Diamond Campground-Utah – July 2019

July 13, 2019October 30, 2019 Carol Carnicom1 Comment

Saturday July 13: Clifford and I are spending today camped at Diamond Campground off highway 6, south of Spanish Forks, Utah. This is a beautiful campground and a day here is a day of restoration before we continue the northward journey for the summer.

For a morning walk, I hike to the bluff above the campground, walk the length of it, enjoying thistles in bloom and various meadow grasses that live here. In the distance are the mountains of northern Utah.

Grasses and…
blooming thistles

Mountains of northern Utah in the distance

Eventually I find a trail that leads down off the bluff, coming out at the far end of the campground. As I walk back to our campsite, I notice the great variety of trees that grow here, providing beauty, shade, and privacy for all of us who are camped here. After breakfast, Clifford and I hike a ways on the Discovery Trail, which runs along the creek and parallel to the campground. Kiosks along the way provide the history of the area, as well as describing the plants and animals that live here.

A trail off the bluff to campground below

A creek runs…
along the trail…
and flowers…
are in bloom

In the afternoon, while Clifford works with his ham radios, I edit manuscripts for the authors I am working with. Sitting outside, Clifford plays his dulcimer and I review photos taken this morning. A thunderstorm with wind and rain causes us to take the awning in and move our activities inside. However, after the storm passes, we are treated to a most gorgeous double rainbow.

Right at sunset, I head out for one more walk, taking the Discovery Trail up an incline to a different bluff. My feet and legs are thoroughly wet from the grasses along the trail, but it was well worth the effort for the view.

On the Road Again – July 2019

July 12, 2019October 29, 2019 Carol CarnicomLeave a comment

Thursday July 11: I am up early this morning for last preparations before leaving on our summer trip northward. I make coffee, write in journal, and prepare thermoses of tea before Clifford gets up. After smoothies, we finish packing the last minute items, making sure bathroom, kitchen, and lab are in good order.

The to-do list has been very helpful, as most everything has been taken care of ahead of time and what’s left is on a check list so we don’t get down the road and wonder if we remembered such-and-such. It is 1:45 p.m. by time we finally pull out of base-camp, as I like to call our place here in Monticello, Utah.

I take photos as we travel, saying good-bye to the southeast Utah canyon country. It is 100 degrees by time we reach Moab and hot all the way to Price. Increasing winds make the last portion of the journey harder and we are very grateful to pull into the Walmart parking lot, driving around to the far side to park out of the way. Although it is still hot here, it is not as windy in town.

Castle Rock – Highway 191 north of Monticello, Utah

Wilson Arch – Highway 191 north of Monticello, Utah

Approaching Moab & LaSal Mountains in the distance – Highway 191, Utah

Southeast Utah Canyon Country – Highway 191

I’m too tired and hungry to feel like shopping, but after taking time for a late lunch, I go in to buy supplies while Clifford naps. It is dark but still warm outside when I finish up in Walmart. I put perishables in the fridge, but let the rest go and head to bed.

Friday July 12: This morning we pick up a few more supplies, and after fruit & yogurt for breakfast, we are on our way. The wind is not so bad this morning, but there is a crazy amount of traffic on highway 6, and we are very relieved to get off this busy winding highway at the turnoff to Diamond Campground, south of Spanish Forks, Utah.

Diamond Campground is one of our favorite overnight places, being located in a scenic valley off the highway. The downside is that most sites are reservation only. We consider ourselves fortunate to find a really great spot with shade on a Friday. It is one of our easiest set-ups with the pads being level enough to not even need the levelers.

After lunch, Clifford gets his ham radio set up and I spend most of the afternoon walking around the campground, hiking the Discovery Trail, and hiking to the bluff above the campsite near sunset.

A creek runs through the campground and it so GREEN here

Thistle in bloom
Something pretty

View from the bluff near sunset with Cougar below

After dinner I edit today’s photos, grateful that we will be here another day, a day to relax before the big push to Montana.

