Wednesday April 3: I walk in the rocks at City of Rocks New Mexico State Park an extra long time this morning, as it is calm for a change and the sky is a beautiful blue. I delight in each new and each familiar place where the meanderings take me.
Morning Light
Walking in the rocks
Rock formation near the Visitors Center
I spend much of the day on emails, editing, and get the next blog posted. Clifford and I work together on CI projects, updating the fund-raising campaigns that we have been working on in preparation for his talk in Santa Fe coming up later this month. He also works on music for the dulcimer, devising his own tablature system for it.
By afternoon it is
too windy to even be outside, so I’m glad I spent the time walking
this morning.
Token afternoon photo – wildflowers at the campsite
Thursday April 4: My brother Rollie and his little dog, Ninja, arrive mid-morning. I go around with him to help find a spot big enough for his motor home. He decides on the cul d sac next to where we are set up.
Rollie sets up in a cul d sac in the rocks
Clifford and I run into Deming to take care of errands, pick up supplies, and try to track down the missing penny whistle that Clifford had ordered from Ireland. It was not sent as instructed, and neither UPS or USPS seem to have it.
Back at camp, I go for an evening walk in the rocks with Rollie, as this place is all new to him.
Rollie and Ninja enjoy an outing in the City of Rocks
Nooks and crannies everywhere
Light from the setting sun
Sunset at City of Rocks
After the walk, Rollie comes to our place for chili dinner. I win the game of cribbage tonight, but win or lose, I am the one who does the dishes. LOL
Monday April 1: It is a chilly 33 degrees this morning at City of Rocks New Mexico State Park where we are camped, but not so windy as the last several days. I go for a short walk in the rocks before jumping into projects for the day: editing, answering emails, and sending a couple of agent queries in regard to Novels of Shannon, an epic fantasy written by Ang MacDonald, who happens to be my daughter. Definitely an engaging story for fantasy lovers. Then Clifford and I sit outside to start an outline for the book we anticipate writing — the story behind Carnicom Institute. In the evening I go for a longer walk in the rocks.
Looking toward Cookes Peak from the rocks
Another view of Cookes Peak
Labyrinth of pathways…
… designed by nature
Evening walk in City of Rocks
Tuesday April 2: It is cloudy and calm this morning, so I have a little campfire and sit out to write in the journal after a short walk in the rocks. Clifford is listening to his morning ham radio nets. Then he tries to figure out if the penny whistle ordered from Ireland has been delivered to the Deming post office where he is supposed to pick it up.
Morning walk in the rocks
Cougar tucked in
Campfire, coffee, and journal
Once he has exhausted the UPS search, we go to the Visitors Center, as they have an excellent display showing the exact location of the volcano that created City of Rocks.
One of numerous plaques describing the formation of the City of Rocks
After the Visitors Center, we drive to the smaller cluster of rocks that I call “the village,” located on a hill set apart from the main cluster. There is a great view of the City of Rocks from the overlook, but it is very windy up here and not really a great place to hang out.
Looking down at the City of Rocks from “the village”
We meet an interesting woman who is boondocking up here in her van. Then we go to the Cienga Trail, which is just off the road into the Visitors Center and camping area. We were thinking of only going in a quarter mile, but ended up doing the 2-mile loop…. hot, dry and windy.
I was glad to get back to camp.
Back at camp – the view from our front door
At sunset, I hike up to a high point in the rocks and take only a couple photos before I discover that my phone is out of battery. By time I get back to Cougar to get a small USB charger, the color has faded. It is still pretty, but too subtle for a good photo.
Hiking to the high point
One shot as the sun goes down
Pretty, but subtle now
Playing viola this
evening, I run through Suzuki Book II, a change from the usual
bluegrass tunes. I am tempted to finish the next blog, but it is
already close to bedtime, so let it go. Clifford plays his dulcimer
awhile, which is a fine and good thing at the end of the day.
Friday March 29: This morning at City of Rocks New Mexico State Park, I get up earlier than usual, still wanting to sleep, but also wanting to get photos at sunrise. Sunrise wins and out I go, taking quite a few photos, though the warm color doesn’t last long.
The warm color doesn’t last long
Artistic rendition
I walk to the Visitors Center and then around the loop as far as the Botanical Garden, taking a few photos before heading through the rocks back to our campsite.
Visit to the Botanical Garden
Trail through the rocks
Clifford and I work
on fund-raising campaigns for Carnicom Institute again today and I
finish editing the book proposal for an author that we know. I send a
few texts with photos and check Facebook, posting photos there, but
cell service is not great at City of Rocks, so don’t spend much
time fussing with the net.
