Backcountry Bluff, Utah to Angel Peak, New Mexico. To Truth or Consequences.

 I'm back "home" now, with hot water that comes right out of the wall, and a big, squishy bed. It's the same, but everything is different.

It's a hydrant that's a dog ... the circularity boggles my mind.

I've known for a while that I want to reclaim the considerable parts of overlanding (I warned you earlier) that were full of wonder and magic. 

I was just a little stuck on the notion that that life had been hard and somehow ... traumatic? Fixated is probably the word.

This is the kind of "washing" you don't want to do while camping.

I also wanted some guidance and maybe company, realigning my head. And, by head, I mean my noggin and my toilet.

That's why it was both wonder-full and magical that my friend, Mike (YES DOOD, WE ARE TOO FRIENDS!!), invited me on his trip to Utah. He is one of the overlanding royalty, entering his ninth year of this life.

I had full swaths, not just slivers, of the recognition that I am meant for this. [Mom: I am also meant for a pied-a-terre; no worries.]

I'm also not the person I was three years ago. I've written aloud that I wonder what difference that might make.

Angel Peak Scenic Area. You can scene, but you can also camp.

Mike, my gratitude for your patience and im-. 

... to Lake: Fenton Lake State Park, New Mexico

It's my deeply-held belief that A Warning is Bad Advice (AWIBA). So, let me just tell you things you may want to know ... or not.

Some people (and road signs) may advise you not to approach Fenton Lake State Park from the north on 126 (Cuba, NM). You may decide to heed this advice. Or not - really, everything is fine. You know there's a happy ending because I'm writing this. Seriously, this is a beautiful and thrilling trip, and I'm glad I did it. 

Once you're in Fenton Lake State Park, no matter how you got here, it's a beautiful destination. Abutting Santa Fe National Forest, there are opportunities for mostly-level hiking at around 8000'. We heedlessly headed there just before Labor Day weekend, and managed to get one of the more level spots.

Two bees (or not two bees?)

Some things you may not see because you have chosen another route into the park:

Cows never warn.

Somehow, carrying a hiking stick makes it easier for me to cover ground.  

Bears "may" be dangerous!

Valles Caldera

Today's post is bracketed by not-warnings. YOU MAY WISH to enter Los Alamos, NM, from the north if you are driving an RV. My friend (driving an RV) was told that NO RVs are permitted past the southern checkpoint, coming in from the Jemez Mountains. Even before you are refused entry, you may or may not wish to enter at a shallower grade. Take this all for what it's worth.

Keep having fun!

Lake to Lake - Elephant Butte to Bluewater (New Mexico)

Long-timers agree: this is the lowest they can remember Elephant Butte Lake. Others have been telling corny jokes to raise its spirits.

This was my first time at Bluewater Lake State Park; it was worth the wait. Pinyon-scented air, spectacular lightning storms, a bald eagle sighting, and dump stations. Spud and I zipped on ahead, leaving my traveling companion to enjoy the latter.

Game piece, courtesy of American Legion Auxiliary Unit 291, Newport, California.

Spending the day in Grants, NM.

Would you rent out your RV?

A lovely young woman from RVshare approached me to write about their services. Everyone knows you can rent an RV, but what about renting yours out?*

I conducted a straw poll with a group of women RVers: would you rent out your RV? A large majority said "no, even if it's not my home," but a few said they would definitely consider it. Maybe your rig sits around most of the year. Maybe you're making painful payments on the RV that is sitting still. Insurance is heavily involved. Rigs older than 15 years aren't eligible. 

Anyway, research for yourself. I have no experience with this company, but Gaby at RVshare dot com was able to answer all my questions, including "would you rent out your own RV to strangers?" [She does.]

* I'm not making any money from this inquiry, and I'm not promoting the company. ETA: I became an affiliate 7/12/2017, so technically I probably am now, sorta, promoting them. All else applies, especially ... Do your own due diligence. Do not drink while doing research. If research lasts longer than four hours, turn off your computer, grab a beverage, and head out to your RV (this is almost always preferable to seeing your doctor).

Summer is glaring at me through other people's double-paned windows. It's hotter than a tin roof everywhere, except on an actual tin roof, where it is hotter. Because I live right, I have been enjoying cool houses and cold drinks with warm pets.

It's true: I have been restless. I have threatened to run away from home and responsibility, and I do it, too, until I get just outside responsibility's front door.

Monsoon has not yet begun, despite early promises. The virga you see in the clouds is evidence that humidity hasn't yet reached appropriate proportions. When it does, the virga will turn to actual ground-drenching rain. I hope I haven't blinded you with science.

Elephant Butte dam.
Dam what?
Dam the lake.
Why should I dam the lake? I like it.

I hoped to give you some perspective about the level of the lake. The Rio Grande downstream has been flowing high for months. We like that.

Families have been moving, more or less continuously, down the river in flotillas. I began to fear they were refugees from Colorado seeking asylum in the Gulf of Mexico, and so I've been throwing food and bottled water at them. They seem surprisingly ungrateful.

Can you see the elephant, or just its butte?

Thunderhead lying.

I heard there was a spot in New Mexico that had nine inches of snow on the ground yesterday. It may or may not be accessible by Prius.