Return to Base-camp – May 2019

May 9, 2019October 19, 2019 Carol CarnicomLeave a comment

Tuesday May 7: Clifford and I have enjoyed our time in New Mexico the past couple of weeks, but it is time to head back to “base-camp” and the lab in Utah. After making tea for the thermoses, we say good-bye to our friends here in Santa Fe where we have been parked the last couple of days, and we are on our way by 10:30 a.m.

The wind is not a problem today, which makes for easier and safe travel. I take lots of photos of the New Mexico landscape along the way, and we arrive in Farmington in the northwest corner of the state by mid-afternoon.

On the road from Santa Fe to Farmington, New Mexico

After parking in a far corner of the Walmart parking lot, we go in to buy what we need for a good lunch.

Then naps, although I finish reading Erica Elliott’s book, Medicine and Miracles in the High Desert first. Later we go back into the store to stock up on groceries and sundries that we will need in the upcoming weeks.

We have leftover Dions pizza for an easy and tasty dinner. I do some photo editing, but am too tired for much of anything else. Clifford is up late with his project – writing tablature for his dulcimer music.

Clifford works on tablature for dulcimer

We are keeping an eye on the weather forecast, as strong headwinds may make travel tomorrow very difficult. We will check again in the morning.

Wednesday May 8: It is windy and raining here in Farmington this morning as I start packing up after a little breakfast. After checking the weather forecast, we decide to stay put. We are somewhat reluctant because of the Walmart policy on overnight parking, but it is not a good idea to drive in the strong wind and rain, either. We do a bit more shopping, take naps, and while it is not a very productive day from my side, we are both relieved to not be traveling today.

Thursday May 9: It is calm this morning and after making thermoses of tea and snacks for the road, we head west from Farmington to Shiprock, north to Cortez, Colorado, and west to Monticello, Utah, traveling through three of the four states that make up the Four Corners. Jet trails crisscross the sky on much of this journey, turning it a drab grey, so I don’t take many photos.

New Mexico formation near Colorado border

Before we reach Dove Creek, it starts to rain and sleet. I had planned to buy us lunch at Wild Coffee in Dove Creek, but we are disappointed when we get there to find that it has been closed and replaced with a liquor store.

So, on to Monticello, arriving in early afternoon to a rainy and chilly 38 degrees. Everything looks to be in good shape here. We only unload the herbs, our instruments, and enough food to make lunch. It is a good day for a long nap. Tomorrow will be soon enough to shift gears and settle into the home-base and lab routine.

More Days in Santa Fe – May 2019

May 6, 2019October 19, 2019 Carol CarnicomLeave a comment

Sunday May 5: Clifford and I visit with our friends as we pack up, and then we say our goodbyes before we head back to Santa Fe. The wind has come up, but luckily it is not a long drive.

We find our way to our friend Diana’s house and park on the street. It is not a wide street, so we can only have the slide-out out just enough to barely squeeze through from the front room to the bedroom.

Diana fixes us a tasty tortilla lunch, and then Clifford and I go with Diana and her housemate Martha to a lecture being given by a doctor of alternative medicine. It turns out that it is Erica Elliott talking about her beginning years teaching in a Navajo boarding school in Chinle, Arizona. Erica was one of Clifford computer clients when we lived in Santa Fe. We didn’t know that she had had an earlier career as a teacher. She has an amazing life story and it was so fun to listen to her talk of that of time in her life.

After the talk, we bought her book, Medicine and Miracles in the High Desert, and she gave Clifford a big hug. Our friend John is also there, and we all head back over to Martha and Diana’s house after the talk for a delicious chicken dinner and great conversation. Later I start reading Erica’s book and stay up way too late. It is so interesting, it is hard to put it down.

Monday May 6: This morning Diana and Clifford work on a CI project, indexing his notebooks, as Diana is going to participate in this somewhat tedious job. While they are working, I walk along the nearby arroyo.

