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 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.
Tuesday October 8 – I take photos at sunrise from our overnight camping spot in the San Rafael Swells BLM land at exit 131 off I-70 in central Utah. This was a good place to spend the night and it doesn’t take long to be ready to leave on the last leg of the journey back to home-base.
Sunrise at San Rafael Swells
Sunrise at San Rafael Swells
Modern petroglyphs at …
San Rafael Swells
The landscape from San Rafael Swells eastward is sometimes very scenic, sometimes very barren. I-70 winds its way through the badlands and canyon lands, with frequent steep grades. At exit 187, we turn south onto highway 191.
Utah landscape along I-70
Utah landscape along I-70
As
we approach Moab, the deep red of the canyons, which makes this area
famous, makes its appearance. We bypass the exits to Canyonlands
National Park and Arches National Park as we head into Moab for lunch
at the brewery and groceries at the market.
La Sal Mountains
As we continue south on 191, there is a stop for construction. The wait can be up to two hours or more according to the sign and the length of the line, but we are fortunate that we only wait 15 or 20 minutes before moving on. Although home-base in Monticello is within an hour’s drive after the construction, we decide to extend our trip by one more stop, taking a side road to Wind Whistle Campground in the Canyon Rims BLM Recreation Area.
Canyon Rim BLM Recreation Area
Wind Whistle is a small campground, more suited to tents than to RV’s, but well cared for by the host. We find a pull-through spot, a tight fit, but we make it. After getting Cougar set up, I go for a walk on the nature trail while Clifford gets his ham radio antennas set up.
Our campsite at Wind Whistle Campground
Hiking on the Nature Trail
After dinner, Clifford sits outside to play dulcimer while I write in the journal. At sunset I take photos of the west-facing mesas. What a pleasant last camping spot before home.
Sunset reflects off west-facing mesas
Soft golden light at sunset
Wednesday October 9: I am up in time to take photos at sunrise. It is mostly sunny today, but so windy that neither Clifford nor I spent much time outside. We hear of wind, snow, and cold in California with power shut off to 70,000 people. We feel very fortunate to be here and able to live comfortably with our solar power and hot spot for internet. I work on blogs and editing today while Clifford works on his ham radio propagation detection program.
Sunset again reflects off west-facing mesa
Thursday October 10: Photos at sunrise again this morning, but the air, the light, the clouds are always changing – it is all like new to me.
Photos at sunrise
After breakfast, we hike the nature trail together, warm in the sunny places and chilly in the shady sections.
Hiking with Clifford
Wind Whistle Nature Trail
Back at camp, we pack up and are on our way a little after noon. We are happy to have found this little treasure of a place, but it is time to return to home-base. We arrive in the early afternoon, having been gone for only three months this time. It seems like it was longer due to the many places we camped and alll the people that we saw on this northern journey.
Due to the increase in elevation between Wind Whistle and here, the wind is bitter cold as we park and level Cougar, but the house is warm and smells good, and it feels harmonious inside, out of the wind. Now that we are here, we will be switching gears and focusing on other things, mostly in connection with Carnicom Institute, but we are already planning our next departure date.
Monday October 7 – Clifford and I have enjoyed our time at Great Basin National Park in eastern Nevada, but it is time for us to continue the journey to home-base in eastern Utah.
I only have time for a couple photos before we get packed up and begin today’s travels, leaving the park at 9:30 a.m.
Last morning at Great Basin National Park
Grey Cliffs
Today our destination is the San Rafael Swells west of Green River, Utah. We travel highway 50 to Delta, Utah, and then zig-zag through prairie and canyon country of western Utah to I-70. We continue east, traversing the ups and downs and curves of the mountains and canyons of central Utah.
Western Utah from Highway 50
Western Utah from Highway 50
Zig-sagging through western Utah
Western Utah from Highway 50
Western Utah from Highway 50
Sevier Lake in western Utah, the remnant of a prehistoric lake
Western Utah from Highway 50
Western Utah from Highway 50
Autumn colors in central Utah
I-70 – Central Utah Canyon Country
Central Utah Canyon Country
Central Utah Canyon Country
Central Utah Canyon Country
I take a lot of photos, but hard to get good shots from the moving vehicle. I’ll have a lot to sort through.
It is a long day of travel for us, about 250 miles, and we are ever so glad to reach the BLM land at the San Rafael Swells, I-70 exit 131. We explored this area several years ago, so know that we can find a place to spend the night. We pull off the San Rafael Road at the first level turnout and do a minimal set up, as we will leaving in the morning.
San Rafael Swells BLM
We have soup and toasted cheese sandwiches for an easy dinner, and are treated to a beautiful sunset before the day ends.
Sunday October 6: It is another chilly morning here at Great Basin National Park in eastern Nevada where Clifford and I have been camped for several days. I make coffee as I wait for the sun to rise and warm things up a bit. Then I start walking the trail to Grey Cliffs Campground, pleasant in the sunshine, but once I reach the shade from the bluff, it is too chilly and I head back to our campsite.
