Sunday January 12: There is a little frost on the outdoor tables this morning at Cactus Forest BLM dispersed camping area where Clifford and I are camped, having arrived yesterday afternoon. This area is northwest of Tucson at the Red Rock exit and about 10 miles off I-10. It is a unique area due to the density and variety of cacti that grow here, truly a forest of cacti. Not the best place for little kids, dogs, or big rigs, but for us, one of our best finds.
I take photos at sunrise, but soon hustle back inside to warm up.
Cactus Forest at sunrise
Cougar in the forest at sunrise
Cactus Forest Morning
Cholla in the early morning
Later, when it warms up, I walk the road, surprised at the number of people camped here, as it is hard to see other campsites due to the dense growth.
Cactus Forest with Picacho Peak in the background
We play our instruments outside, work on various other projects (ham radio for Clifford; editing and blog-writing for me), and I finish reading Old Lady on the Trail. This has been an interesting book to read, since Clifford and I did a fair amount of backpacking when I was in my 60’s, but not anything like Mary Davison.
The
evening sunset provides the opportunity for the classic
saguaro-in-the-desert-at-sunset photos.
Thursday January 9: Clifford and I have enjoyed our stay at Elephant Butte New Mexico State Park, but today is moving day and we are heading further south. Although our destination is Quartzsite, Arizona, we will only go as far as Lordsburg, New Mexico, today.
It is a chilly 27 degrees as we pack up and the drive is windy, south on I-25 and east on I-10, all the way to Lordsburg. After stopping for gas, we make our way to Veterans Park on the outskirts of town. Clifford discovered this place by doing some research and it proves to be a good spot to spend the night. Hardly anyone is here this time of the year and we are able to pick a spot along a row of picnic tables and small bushes. We park and level, happy to be off the highway and out of the wind.
I mostly read the rest of the evening, but step out for a nice shot of the sunset.
Sunset from Lordsburg, New Mexico
Clifford is focused on music for the dulcimer. The wind picks up in the night and there is a bit of rain.
Friday January 10: Due to the wind, we decide to stay here at Veterans Park today. I walk out to the gate in the morning and plan to walk about later when it is warmer, but it is too windy and I stay inside Cougar the rest of the day. Thanks to cell service here, we are both able to continue with projects.
Veterans Park
Saturday January 11: It was a chilly 22 degrees overnight here at Lordsburg, but calm this morning.
After a quick breakfast and making tea for the thermoses, we are on our way, east on I-10, grateful for the calmer day.
Mountains of southeast Arizona ahead
Arizona, here we are
Rocky landscape of southeast Arizona
As
we approach Tucson, the desert basin is a sea of water and mud flats,
which is something we’ve never seen before on our travels through
this area. Driving through Tucson on a Saturday morning is a good
move and we get through the city without any problem.
At
Red Rock, we turn off I-10 and take the frontage road to the county
road that leads to Cactus Forest, the BLM dispersed camping area
where we will be staying for a couple days.
Cactus Forest
When we arrive, most of the sites big enough for RV’s are taken, but the one we camped in last year is available. We pull in and get set up almost exactly where we were a year ago.
Cougar in Cactus Forest
It is like visiting old friends as we recognize various cacti that we became acquainted with when we were here before.
Sunday January 5 to Wednesday January 8: The days go sweetly by as we tend to our projects: dulcimer and ham radio for Clifford; walkabouts for photos, writing blogs, editing, playing viola for me. We are really enjoying our spot on the bluff overlooking Elephant Butte New Mexico State Park where we are camped.
Sunrise at Elephant Butte State Park
Morning saunter along Elephant Butte Lake
Sunlight on growth along the shore
Elephant Butte State Park
A wintertime bush at Elephant Butte State Park
We make a couple of
trips to Truth or Consequences, once to get updates on my laptop and
another day to run errands in preparation for leaving Thursday. It
has been a good stay, but it is time for us to head to Arizona.
Wednesday January 1 to Saturday January 4: It is great having some days to stay put at our Elephant Butte New Mexico State Park campsite with no business to take care of and no errands to run.