In the afternoon Clifford and I run our errands to the bank, Trader Joe, and a couple other stops, including the Violin Shop, as I hope to get a different chin rest for my viola. It turns out they don’t have the chin rest that I need, but I buy a better bow, so it was not a wasted trip. We also go to the Santa Fe Baking Company, which has been renamed and improved under new ownership, but what is the same is the apple tree by the outdoor patio seating area, and it is at the peak of its bloom.

Apple blossoms
The New Santa Fe Baking Company

For dinner, Diana, Martha, and I go to Dion’s Pizza. Clifford is napping, so he misses out. Later in the evening, Clifford plays his dulcimer and I stay up reading until midnight. Being in Santa Fe and doing stuff with friends sure has been fun, but tomorrow we start the final leg of our journey back to Utah.

A Hidden Valley – May 2019

May 4, 2019October 17, 2019 Carol CarnicomLeave a comment

Saturday May 4: Clifford and I are staying another day to visit with our dear friends near Las Vegas, New Mexico, as it is not often that we get to see them. After sharing a potluck lunch, they take us on an outing to a place they call Hidden Valley. It is a fun drive into the deserts of New Mexico.

Rocks and …
and a stone pathway designed by Nature

Later afternoon, back at their place, we watch a documentary on some of the relatively unknown, but very interesting, aspects of secret societies and other such stuff. We visit while sharing dinner, then Clifford and I return to Cougar. Clifford works on his music project and I edit photos before packing for an early start tomorrow, hoping to beat the wind as we head back to Santa Fe. It has been great visiting here with these special people, but it is time for us to continue the journey back to the CI lab in Utah.

Apple blossoms nurtured by our friends,
and wildflowers,

Visiting Dear Friends – May 2019

May 3, 2019October 16, 2019 Carol CarnicomLeave a comment

Wednesday May 1: It is really windy today, but Clifford and I are leaving Rancheros de Santa Fe RV Park/Campground where we have been camped the last week for the Santa Fe event where Clifford was a guest speaker. Today we are heading east to visit dear friends from our Santa Fe years when they and we lived outside Santa Fe, getting together on a regular basis for breakfast at Harry’s or visits to their various homes. We are excited to see them, as it has been awhile, with lots of water under the bridge since our last get-together.

As we are traveling east on I-25 between Santa Fe and Las Vegas, NM, right at the junction to highway 3, we hear a great loud bang and our whole rig – Suburban and 24-foot Cougar travel trailer – swerves nearly out of control. The on-ramp of highway 3 gives us a bit of leeway to get slowed down and stopped. With adrenal pumping, I get out to survey the damage. We have a bad feeling that part of Cougar must have ripped off, but it turns out to be a blowout on the right rear tire of the Suburban. It is not a good scene, but fortunately there was no traffic as this was happening, we didn’t wreck, and Cougar is fine.

Blow out!

It is a big deal to get Cougar unhitched, get to the jack and spare tire, and get Suburban jacked up. We put out warning cones and flags, and luckily the on-ramp gives us a little buffer from the traffic on I-25.

It is a big deal to get the Suburban tire changed

After we get the ruined tire off, the spare on, tools packed up, and Cougar hitched up again, we head on to our friends, much later than planned. There is no cell service in this remote area of New Mexico, so we can’t even inform them of our delay.

Iconic butte west of Las Vegas, New Mexico

Once we arrive, they happily show us their new place, a spot is found to park Cougar, and we have dinner together. All is well as we chat through the evening before heading to our respective beds.

The next couple of days are spent visiting and catching up on past and current events in their lives and ours.

Wildflowers delight us at our friends’ new place

Clifford and our friend run into the nearby town of Las Vegas, NM, to look for tires for the Suburban. It is a bit time-consuming checking out places where the damaged rim can be replaced and new tires can be had, but eventually the right place is found and new 10-ply tires are put on. This is what we should have had all along. Live and learn. Learn and live, might also be said.