We have to pull in the awning because of the wind, which is strong enough to topple Clifford’s radio antenna. In fact, it is so windy I don’t even go out to take photos at sunset.
Saturday March 30: The wind continues with jet trails marring the sky; I scarcely go out for photos today.
Our front yard
We both work on fund-raising campaigns and email for CI. I send texts with photos to family, finish a blog, edit more photos, and take care of phone calls. Clifford plays his dulcimer and works on the presentation he will be giving in Santa Fe. Chicken and left-overs for dinner. Although we accomplished some stuff today, it wasn’t exactly a fun photo-opp day.
Sunday March 31: It is a chilly 34 degrees this morning, but not quite so windy as I walk down to the Visitors Center this morning. I am happy to see a good blue sky as I walk.
A good blue sky this morning
Walking in the rocks back to camp
Back at camp during my morning quiet time, I read the poem by Mary Oliver about the golden snow geese, which touches my heart, as I had that same experience at Bosque del Apache in New Mexico many years ago when snow geese were flying in right at sundown. Anyone who loves nature should read Mary Oliver’s poems. She has such a way of resonating with the soul.
Projects include another blog and working on the campaigns in preparation for the talk in Santa Fe. In the afternoon, Clifford and I both walk in the rocks, which is more fun than walking by myself.
Hiking in the rocks
Clifford in the rocks
Me wearing my desert hat
City of Rocks State Park
It is not quite so windy, and when we get back to camp, we take a look at the awning to figure out why it has been hard to get in and out properly. We discover the side arm is jammed into the boom on one side. Once we get that fixed, we make a flow chart of the steps required to get the awning in and out, and post it on a 4 x 6 card above the door.
Wednesday March 27: Clifford and I are up a little earlier this morning, our last morning at Rock Hound New Mexico State Park. I make tea for the road, we finish packing and are on our way to City of Rocks New Mexico State Park by 9:30. It is not a long drive, as City of Rocks is only about 30 miles north of Deming, New Mexico. When we arrive, there is only one first-come first serve electric site open, and just as we are about to pull into it, some lady comes and plunks down a chair and sort of says sorry, not that she’s really sorry. She’s glad she snagged it before we did.
There aren’t a lot of sites in City of Rocks that are suitable for bigger RV’s, not that Cougar is huge, but she still needs more level ground and room for slide-out. We drive around and see a couple campsites that could work, and in the end we pick one near the “kokopelli site” where we first camped with our old Terry Resort trailer several years ago.
The kokopelli pictograph where we camped years ago
It is tricky getting backed into this site, but Clifford does an excellent job. Cougar is leveled, slide-out out, awing up, and we are tucked into the rocks with much more privacy than we would have had in the electric site. Also, there is immediate access to the rocks for hiking. So, in the end, this is a better spot for us and we are quite pleased with it.
Getting backed in
Cougar is tucked into the rocks
Once we are in place, I go for a walk in the rocks.
Looking back at our campsite
Meandering pathways
Thursday March 28: I get up earlier this morning so I can walk in the rocks at first light. Mucky haze on the horizon dampens the light, but I walk anyway, loving the meandering of the pathways through the rocks.
Big boulders reflect early morning light
This boulder pile out in the desert basin was created by a volcanic eruption from the Emory Caldera, centered near Hillsboro Peak at the southern end of the Black Range, 30 million years ago, with wind and water erosion shaping these monolithic blocks, some 40 feet tall.
Behind our campsite
Formations created from lava after a volcano 30 million years ago
One of numerous balanced rocks found at City of Rocks
In the morning we work on CI projects: emails and a fund-raising campaign. In the afternoon, I edit a book proposal for an author and Clifford continues his preparation for the talk to be given in Santa Fe in later April.
Near sundown, I go for another walk in the rocks, as the colors at the last light of day are quite spectacular.
Light from the setting sun turns the west-facing rocks golden
I am not the only one catching the setting sun
The setting of the sun at City of Rocks
After a dinner of breakfast burritos, I complete and publish a blog while Clifford watches documentaries on some of his favorite musicians. This was a very enjoyable day.
Monday March 25: Not a very interesting day here at Rock Hound New Mexico State Park where we are camped, as far as photos or outings go. We run errands in Deming, including the laundromat. Nice to have clean clothes and groceries. Leftovers for dinner and then we sit out for a bit to watch the sunset even though the sky has been messed up with spraying all day. Nice light on the cacti, however.