Sunrise at Elephant Butte State Park, New Mexico
Cougar on the bluff at sunrise
One afternoon Clifford and I saunter down to the beach from our campsite on the bluff above Elephant Butte Lake. It is interesting to notice the rock formations, which are most likely a function of receding water, sort of how stalactites are formed, but horizontal action.
Walking with Clifford
Rattlesnake Island
We
play our instruments outside, not really a warm temperatures, but
pleasant enough on the lee side of Cougar in the sun and out of the
wind.
Clifford and the dulcimer spend time outside
I’ve felt that I’m not finding a rhythm to my morning “quiet time,” but the insights of a photographer friend brings an understanding that the time I spend seeking and sharing the beauty of nature is in itself the connection to Source that I am desiring.
Views near sunset
We
are grateful to be here with the lake below us, sunshine on the solar
panels, and decent cell service for the hotspot: email, blog posting,
photo editing, posting photos for family and friends, and my Higher
Vibration Photo Series are among the things that happen when we have
power and internet.
A colorful sunset at Elephant Butte State Park
A
side note: Australia is on fire and Trump is sending troops to
Kuwait. I have concerns for my son-in-law who is stationed nearby.
Thursday December 26 – It is a really lovely morning here at Elephant Butte New Mexico State Park where Clifford and I are camped.
Our last morning at South Monticello Campground
Sunlight at dawn at South Monticello
Today we are moving to a different campground, but when we get there, we find that the electric sites are far too crowded with no views of the lake or the mesas. We go exploring, having never camped in this area before, and find a road along the bluff that has sites, non-electric, but with a picnic table and a great view of Elephant Butte Lake.
Camping on the bluff at Ridge Road
View of Elephant Butte Lake and the mesas beyond
Solar
panels come out for this set-up and we find that our Mr. Buddy heater
is not working, first time we are using either on this trip. The
nights and mornings are still quite chilly and we run the furnace to
take the chill off.
Horse Island
The next few days are focused on meeting with our webmaster in Truth or Consequences, as the Carnicom Institute website is undergoing a major change. It is a lot of work for the two of them, but the change is mostly in place by time our webmaster has to leave. During these days, I participated minimally in the website work and wrote blogs. Only a few photos are taken.
Views from the campsite
Tuesday December 31: A pretty sunrise greets us this chilly morning.
Last sunrise of 2019
It is nice to not have to run to T or C right away, but we do make a trip to town to find a bookstore. The Black Cat Bookstore is a charming place and it was fun to see our RV neighbor at the counter. She and I visit while Clifford looks for the book he needs, but doesn’t find. I also talk to a man who is making stone and wire jewelry, beautiful pendants, to sell. Coffee is fresh and from a good free-trade source, so I enjoy a cup before Clifford and I head back to camp.
Last sunlight of 2019 on Rattlesnake Island
The
usual activities occupy the rest of our day. I am glad to have time
to enjoy being camped where we are, on a bluff with a view. It is a
peaceful quiet end to 2019.
Friday December 20 to Wednesday December 25: These are special days at Elephant Butte State Park in central New Mexico where Clifford and I are camped — beginning with the Solstice, celebrated by spending time outdoors and adding to the rock collage at the base of a creosote bush on the edge of our campsite;
Solstice sunrise
our anniversary celebrated with a photo of the two of us and watching a movie (which we can do here because we have an electric site and good cell service);
Clifford and Carol 20th Anniversary
Christmas Eve and Christmas which I celebrate by being at the lake before sunrise and then making a photo greeting of one of the sunrise photos, which I send to family and friends.
Christmas morning sunrise
Chilly nights and mornings remind us daily that although there is no snow here, winter is real in New Mexico, even in this more southerly portion. But compared to many parts of the country and the world, we have it pretty easy. The bush fires in Australia have grown alarmingly while regions of this country are experiencing extreme high winds and heavy snowfall.
