Monthly Archives: April 2013

Woke up and realized that we had a lot to do today. We were out of water in the trailer, and needed to find an RV dump site. The truck and trailer were also in desperate need of a washing. We found a car wash in soccorro which had a lane that was high enough to pull our trailer through which worked out great. Then it was off to find a (hopefully free) dump station, which we found at a Giant gas station right off the interstate in Albuquerque. Driving through Albuquerque was really interesting in that it is this large, sprawling city in the middle of the desert and you can look out from the road and see the entire city at once. Ok, so we were still in need of potable water for the trailer, so we found an inexpensive campground just north of Santa Fe in the Santa Fe National Forest called Black Canyon Campground which had good reviews online and had spigots with potable water- perfect! Turned out to be a really nice, quiet campground in the pine covered mountains (what a change from the desert!). There was a mountain trail within the campground so after getting settled we headed out for a hike. Turned out to be quite a strenuous hike with some steep inclines. A good workout after a busy day of driving. Also noticed some snow still on top of the mountains, as well as spotted a few mule deer. Headed back to our campsite and cooked up a pot of vegetarian chili which definitely hit the spot:)

Chris and Cindy got tired of driving, so we let Jalapeño take over!

After a morning run and some brunch of quinoa and beans with the salsa that we purchased in Texas, we loaded the trailer up and got back on the road heading toward Santa Fe. We decided to take our time getting there and find a place to stop along the way for the night to break up the trip. Our first stop was at the petroglyphs grounds at Three Rivers campground. We hiked around the jagged rocks and found a lot of petroglyphs left by Native Americans over 600 years ago! We also got to talking with a very nice older gentleman who had done a lot of traveling around the area and had a lot of advice for places to visit. It’s amazing how big everything is out here, there is so much to see! We got back on the road and found another free BLM campsite near Soccorro, NM.

Awoke to another beautiful blue sky morning at our BLM dispersed camping site near Carlsbad. Turned the furnace on during the night to keep us a bit warmer than the previous night. Get to try out our new sleeping bag as a comforter tonight.

Packed up and departed westward after a quick stop at walmart for food and supplies. Made good time up into the mountains. Quite a bit cooler up at the 8600 foot pass before coming down past Cloudcroft.

Cindy's first 6% downhill trailer driving experience was a success!

Pulled into white sands national park to spend the afternoon before continuing a bit further to camp a BLM rec area nearby.

A huge kitty litter box!

Back at the beach!

Quick factoid: we are about 85 miles from the trinity site, which is where the first atomic bomb dropped here back in 1945.

After a short sunset bike ride last night, we enjoyed a nice full moon dinner.  Also our first dose of chilly desert evenings last night.  Went to bed in reasonably warm temperatures, but woke up in the middle of the night freezing!  Added a new sleeping bag to our shopping list..

Blue skies and warm temperatures greeted us today for some local exploration.  After breakfast we drove up to the Carlsbad caverns park.  Turned out to be free parks week, a nice surprise. The hype about this park is true, it’s an unbelievable sight!!  Spent about 2 hours to walk the entire loop, most of which is 750 feet underground.

Headed back to the trailer for lunch and a siesta.  Unloaded our bikes and took off to check out the black river recreation area.  A unique oasis in the middle of nothing.

Off to see the bats leave the cavern at dusk..

First stop in Carlsbad was the local BLM office.  BLM is the Bureau of Land Management.  They are a federal department that manages a bunch of the public land in the US, especially out west.  We wanted to get some more info about the local camping options and a friendly woman at the office gave us a map, brochures and advice.  For the federal government naysayers…helpful and knowledgeable employees do exist!

Not sure many people realize that you can camp anywhere for free on BLM land with 1 minor restriction of keeping a 300 foot buffer from waterways.

Headed back south towards the Carlsbad Caverns to a place nearby just off the highway which was recommended as a good spot and close to the park.

A truly amazing amount of deserted land out west

Level on the first try!

Off for a sunset bike ride tonight, then off to the caverns tomorrow!

Made it to New Mexico! Carlsbad Caverns here we come!!

Spent the night at an I10 rest area near kerrville, tx. Cooked up a tasty combination of tomato basil soup with a grilled cheese made with provolone, tomato, jalapenos on texas toast. Great for a chilly evening.

Planning to cover bunch of miles today to get into carlsbad, NM later this afternoon. Most folks said there isn’t much else worth seeing this direction in Texas. Time to put our new honda generator to work as we stay off the grid and boondock (camping in the middle of nowhere).

Our outdoor winery host

Hitting up a couple wineries today in the hill country of Texas near Fredericksburg. First stop was William Chris.

LBJ's ranch is a drive-thru national park

Nice ride between Texas and DC

Next winery was called Grape Creek. Found a few tasty varietals which we purchased to enjoy with dinner in the trailer.

Continued our drive to fredericksburg then north thru a scenic drive for about 15 miles.

Enchanted rock, second largest granite outcropping in the US