Sitting out at sunset
Nice light on the cacti
Tuesday March 26: It was super windy all night and much of the day, but I managed to sneak in a few shots of the poppies and another wildflower that I see as I walk back and forth from the bathhouse.
Poppies, of course!
Another wildflower
After putting away the clean clothes from yesterday’s outing to the laundromat, I take care of emails, texts with photos, and start reading an interesting book on life-saving foods. How to stay healthy is always of interest to me. Clifford is busy with his projects – ham radio and preparing for the upcoming presentation in Santa Fe. The rest of the day is spent packing up everything from outside that can be put away, as well as much of the inside stuff, as today is our last day here.
In the evening, I go
for a walk on the Thunder Egg Trail and catch a few shots of the
setting sun. Our stay here has been good, but I am not especially sad
to leave it, either.
Saturday March 23: It is calm this morning, so I walk to the entrance of Rock Hound New Mexico State Park where we are camped, as I saw a nice stand of poppies there. By time I get there, I only get a few shots before the wind starts to blow. Poppies waving about are pretty, but not well-suited for photos.
Poppies wave in the wind
Today we work on
more fund-raising campaigns for Carnicom Institute, as well taking
care of CI email. I work on another blog and play viola inside, as it
is too windy outside. Clifford continues with his preparation for his
talk in Santa Fe in April. He also flies his kite with the new tails
that he put on it.
Clifford flies his kite
Sunday March 24: This morning, coming back from taking a shower at the bathhouse, I take a detour on the Thunder Egg Trail, going just a short ways to photography some flowers. Kneeling down, wearing my wool poncho and my head still wrapped in a towel, I startle some guy who is going for a hike. But then, when he realizes I am just an ordinary human with my wet hair wrapped in a towel, we have a good conversation about various places we have camped.
Wildflowers on Thunder Egg Trail
After breakfast,
Clifford and I continue with the fund-raising campaigns. Once we get
a couple more done, we hike the Thunder Egg Trail from one side of
the campground, across the face of the mesa, and down to the far side
of the campground. It is quite windy, but at least the sky is blue so
the photos look pretty good.
Clifford on Thunder Egg Trail
Yucca and prickly pear are abundant along Thunder Egg Trail
Up and up we go
Rugged mesa looms ahead; luckily the trail takes us back to the campground
Poppies along Thunder Egg Trail
Arriving back at our campsite
Back at the campsite, I work on another blog, write in the journal, and try to figure out why I’m not seeing cell photos in the Google Cloud. Technology just leaves me baffled sometimes, actually often! But I sure am grateful for the cell phone allowing me to take and share photos so readily.
Wednesday March 20: It was super windy all night here at Rock Hound New Mexico State Park, so I didn’t sleep well, and the wind continues throughout the day. After breakfast, we start the accounting for 2018. Once done, we walk to the Visitors Center, just to get out. The Visitors Center is already closed for the day, but a short Nature Trail provides a diversion before we head back to our campsite.
Ocotillo blossom on the Nature Trail
We sit out to watch the sunset before dinner. Viola, email, text, and journal finish out the day.
Thursday March 21: Today is another windy day, but I get photos of the poppies before it gets too bad. After breakfast, we start the 2018 taxes. Mostly Clifford does the taxes, but I am in charge of receipts and check book register and can be called upon to clarify expenses now and then. Mostly I work on the next blog. Once the taxes are done, I take care of email, as well as sending texts with photos to family.
Love…
Love…
Poppies!
In the afternoon, we start the 2019 accounting. Taking a break, we sit outside to watch the sunset. Soup for dinner, as it is too late to do anything more than that. Clifford watches a documentary on the Civil War, which is extremely depressing and hard to ignore. I keep working on the blog, but this documentary is a very unpleasant way to end the day.
Friday March 22: Today we start working on fund-raising campaigns for Carnicom Institute. These campaigns will form the basis of the prospective changes to the direction of CI and are needed for the presentation that Clifford will be giving in Santa Fe in April.
It is relatively
calm this morning, so we decide to make an outing to Spring Creek,
just a few miles away in the Florida Mountains, a small but very
rugged mountain range in southwest New Mexico. Las Floridas was the
name given because of the expanses of California poppies that used to
bloom on the lower slopes. Due to changes in climate, fewer poppies
bloom in New Mexico, but the name remains.
The rugged Florida Mountains – Las Floridas
We drive up the mountain to the end of the road looking for the Spring Creek trailhead.
Steep ups and downs
There are several picnic tables and shelters at the end of the road, but we are the only ones here. The wind has come up again, so Clifford flies his kite.