Elephant Butte State Park
Every day I spend time sauntering about taking photos, writing and posting photos blogs, editing for a couple of authors, and playing viola.
Another sunrise at Elephant Butte State Park
Elephant Butte State Park
Clifford works with ham radio, learning to pass “traffic” via radio, and playing his dulcimer, which also includes using software to create his own accompaniments.
Clifford playing dulcimer
Each day also has variety, including calls from my kids, learning of national and global events, reorganization projects, and so on.
Elephant Butte State Park
This has been a good
and peaceful place for us these past two weeks. Tomorrow will be
moving day, but we will remember this spot with fondness.
Tuesday December 17 to Thursday December 19: Nights are chilly, in the low 20’s, and midday temperatures in the 40’s here at Elephant Butte New Mexico State Park where Clifford and I are camped.
Sunrise at Elephant Butte State Park
A different sunrise at Elephant Butte State Park
I dress warmly when I walk to the lake in the mornings, but by early afternoon we are able to be outside, sheltered from the wind on the sunny side of Cougar. I enjoy writing in the journal while Clifford plays the dulcimer for the brief time that it is warm enough to sit out.
On days that are not too windy, I also walk to the lake at sunset, as the late afternoon sunlight brings out the color of the mesas and the lake most beautifully.
Clifford goes with me to the lake near sunset one afternoon
Light of setting sun on shrubs at the lake
Light of setting sun on shrubs at the lake
Light of setting sun on shrubs at the lake
The usual activities of radio and dulcimer continue for Clifford; photography, blogs, editing, and playing viola or cello for me. Plus all the other things I don’t have time for that are sitting on a “back-burner.” Honestly, I do not understand how people can complain of being bored – there are so many fun and interesting things to learn and do.
Friday December 13 to Monday December 16: Clifford and I are camped at South Monticello Campground located at the north end of Elephant Butte New Mexico State Park.
Elephant Butte Lake from South Monticello Campground
Our days are busy with activities that interest us. Clifford mostly works on his ham radio and music for dulcimer. I saunter about taking photos, often at sunrise or sunset.
Sunrise at Elephant Butte State Park
Sunrise reflections on mountains to the north
Sunrise at Elephant Butte State Park
Light on the mesas near sunset
I also edit for a couple of authors, edit photos for the travel blogs that I post nearly daily, and play viola.
Viola in the desert
Most fun during this time is a visit from our Santa Fe friend, Diana. While she is here, we three talk of her participation in preserving Clifford’s research, and we go on an exploratory drive to the dispersed camping area to the north of our campground.
Exploring to the north at midday
Diana and I also go for walks to the lake and discuss other topics, including the importance of being in a positive vibration in our thoughts.
Diana finds a way to the shore of Elephant Butte Lake near sunset
Elephant Butte Lake at sunset
Elephant Butte Lake at sunset
Elephant Butte at sunset
One evening we watch the three videos that Clifford has made: A Grand Ceremony, a video of the backpacking trip that he and I did to the bottom of the Grand Canyon in 2012. The videos River Woman and Voice of the Cello are an artistic mix of my daughter’s Ang’s writing, my still photos, and Clifford’s videography. We are up late every night with so much to talk about.
Diana and Carol
It
has been great having a good friend share time with us these several
days and it is with reluctance that we part as she heads back to
Santa Fe, but with the hope and intention of more time together in
the future.
Wednesday December 11: After picking up a few more supplies at the Socorro (New Mexico) Walmart where we spent the night, Clifford and I head on south on I-25, destination Elephant Butte New Mexico State Park. It is a chilly 27 degrees, but relatively calm. We are glad that it is not so windy, as there are sections of this route that are prone to high wind gusts, which can be quite dangerous for RV’s.
We are going to the South Monticello Campground at the north end of the park, our first time camping at this state park. The sites along the lake are by reservation only, but we find a nice site a ways back from the lake where we can still see the lake and have lots of privacy, surrounded by acres of creosote.