Last Days at Percha Dam – April 2019

April 23, 2019October 14, 2019 Carol CarnicomLeave a comment

The days of Thursday April 18 through Tuesday April 23 are busy with the myriad of projects Clifford and I have going on while we are camped at Percha Dam New Mexico State Park. Some projects are Carnicom Institute related, including completing the newsletter (finally!!!) and sending it out to our email list. Clifford’s focus is on the presentation he will be giving at the conference in Santa Fe in just a few days. Miscellaneous projects include watching hummingbirds and creating a collage cover for a new journal.

Watching hummingbirds
Collage journal cover

I spend time walking along the river, though the wind and the Easter weekend crowds somewhat limit my desire to be outdoors.

Most days are sunny, but one particular day, cumulus clouds built up and a dark storm moved in. However, like the previous storm, we get only the wind and dust, but no rain. Another day, while I’m at the river, a really fierce wind comes up, seemingly out of nowhere, blowing dust and causing the trees to weave about. I walk back to camp as quickly as I can with my sweater over my head to protect my eyes.

Dark storm clouds from the east as the afternoon sunlight lights up the trees

Occasionally we sit outdoors to eat and once we took a dusk stroll together, but for the most part, due to the wind, our projects are done inside.

Being at this state park with electricity has been very productive for us, but it is time to move on. We are looking forward to the conference where Clifford will be speaking, as well as seeing friends from the years we used to live in Santa Fe.

Artistic rendition of moonrise at Percha Dam at the moment of sunset

A moment later, as the sun sets and the moon rises, the glow leaves the buttes

Hiking along the Rio Grande – April 2019

April 17, 2019October 13, 2019 Carol CarnicomLeave a comment

Wednesday April 17: I go for my usual morning walk at Percha Dam New Mexico State Park where Clifford and I are now camped. The Rio Grande draws me, as the water, the reflections, and the great trees all feel good to my soul.

The walk bridge at Percha Dam campground

Back at camp, Clifford and I take care of CI business, most especially the CI newsletter, which has been rather time-consuming. My daughter Becka calls, and it is good to talk to her. I even have time for playing the viola.

The afternoon light is quite nice, so Clifford and I decide to hike the trail along the Rio Grande, even though it has remained quite breezy today. With the nice lighting, I get photos that I like of the river and the light on the west-facing buttes reflecting off the river. It was especially nice hiking with Clifford.

I had started chili earlier, so by time we get back, dinner is ready and we sit out at the picnic table in spite of the breeze, glad for the stone-walled shelter that protects us a bit.

In the evening, I start going through the photos that I took today, culling some and sending a few texts with photos to family and friends, a good way to end the day.

Percha Dam – April 2019

April 16, 2019October 12, 2019 Carol CarnicomLeave a comment

Friday April 12: It is calm this morning at City of Rocks New Mexico State Park where we have been camped for over two weeks, our leaving having been delayed by extremely high winds in New Mexico. Since we have a ways to go today to get to our next destination, we skip part of the normal leaving routine, taking time only to finish packing and to make a thermos of tea for the road. We are on our way by 9:15, almost a record for us.

We arrive at Perch Dam State Park about 11:30 and there are only a couple of electric sites left. The first one is too tight for us, but the second one is fine. The sites here are quite close together, but all are pull-throughs around a loop with a view outward rather than toward a neighbor. We have a nice big tree by our shelter and are grateful for electricity.

Cougar at Percha Dam New Mexico State Park

Saturday April 13: It is sunny this morning as we make a trip to the nearby village of Arrey, picking up our general delivery mail and sending a birthday card to my daughter Merri.

Back at camp, I work on a CI fundraising campaign, take care of email, start the next CI newsletter, edit photos, and write/post another blog. Being here with electricity and decent cell service means we can take care of things that have been brewing on a back burner.

In the afternoon, we see increasing wind and big storm clouds building up. It looks like it could dump a ton of rain or hail, but all we get is wind and blowing dust.

