I made my way next to Rocky Mountain National Park, camping and hiking first on the lesser visited west side outside of Grand Lake. I stayed here about a week and yet another great free camping area, then moved on to Estes Park and the more popular side of the park. The hiking here is amazing and the altitude provides very pleasant temps even in late August. I saw several moose, especially on the west side of the park. One day on the way back from a morning hike I met some folks that worked for a birding guide service out of Austin, we hiked back together and I was able to use one of the guys binos to spot a Three-toed woodpecker!
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| Alpine view |
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| Bull moose near my campsite |
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| Lone Pine Lake hike |
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| Very impressive trail work |
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| Hiking to Big Meadow |
I was getting restless again so I headed south down to I-70 then west to Breckenridge and south on 285 stopping in Salida for the night. Early the next morning I headed out to the Great Sand Dunes National Park. I explored the area and left mid-afternoon as it was getting warm. I drove south to Alamosa and spent the night. The next morning I visited both Alamosa and Monte Vista NWR to do some birding.
From there I headed into New Mexico and back to my old favorite, the Rio Grande Gorge, now properly named Rio Grande del Norte NM. I spent a day there and talked with a a guy that was living out of a Honda Fit. Interesting and great gas mileage, but it just made me love the van more. I get the same feeling now when I see tent campers. Don't get me wrong, I love to backpack so I do my share of tenting or hammocking, but for a long trip the van rocks! It was warm but not unpleasant, Labor Day was around the corner so I decided to head over to the other side of the gorge to check out a free campsite off 522 on the west side not far past the fish hatchery. The first thing you notice as you depart the road and cross a cattleguard is a sign saying "road not suitable for passenger cars", I wasn't sure what to expect but the road was in great shape for a high clearance vehicle like the van. I'd been on much worse in my travels.
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| Sunrise Alamosa NWR |
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| From campsite at Cebolla Mesa overlooking the Gorge just past the confluence of the Rio Grande and Red River |
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| Looking out over the Gorge |
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| Storm brewing over the Gorge |
I waited out the holiday here then continued south to Taos for lunch at what turned out to be a terrible meal at Guadalara Grill. I hate wasting money on bad food! I drove on to Santa Fe and stayed 2 nights, driving up to hike at the ski basin and eating at two of my favorites, Tune Up Cafe and La Choza. Chile Rellenos both nights!
I got up early and drove south on I-25 to the to the Bosque de Apache NWR, a birding mecca in the fall and spring, but it was very windy and early in the season, so not much going on and it warmed up fast so I continued on making my way to Truth or Consequences in time for a late lunch, a green chile cheeseburger!
I stopped at the ranger station, got some maps and info and headed west to the Gila NF where I spent the night at a free campground. Like the Sawtooths, there are lots of free campgrounds here. They all have fire rings and picnic tables and vault toilets, but not water, which was fine since I can usually find it elsewhere.
The next day I explored Silver City. It's a funky little town with a thriving art community. At 6,000 ft it was also warm so I looked at the maps and made the decision to visit the Gila Cliff Dwellings the next morning and then move on to higher elevation. I drove up and spent a night at a free campground overlooking the Gila River just outside the park.There are lots of hot springs in the area as well, but it was a bit warm for that. I really enjoyed talking a couple there from Las Cruces who were volunteer rangers about the aspects of their jobs. Someday I might consider volunteering in some capacity either for the park service, BLM or NWR.
Next I headed in a circuitous route west and north to higher elevation to El Caso campground near Quemado Lake in the Apache-Sitgreaves NF. It was a lovely campground with a short hiking trail that went down to the lake and into a vast meadow. Every morning I saw a trio of coyotes hunting in the meadow. Once they saw me they literally headed for the hills.
After several days I headed down to Silver City to resupply. My plan was to make my way next to the mountains near Ruidoso and Cloudcroft for a few days before heading to the Guadalupe Mt NP, island hopping as it were, but I received a text from Mary to call her when I could. I called right then, fearing something was wrong with Cricket and I was right. She hadn't eating in a day and a half and was quite lethargic. Since we all know how food obsessed Cricket is, I told Mary to take her to the vet. I talked with the vet shortly thereafter and knew it was time to head home. My sweet girl was very sick, the vet suspected it was her heart. She had pneumonia, a fever and her bloodwork was off the charts. She's nearly 14 and we almost lost her. She's a fighter though and now a month later she has a clean bill of health. She's on meds for her heart and for pain from her old bones but she's playful and happy and I'm feeling blessed!
Prologue:
The entire trip out west put 13,951 miles on the van. It was an amazing trip and taught me a lot about myself. I pushed my limits. I learned not to plan. I discovered that life on the road suits me. I've never gotten bored, although I did get a little restless to move on at times, there was just so much to explore.
My life on the road was simple. My mornings typically began with coffee, yoga, meditation, weight workout and then hiking/birding. I'd return sometime after lunch, eat a bite and invariably take a nap. Yes, hiking 10+ miles has that affect on me now. I'd read a while, have an early dinner and go for a walk, journal before more reading or watching a movie. I'd do Sudoku, and crosswords. I'd go into town a couple of times a month to do laundry, buy groceries and hit the library. I've found great book sales at libraries! In the course of the 5 mos. I ate out ten times and four of those were when meeting up with friends. I splurged in Moab, Montrose, Taos and Santa Fe. Most of the time I cooked, and I ate very health on the road. As far as expenses I averaged 800 a month. My gas bill ranged from 200 to just under 500 a month (highest in the PNW) depending on how much I moved around. My biggest regret has been that I can't take my dog with me. She's old and disabled, and has never liked traveling in the car. She does what most old dogs do, she sleeps 18 or more hrs a day. I'm blessed to have an ex-boyfriend who loves her and has a sister living with him that adores her as well. Cricket is much happier ruling over her minions at home than being on the road with me. It's a win win for everyone but me. I miss her terribly and have a lot of guilt when traveling. I know she misses me too. I've been off the road for a month, nursing her back to health and taking care of my own annual checkups as well as doing some updates to the van. I hope to head to AR in a week for our annual backpackers Gathering, which I've missed for a couple of years, and I have a date with Eagle Rock Loop. I haven't done it in more than three years and I'm way overdue!
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