Grey Cliff Trail in the morning
Grey Cliff Trail in the morning
Grey Cliff Trail in the morning
After
breakfast and cleanup, Clifford takes a break from playing dulcimer
so we can walk the Grey Cliff Trail all the way to the other
campground. It is a beautiful autumn day and the hike is a great way
to end our stay at Great Basin National Park, as tomorrow we will be
heading east to Utah.
Grey Cliff Trail in the afternoon
Grey Cliff Trail
Clifford on the trail
Carol on the trail
Grey Cliff Trail
Along the Grey Cliffs Trail
Clifford on Grey Cliffs Trail
Grey Cliffs
When we return to camp, Clifford goes back to playing dulcimer and I sit out in the last sunlight to write in the journal. When the sun goes down, the temperature drops quickly and we go inside. I make potato salad, an easy snack when traveling, and do some editing of photos taken these days here at Great Basin. This has been a great place, our first time here, but hopefully not our last.
Saturday October 5: It is very chilly out this morning (27 degrees) here at Great Basin National Park, Nevada, when I walk to the restroom. I continue on up the road where I can get a photo of the creek without sun glare, a very pretty spot with boulders and little cascades.
Baker Creek
There
is a great blue sky today, a perfect day for a drive to Wheeler Peak.
However, Clifford is reluctant because of the climb being a bit much
for old Suburban, which has just passed the 200,000 mile mark and is
showing its age. So, instead, we decide to drive to the end of Baker
Creek Road, only about a mile from the Baker Creek Campground where
we are camped. As we are driving and I’m looking at the map, we
realize that the climb to Wheeler Peak is not as great as he thought,
and we could go partway to one of the scenic pull-outs.
Autumn Colors at Great Basin National Park
After turning around at the end of Baker Creek Road, we drive back toward the Visitors Center and take the Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive.
Views from Baker Creek Road
View from Baker Creek Road
Mather Overview is especially scenic with a view of the mountain peaks and a great valley below with autumn trees in full color.
Wheeler Peak from Mather Overlook
Instead of turning around here, we go on up the road to the Wheeler Peak Overview, and then on to the Wheeler Peak parking area at the end of the road.
View from Wheeler Peak Overlook
After finding a place to park, I get out to take photos. Clifford spies a kiosk describing the hiking trails and a decision is made to hike while we are here. This was not part of the original plan, so we don’t have snacks, but we do have warm clothes, hiking sticks, and water in the Suburban. We decide on the lake loop trail that passes by two mountain lakes. Since Clifford will want to hike faster and not stop for photos, we take the loop in opposite directions so we can meet somewhere enroute.
Lake loop trail
The elevation here is over 10,000 feet, so I take my time, rest when I need to, and sip at my water. I reach Teresa Lake and am enjoying taking photos here when Clifford joins me, having hiked twice the distance on his section of the loop. We hike back to the parking lot together.
Lake Teresa
Lake Teresa
Lake Teresa with Wheeler Peak in the background
On our way back to camp, we swing into the Grey Cliffs group site. Although the sun isn’t quite right, I get a couple of photos before we head back to our campground.
Grey Cliffs
We have a very late lunch and then I walkabout for photos of the autumn foliage near the campsite.
Autumn at Baker Creek Campground
Autumn at Baker Creek Campground
Later I do some editing and Clifford plays his dulcimer outside. Dinner is also late, as is going to bed, but it sure was a fun day!
Friday October 4: It is super windy all night with the slide-out awning making a racket and Cougar rocking a bit. I have concerns for the awning and the solar panel, so don’t sleep well.
When
I get up this morning, it is still windy, but the only damage is our
chairs being blown over. In go for a walk in spite of the wind and
get a few photos of the creek and the wild turkeys, the largest I’ve
seen.
Baker Creek
Autumn Colors
Big wild turkeys
With the wind, it seems a good day for the Lehman Cave Tours. We call to find out if there are spots left on the afternoon tours. There are a few, but without having reservations, we’d have to go to the Visitors Center now to get a spot. We try to reserve online, but the cell signal is not strong enough to support a good internet connection, and it ends up being a huge hassle and a waste of time. In the end, we go to the Visitors Center, and due to many other people also wanting to do a tour, another one is added to the schedule. We still have to wait an hour and a half, so we watch the movie about Great Basin National Park and hike the Nature Trail. Then, while Clifford naps, I read Aarp magazines.
Finally it is time for the tour. Our ranger guide is pretty young woman who could be a stand-up comedian. She is quite delightful. The caves are amazing and our ranger was entertaining as well as informative.
Lehman Caves
We talk to her afterwards, as she is moving to Lolo, Montana, in the Bitterroot Valley where she will be working at Travelers Rest State Park. Since I have family in the area and we have spent a lot of time camping in the Bitterroot Valley, she is interested in learning a bit about the valley from us. It was nice to have the extra time with her.
Our exceptional Ranger Tour Guide and Clifford
Back
at camp, we nap, then work on projects before dinner and early to bed
for me. Luckily the wind died down during the day and I expect the
coming night will be more peaceful.