Campsite at Elephant Butte
Acres of creosote and a view of the lake
After we get set up,
I walk to the lake and see a route down off the bluff, which I will
take another time. Cell service is decent here, so I am able to post
a blog and download more photos. Clifford is setting up his radios
and working with his music software.
We are treated to a
colorful sunset to end the day.
Sunset at Elephant Butte State Park
Thursday December 12: Seeing mist over the lake when I get up, I walk out right away, enjoying the quiet ambiance of the morning.
Mist over Elephant Butte Lake
Misty ambiance
Today, in addition to our regular projects, we hang a string a Christmas lights, since we have electric power here.
Calls from my daughter Becka, who is back in Hawaii, and from our Santa Fe friend Diana saying she will come visit, are great additions to the day. In the late afternoon, I saunter to the lake again, noticing the change of color as the sun nears the horizon.
Saunter to the Elephant Butte Lake
The color changes as the sun nears the horizon
Today was a delightful beginning for our stay at Elephant Butte State Park.
We have been watching the weather, waiting for a break from snow and wind so we can begin the winter journey. Finally we see an opening, but due to a winter storm descending over Colorado and possibly into northern New Mexico, we will not be going to Santa Fe to camp as planned. We will, instead, head for Coronado Campground at Bernalillo (north of Albuquerque), which is far enough south to avoid the winter weather, as well as much easier on Suburban not to tow Cougar to the higher elevation of Santa Fe. This change of plans makes sense, but is still a disappointment not to have a week in Santa Fe. As a compromise, we will make a day trip to Santa Fe from Coronado see a few friends and run only the most essential errands.
Saturday December 7: We finish packing and everything is checked off the final to-do list. It is not a fun job to get Cougar hooked up in this cold weather, but by early afternoon, we are on our way.
We
see snow cover on the San Juan Mountains as we near Cortez, Colorado.
Taking photos through the window doesn’t quite do it justice, but
it is a record of the early stages of the journey. We pick up
supplies and spend the night at Walmart in Farmington, New Mexico.
Snow in the San Juan Mountains
Sunday December 8: It is 23 degrees this morning after rain earlier. We travel from Farmington to Bernalillo, via highway 550, a long 165 miles. The highway is wet at the higher elevations, and we are happy that there is no snow or ice. It is a relief to arrive at Coronado Campground at Bernalillo. We pick a spot, not the prettiest, but the most level for easy setup.
Traveling highway 550 from Farmington to Bernalillo, New Mexico
Highway 550 wet, but no snow or ice
Mesas along highway 550, New Mexico
Coronado Campground
The interesting story about this place is that 22 years ago, it was a state park, and Clifford and I found it by good luck on a cold snowy Christmas Eve, on our first trip to New Mexico, after we discovered that there were no motels with vacancies along the freeways, which were being closed due to heavy snowfall. We weren’t going to make it to Santa Fe that night, and camping appeared to be out of the question. However, north of Albuquerque, Clifford spotted the sign for Coronado State Park and we took the exit. We set up our tent in one of the shelters alongside the picnic table, somewhat out of the wind, very happy to have found a safe place to camp. The next couple of days we made day trips to Santa Fe and Los Alamos, since it was too snowy to camp near Santa Fe. It was quite the adventure!
Monday December 9th is our day in Santa Fe where we meet with dear long-time friends for breakfast, after dropping off one of my cellos at the Violin Shop, then a stop at Trader Joe’s, followed by pizza at Dions with two other long-time special friends. Such a great time with all these people who have enriched our lives over the years. There were others we wanted to see, but just not enough time on this trip.
We lighten the load by taking pink-case cello to the Violin Shop
Tuesday December 10: I am up before sunrise and even though it is a chilly 23 degrees, I walk to the tent camping area, as I can get a better view of the Rio Grande River from there. It takes awhile for the sun to clear the Sandia Mountains, but I’m glad to be there for the welcome sight and feel of sunlight.
Landscape soft in the dawn light
The sun rises over the Sandia Mountains
Frost on chamisa
Back at camp, we pack up and leave at a leisurely time, as we are only going as far as Socorro Walmart today, less than 100 miles.
