A
late start. A short day. Another state.
Cortez.
Southwestern Colorado for the night.
This
used to be a KOA. Fifteen or twenty years ago we stayed here so often, we
would be greeted like family when we drove in. Mom, Dad, and two sons
running the place. We’d announce “It’s good to be home.”
That
was then. The family we enjoyed so much sold it and moved on. It’s
no longer a KOA. It’s no longer tip-top. It’s still in a beautiful
setting though.
Cooler
weather. The low last night was 36 degrees. We turned on the space
heater and stayed toasty all night.
Tonight,
the camping gods smiled upon us. Navajo Lake State Park. Cottonwood
Campground.
About
as nice a spot as we have ever been in.
Entertained
a visitor at our site.
And
encountered a Bull Snake.
They
kind of like to pretend they’re rattlesnakes, but they’re harmless. As
boy scouts, we would find them along the trail, carry them for a while, then
put them back down.
Lunch
with the Albuquerque crew.
That
was fun. Haven’t done this in several years.
Then
off down the highway for a hundred miles to Bluewater Lake State Park.
Pinon
Juniper habitat. This would be the Pinon Pine part.
Evening light.
Last
night.
This
rig we saw this morning might be homemade…
I
like the solar power setup.
A
close-up of a sphinx moth. Really, they’re not huge, I just wanted to
show the detail.
They
can be seen in the evenings hoovering over flowers like tiny hummingbirds.
And
we’re off to the KOA in Albuquerque.
For
showers, laundry, and a little more evening light.
And
now we are out of Texas!
Morning
light.
Across
the arid cropland of the Texas Panhandle.
A
thriving desert willow at a small highway rest area in New Mexico.
To
Bottomless Lakes State Park.
Limestone
sinkhole lakes as much as 90 feet deep.
One
big lake for recreating.
Many
smaller lakes that are left in their natural state.
Our
site for the night.
A
quiet comfortable spot for morning coffee.
Particularly
quiet and comfortable for Jesse for her after breakfast snooze.
A
rainy drive all day. It just started clearing up when we arrived at our
camp for the night.
Another
good day.
At
it again. But for real this time. We have a departure date for the
trip. Today. We don’t have a return date. In round numbers
we’ll be out for two or three months, but we’re set up to continue as long as
we want.
We
mean to stop at as many places as we can that we haven’t been to before.
Tonight, Guadalupe River State Park. Been here before, but haven’t spent
the night until tonight.
