanta State Park, TX
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