Looks like heavy rain or hail about to dump on us

By evening, the storm has passed on.

Setting of the sun at the close of the day

Sunday April 14: As I do a morning walkabout, I see that the campground has been improved and is looking quite park-like. I call Merri for her birthday and send a photo of flowers by text.

We make a trip to Truth or Consequences, the nearest town big enough to get supplies. Back at camp, we take advantage of the power and cell service here by working on a variety of projects: more CI business, another blog posted, and so on. Clifford is quite focused on the talk he will be giving in Santa Fe, as it is only a couple weeks away.

Wind and scummy skies continue throughout the day, so not many photos are taken.

Monday April 15: Today is mostly centered around domestic chores of cleaning and food preparation, as well as working on the CI newsletter. We make ANOTHER trip to T or C, as Clifford needs something that he didn’t know he needed yesterday when we were there, so we also pick up door mats to cut down on the dirt being tracked in.

Kitchen corner is home for herbs, sprouts, kombucha, and tea tins

Not a very interesting day photo-wise.

Tuesday April 16: I walk to the Rio Grande first thing this morning to take photos of reflections on the river. I can only imagine what this river was like before dams and irrigating stole its essence.

Today’s focus is the newsletter; I also send a few text with photos and post another blog. Clifford works on his talk. In the evening after dinner I play viola awhile. Although the days here are not too exciting, it is a productive time.

Last Days at City of Rocks – April 2019

April 11, 2019October 11, 2019 Carol CarnicomLeave a comment

Tuesday April 9: After breakfast, Clifford and I go with our friends to the Botanical Gardens here at City of Rocks State Park in New Mexico where we are all camped. Then we hike through the rocks, not on the trail, but wherever our meanderings take us. We find a big “cave” in the overhang of a large boulder and spend time here in the shade as we visit.

Visiting the Botanical Gardens with our friends

In the afternoon, we all work on our various projects. Our friends make dinner for all of us this evening, which I especially appreciate, since I am most usually (like nearly always) chief-cook-and-bottle-washer. It is nice to have someone else take on this important responsibility.

We have been checking the weather frequently, as tomorrow was to be our leaving day. However, we see that it will be too windy for us, with gusts up to 60 mph on our intended route. There is sleet in Montana where my brother Rollie is headed, with a forecast for snow, possibly a lot of snow from the “cyclone bomb” that is hitting Colorado tonight and tomorrow. It is normal to be windy on the east side of the Rockies in the spring, but some of weather we are seeing and hearing about goes way beyond normal.

Wednesday April 10: It is windy and windier, with a temperature variation between the low last night and the high today of only 2 degrees. The sky is pale with dust, no doubt from the high winds. Our friends left very early to try to beat the inclement weather and high winds, but we heard later from them that it was a very harrowing drive for many miles. It would have been worse for us in the direction of our next destination. During the day we notice no one (other than our friends) leaving and no one coming into this usually active state park. We are staying beyond the 14-day limit, as are others who cannot travel today.

Cookes Peak nearly obscured by blowing dust

The wind is wearying and I head to bed as soon as the dishes are done. I have scarcely had time to fall asleep when Clifford wakes me up to find out where the mouse traps are. Traps are set and a mouse caught before I am even back asleep. Hope that was the only one!

Thursday April 11: It is not quite as windy this morning, so I go for a walk and take a few photos with plans to go back when the sun is in a more optimal position.

The “cave” where we all sat in the shade yesterday

However, by afternoon it is too windy to go hiking in the rocks again. We work on CI projects: MeWe, Friends of CI for our fund-raising platform, and start the quarterly newsletter. In the afternoon, we go for a short walk, very chilly, and back at the campsite, we pack up all the outside chairs, tables, solar panel, and so on, as we intend to leave in the morning. Other than the wind, we have enjoyed our stay here, but it is time to move northward. We have things to do and people to see!

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