Wind is good for kites
Looking at the kiosk map, we see that the trail from here, the Lovers’ Leap Trail, is very steep. The Spring Creek Trail is back down the way we came, but not marked. We eventually find the overgrown road that once led to picnic tables on the mountainside, a road long since abandoned in favor of the current road.
Once a picnic site
Walking along this abandoned road, we find the Spring Creek trail, obviously not used often, along the rocky side of a ravine. It looks like a great place to find rattlesnakes, with hundreds of rocky hiding places. Yikes!
Spring Creek Trail
Clifford stops to wait for me
The trail goes up a steep draw to a ridge, and about the time I’m ready to turn back, Clifford, who has gone on ahead, finds the dry creek bed, which leads to a small spring.
Yes, this is the trail with lots of places for rattlesnakes to hide
The water flows out over the rocks in the shade of juniper and scrub oak trees. We find big rocks to sit on and relax in this cool moist spot. Going up was taxing for the cardio-vascular system, going down is hard on the knees, and we stay ever-vigilant for snakes.
Relaxing at the spring
Leaving the shade and the spring
Looking back up the trail; staying ever-vigilant for rattlesnakes
Back at camp, it is
still early enough to make a trip to Deming for errands. When we
return, naps are in order, as it has been a very busy day. Later,
Clifford flies his kite in the campground, which is fine until the
long tail gets caught in a tall ocotillo. This is not a good thing,
but Clifford figures a clever way to get the kite tail out of the
thorny bush.
Clifford getting kite tail out of the ocotillo
In the evening, I
pick photos for the next blog, send texts with photos, and check
Facebook after posting a photo there, while Clifford works on his
projects. What a jam-packed day!
Monday March 18: Beautiful blue sky this morning in southeast Arizona. Kind of sad that we are leaving Cochise Stronghold where we have had a couple weeks of camping in the dispersed area, enjoying the great rocky landscape, the hiking, and playing bluegrass with neighbors who left yesterday.
Blue sky morning at Cochise Stronghold
My brother Rollie is also leaving, and I drive his S10 out of the canyon so he doesn’t have to hook it up to his motor home until we reach the straight and dry road past the creek crossings… much easier for his rig. Rollie is heading to Dallas to visit cousins; Clifford and I are heading to state parks in New Mexico.
Leaving Cochise Stronghold – looking back
Rollie hooking up S10 to Motor Home
Heading east, as we cross the deserts of Arizona and into New Mexico, there are numerous signs warning of sand storms in the area. Not too encouraging, especially since New Mexico has had severe winds recently, even blowing a train off a trestle. We are being quite cautious, watching the weather forecasts, and know today is our best chance to get across this section with only moderate winds.
One thing we are
seeing as we drive are expanses of California poppies in bloom.
There are not so many in New Mexico and I wasn’t able to get any
good shots of the poppies from the suburban at highway speed. Oh
well….
Poppies in southeast Arizona – seen from I-10
New Mexico landscape from I-10
At Deming, we go to the Dream Catcher Escapee RV Park. Dry camping is $8.50 per night and we find a spot along the outer edge by some little trees. We run errands in Deming, and then decide to forego the laundromat in favor of having a cup of tea and going to bed early.
Tuesday March 19: We don’t have much to pack up, so are on our way to Rock Hound New Mexico State Park by 10:00. There are only three electric sites left, so we take the one the host recommends, even though I would have preferred a spot on the outer loop. As it turns out, most of the spots are reservation only and within 15 minutes of our arrival, there are no spots left. We are surrounded by RV’s, but at least we have a spot. We need the electricity in order to take care of accounting, taxes, and preparations for the talk that Clifford will be giving in Santa Fe in April.
Lucky to have a spot at Rock Hound State Park
It is a beautiful blue sky day with only a light wind and, happily, I spot poppies here and there all about the campground. Hard to take photos, however, as the bright light reflects off the petals and they wave about in even the slightest breeze. I walk on the Botanical Trail, a pathway out into the desert with only a few signs to identify native vegetation, but a great view of the desert.
I am…
happy to…
see poppies!
The desert landscape at Rock Hound State Park
I send texts and
photos to my kids and siblings and hear back from several: Becka is
considering a career change and Ang sends photos of the snow nearly
obscuring the greenhouse, but veggies growing happily inside. At
sunset, I take photos of the light reflecting off the west-facing
mesa behind the campground.
Catching the sunset glow on the mesa
We have chicken,
rice, quinoa, and spinach for dinner. Since we have electricity for
the first time on this trip, we can charge laptops and really get
some work done.
