All Hat and No Cattle – Ponil Campground, Cimarron, NM 5/26

Woke up to warm sunshine spilling down on us – yes! It felt great to hang around the campsite for awhile and just really enjoy a hot summer morning. It’s seems like this has been the longest winter ever in Nevada City and I am so appreciating summertime. We had about an hour drive into Taos and were expecting a long drive through desert plains. Again, we were pleasantly surprised. We drove through green forested land that was populated with lush meadows, streams and lots of yellow wildflowers. We reached Taos in the late morning and decided the best way to take in this relatively small town was by bike. We had a great time riding around town and checking out the historic plaza, shops, Kit Carson museum and generally just the vibe of the place. I did manage to pick up a cute cowgirl hat and now consider myself blended in with the western scene. (See today’s pic). A couple of friends suggested we eat at Taos Out Back Pizza. It’s a cute little restaurant tucked behind a store, hence the name Out Back. It’s very relaxed with picnic tables scattered under cotton wood trees. We ordered the Taos Pizza – mushrooms, black olives, black beans, and green chilies. It was delish!! Thanks for the tip ladies! Our next stop was Cimarron about an hour from Taos. We thought that would be a good resting spot for the night. Unfortunately there are no State Parks in the area and any that are close by don’t have showers or electricity. Thus, here we are camped in possibly the worst ever (I am not kidding) mom and pop RV spot. Ned and I aren’t big fans of private RV parks anyway, but this one really does take the cake. (A big sign hangs in front of their home/office that says, “It Don’t Get No Gooder Than This.”) Some examples of this fine establishment: 1) the owner was still in her nightgown at 4:30 pm 2) She had blood running down her leg from a bite from her puppy whom we apparently startled when we drove up (She claims not many people ever drive in here – this should have been a clue for us, but we we’re not always the sharpest tools in the shed when on the road for awhile 3) there are signs posted everywhere for what you can’t do or will be charged – i.e. “you are allowed 10 KWH per day or you will be charged at the current rate of 14.5 cents, 4) there is a Wheels for Meals menu posted in the campground 5) the ladies bathroom has a sign that reads “Do not flush sanitary napkins down the toilet or an alarm will go off”. I was laughing so hard sitting there I didn’t think I could get up. The good news is, as promised on the internet(!), we have laundry, electric hook-up and free wifi!! Although we are only 6ft. from the Airstream trailer parked next to us, the door is padlocked and the owner appears to be nowhere in sight. Did I mention we are planning on a very early departure tomorrow morning? Destination – Beaver Dunes, Oklahoma panhandle. Oh yeah, baby.

Look Ma No Guardrail – Lake Heron State Park, New Mexico 5/25

Woke up to gorgeous blue skies at 39 degrees. Thank goodness it warmed up to a balmy mid-70’s with very little breeze. We were excited about driving the San Juan Skyway and climbing the various peaks. It definitely did not disappoint. The first leg of the journey was through the town of Ridgway, which is famous for some Hollywood Westerns being filmed here. Think True Grit and How The West Was Won. The next stop was Ouray, which is situated in a tiny bowl surrounded by the San Juan Mts. This town was billed as “Little Switzerland of the Rockies”, but in my opinion – not so much. It’s lined with Victorian houses and seemed like a pretty typical mining town much like Nevada City. The best thing about the town is that it has a spring fed swimming pool located in the heart of downtown. From Ouray to Silverton things got pretty exciting. This stretch of the road is also known as “The Million Dollar Highway.” This road follows old stagecoach routes and former pack trails. It’s a very curvy two-lane road around scary slopes – without any guardrails! Seriously. Check out today’s pic – Yikes! We climbed over Red Mountain Pass at 11,008 ft. and passed several old mining operations. This stretch of the road is also known for its avalanches and we definitely saw some flattened buildings as a result. We finally pulled into Silverton, at a mere 9,318 ft. It’s a cute little mining town and we enjoyed walking around, but it’s a little too remote for me. Silverton receives over 200 inches of snow a year. I was speaking with one of the locals (the town has a population of 500) and she told me that we were lucky because it had snowed a couple of inches the day before. We continued along the San Juan Skyway, over another pass (10,910 ft) and finally dropped into Durango. I really liked this town. It’s a college town and definitely has the vibe and feel of San Luis Obispo. It was such a nice day, and after the freezing winds in Utah, we decided to take a break and have a picnic lunch in the park. It was very entertaining watching the rafters in the nearby river. Our next destination was New Mexico and we were expecting the drive to be desert and bare. (This is based on our last trip thru New Mexico, especially near the town of Farmington). Well, what a pleasant surprise. This stretch of the road for the next couple of hours– at about 7,000 ft. – is beautiful alpine meadows and valleys. Spring was definitely in the air and we enjoyed the deep green pastures. We also entertained ourselves by singing some great Cowboy songs in preparation for Vic’s big 60th party. We finally arrived at our destination, Lake Heron State Park, and are camping in mesa conditions with pinion trees and scrub bushes. Still we have a great campsite, tucked away among the trees and very secluded. We checked out a map of the campground and decided to take a “short” bike ride to a nearby bike path that has a suspension bridge. Well, after 5 miles of mostly uphill (I was dying!) we finally reached the path. It consisted of a two story staircase down to a hiking path – ha! So, we turned around and headed back. The good news is the ride was much more fun on the way back! (Josh I maxed out at 38 mph on my bike, not in your league, but I thought it was respectable). Yes, I’m now back at the campsite enjoying a mojito and Ned’s putting steaks and corn on the grill. Life’s good.