Someday I’ll write a summation of the way we feel about New Mexico State Parks, but for now, let me just say first impressions are not their strong suit. To be fair, I’ll reserve final judgment until a month or so from now when we should have two more of New Mexico state parks under our belt while enroute to Colorado.
(PHOTO ALERT!!!! There were so many photos, I made two gallaries, be sure to check look at both. 2nd gallary is at bottom of page.)
The trip from Sumner Lake New Mexico was uneventful. Oh sure, there were a few times where there was some increased pucker factor due to strong gusty crosswinds while we were driving, but two hands on the wheel and a few sticks of gum and here we are, safe and sound. And, on the way, we were able to pick up a prescription (CVS easy peezy), grocery shopping, laundry, fuel, post office and a few other errands. Speaking of groceries, I was thinking about adding a “Bacon Review" section to the blog. Why? Well, for starters, I love bacon. Everybody loves bacon! I don’t eat it at every meal and before you start in on all the health issues, save your breath. Anyway, just a thought.
We pulled into Cap Rock Canyons State Park around 4:56 PM, got our permit and headed for our camp spot. After about a week with no real water in the rig (see the last blog post) our first priority was a shower. Now before you get all grossed out that we didn’t take a shower for a week, trust me when I say, we stay clean! I’ll spare you the details, but we do. As you drive into the park, you can’t help but notice some of the 130 Bison that roam freely (wild) throughout the park. As a matter of fact, as I write this particular piece, two are meandering about 100 feet from where I’m sitting (outside near our rig). As long as you don’t mess with them, they don’t mess with you. We just happen to be here when some new calves are coming into the world, so it’s cool to see the little ones bug the hell out of the adults…just like humans. There is also a large “Town” of prairie dogs that are located outside the shower house, a couple of acres where they are free to roam, and even sometimes call you names as you walk by. It’s actually quite hilarious to watch them watch you…watch them! Imagine if you wanted to start your own park and drive to the nearest insurance office to ask for liability insurance. Probably smooth sailing until you got to the part that you had 130 Bison roaming freely throughout the park!
Roaming?, we did (are still doing) quite a bit of that while we are here. Miles of trails throughout this park give you all kinds of opportunities to see different perspectives of the sculpting that mother nature has done here. And boy did she get it right. Bright red clay and sandstone carved throughout the years, intermingled with crisscrossing layers of white gypsum crystal is an amazing sight for sure. It certainly is a geologist paradise. Since Yvette and I are pretty much-certified part-time non-conformist, we generally will hike a trail until we would cross a “wash” then follow the wash for as long as we dare. The results are usually amazing. Colonies of what appeared to be mud swallow orb-style nests clinging to the sides of the wash in groups of twenty or thirty. The wash would wind back and forth, the vertical sides sometimes reaching as high as sixty feet. Sometimes so narrow, we barely fit through. Animal tracks and sign were everywhere. There is so much to see we walked sometimes at a snail's pace stopping only for a water break or a quick bite for lunch. Plenty of water is a must here. One of the days the canyon temp reached well over 90 degrees and not much shade unless you were willing to snuggle up against the side of a juniper.
But I love it here. Being in the wild, exploring, discovering, learning. Couple that with biking and hiking and the result is a deep night sleep waking the next day ready to take on the world. Cap Rock Canyons State Park is definitely going on the repeat list.