Friday January 6th, 2017 – There is a sprinkle of rain in the early morning, very welcome in the desert, here at City of Rocks State Park in southwestern New Mexico. Even though it is very windy, I go for a walk in the rocks, but I should have left sooner as there is not much time between dawn and sunrise.
The outer “Village” at dawn
Sunlight in the rocks
Today my main project is getting bills, cards, and donor gifts ready to mail. The wind dies down in the mid-afternoon, enough so that I am able to play cello on the sunny side, which I haven’t been able to do so much here at the City. Talk to my daughter Becka as I walk in the rocks at sunset, and finish reading “Last Juror” after dinner.
Saturday January 7th – It is sunny, but only 25 degrees as I go for a morning walk in the rocks, taking photos and even doing a little video. It was suggested that I do that and post it on YouTube to show the interesting places we see. I think the shadows are too deep this early in the morning, so will try another video later in the day. I have a fun time capturing starbursts before the sun is too high in the sky.
Starburst at sunrise
Starburst over the shoulder of a boulder
Starburst illuminates a shrub in the rocks
Morning light in the rocks
After breakfast we go to the Faywood post office to mail stuff and do a last check on mail we may have received. In the afternoon I do some editing for Ang (Novels of Shannon – a really great series for epic fantasy fans) as well as preparing and posting blogs on my website, blogsite, FB, and Twitter. I love seeing these interesting places, which are the basis of the blogs and photos, but what gives them meaning is being able to share with family, friends, and strangers who might not ever be able to travel to these scenic locations. In the evening, I go on another walk in the rocks near sundown; a video at this time of day turns out better.
West-facing rocks near sunset
Walking in the rocks at sunset
Sunday January 8th – As usual, I go for a walk in the rocks on this sunny and milder morning.
Warm light at sunrise
Morning light illuminates grasses in the rocks
Grasses in the rocks illuminated by a starburst
Searching for starbursts at sunrise
Starbursts at sunrise
Rock formations in the morning
I work on the CI email today and am very glad to get that out of the way. I post blogs and then we sit outside – the first day warm and calm enough for us to do that. I am even able to play cello outside on the shady side.
Even though the sunset colors are not great, I love walking in the rocks and meander about, happy to be there.
Across the basin – Cooke Peak
Evening light on the grass
Evening light filtering through the rocks
Last light of the day
Rock ponds
I am sorry that today is our last day here, but it is time to move on.
Tuesday January 3rd – the sky is kind of skummy looking this morning, so I don’t go for a walk in the rocks, but make tea and write in my journal.
View of the rocks from our “front yard”
After breakfast, we go to the Faywood post office. Back at camp, I spend most of the day editing Princes of Purt, the next book in the Novels of Shannon series by Angela MacDonald (an excellent and exciting epic fantasy series, for anyone who is interested), editing photos for my next blog, and posting past blogs on my wordpress blog site. It is not quite warm enough to play cello outside, so spend the rest of the day reading “Last Juror.” Clifford continues his studies.
Wednesday January 4th – I make tea, put it in a to-go cup, and with journal in hand, I head to a picnic table in the rocks. Once I get to the rocks, instead of sitting and writing, I begin hiking around in a different section of the rocks. They are an endlessly fascinating labyrinth just waiting to be explored.
Starburst at sunrise
A labyrinth waiting to be explored
A local resident of City of Rocks
Back at the campsite, after breakfast, I cut Clifford’s hair, as it is warm enough for us to do this outside. By time the temperature is warm enough for the cello, it is too windy out, so no playing cello today. Blogs and editing take up the rest of the day; I’m grateful for the electricity that allows hours on the laptop. I walk in the rocks at sunset, but don’t take many photos, as the sky is, unfortunately, is too streaked with jet trails. After dinner, I continue reading “Last Juror.” Although I might prefer to edit Princes of Purt, I don’t do good editing later in the day – too many little things slip by.
Thursday January 5th is a better day for photos as I walk in the rocks at sunrise. There is only a brief window of time to get photos with the special warm light of sunrise on the rocks and a bit longer window to play around with catching starbursts of the sun as it clears the rocks.
On the outskirts of the city
Rays of the rising sun reach into the city
Highlights from the rising sun
A walk in the rocks at sunrise
Cooke’s Peak seen from the City of Rocks
On the outskirts of the City of Rocks
My organization project today is cleaning the fridge, which I do right after breakfast. More editing and blog writing, as well as checking email. Although it was calm in the early morning, it is super windy all day long, so no cello again today. Surprisingly, the wind calms down at sunset, so I have a pleasant walk in the rocks before dark.
