Family, Heat Waves, and National Parks

The past few years, my cousin Josh has flown to Colorado to join in on what has become an annual family backpacking trip in Rocky Mountain National Park. This year, we decided to venture out from tradition and take a road-trip through New Mexico. We also added some stops in southwest Colorado. We started planning in March, got the itinerary loosely planned in April, made some reservations, and tightened the itinerary in May. And then made last minute changes two days before he flew in on June 14.

Start of the Road-Trip

Anybody that knows me, knows that I am chronically late. Day one of the road-trip had a bit of a rough start. Instead of hitting the road at 9:30am, like I had promised, we left about 10:45am. The first leg of our road-trip consisted of a 7 and a half hour drive from northern Colorado down to southwest Colorado, where we camped outside of Mesa Verde National Park. Luckily, it is a scenic drive through the Rocky Mountains and the drive went by relatively quick. We stopped in Durango, CO, for dinner at an interesting place called 11th Street Station. It is a collective eatery with Ernie’s Bar and seven food trucks always surrounding the bar. Something for everybody to choose from!

We found dispersed camping 30 minutes west of Durango and waded through a herd of cows until we found a good spot. We set up camp, settled down, and partook in campfire talk (except without the campfire). However, something came stomping towards our campsite a couple hours after the sun went down. I hollered at it, and it stopped for a moment. Then, it continued thundering down the hill towards us. I panicked, picturing an angry bear, a rabid mountain lion, or goodness forbid, Bigfoot. Mostly to humor me, Josh chucked some rocks in it’s direction until it reluctantly decided to go around our campsite instead of through it. As you may have guessed, it was just a poor lonely cow trying to find her herd.

Mesa Verde

We spent the second day exploring Mesa Verde, and camped inside the park that night at Moorefield Campground. In the morning, our stops were accompanied by the clicking and clacking of cicadas. This was a noise I hadn’t heard before. I am familiar with the humming drone usually associated with cicadas, so Josh and Tevis had to explain to me that they also click.

Unfortunately, Cliff Palace Loop was closed due to road construction, so the Cliff Palace was inaccessible while we were there. We knew it would be closed prior to visiting, but figured it would still be worth the visit to the park! We were able to view it from a distance at the Sun Temple. In the afternoon, we went to Wetherill Mesa hoping to catch a self-guided tour of the Step House Dwelling, but it closed early that day due to staffing issues. On a positive note, I got to see some wild horses on the mesa! I may have been the most excited one in the group to see them, though.

Expect the Unexpected

When going on any sort of road-trip, it is important to accept that everything may not go as planned. My brother, cousin, and I drove almost 2,200 miles on our road-trip. Everything went surprisingly well, from finding camp spots, correct reservations, no vehicle problems, and no major arguments. However, the weather did not cooperate as well as hoped. June is typically monsoon season in the mid-western states. While I was checking weather predictions a couple weeks before our trip, I was hit with a flood of weather advisories. Excessive and dangerous heat warnings, to be specific.

Down to New Mexico

The third day, of our road-trip, we dropped down into New Mexico and spent some time driving down Old Route 66 to Albuquerque. That’s when the heat wave really hit! The drive from Mesa Verde to Gallup, New Mexico, was the longest, flattest, most boring drive that I have experienced thus far in my life. Josh even said that he’d never give Kansas crap again. Only the road simmer from the heat rising broke up the desolate landscape. After Gallup, the scenery got more interesting as we trucked on eastward. We stopped at Continental Divide, NM then followed Route 66 to Grants. In Grants we grabbed a beer at a unique brewery, Junkyard on 66. The mini road-trip down Route 66 after Grants took us through mesas, lava flows, and sandstone bluffs.

We got to Albuquerque in the early evening, where we had a hotel for the night near Old Town. We checked in, unloaded, then walked towards Old Town to find dinner. We found Ben Michael’s Restaurant, which was a quaint little place that served some authentic New Mexican cuisine. It was spicy but delicious, and the flan for dessert was the best I’ve ever had. We didn’t get to explore Old Town much, the heat of the day combined with the heat of dinner was heavy on our bodies. So after dinner, we took the opportunity to do laundry and relax in air conditioning while watching Futurama.

Road-trip to a Ghost Town

After soaking in as much cool air as we could, we started our journey further south into New Mexico. Our first stop of the day took us to an old ghost town called Riley/Santa Rita. We marveled at the well preserved church. Josh spotted a yellow snake trying to sneak into the church foundation. Remains of buildings built in the late 1800’s were scattered around the church, as well as a schoolhouse that was used until 1953. Once the heat and the flies started to bother us, we followed the old dirt road back to pavement and continued on to the town of Truth or Consequences.

Getting Warmer

When we rolled into town, the temperature was hitting 105. We made a beeline to the air-conditioned brewery and joined the locals in complaining about the heat. After grabbing a bite to eat, we ventured to Elephant Butte State Park, where we had a campsite for the night. Soon after we found our site, a wind squall came ripping through the park. We waited it out inside of the truck, as the dirt and sand blasting our skin was quite painful. Once it let up, we decided to set up camp later and found a way down to the Rio Grande.

We walked down the longest boat dock I’ve ever seen, then down the dried up banks until we finally found the trickle of water that was the Rio Grande. Tevis and I threw off our shoes and jumped into the shallow murky water. Josh walked along the bank while we followed the river towards the lake, eventually hopping in when he saw something of interest in the water. There was a large carp laying in the shallows, it’s fin flapping weakly. When Josh grabbed a stick and flipped the fish over, we saw a large chunk was bitten out of it. “I didn’t know there were snapping turtles down here” Tevis gasped. I promptly got out of the water.

Elephant Butte

Josh had brought a black light flashlight to go scorpion spotting with. Now that we were deep in New Mexico, we decided to test it out! It only took a few minutes for Josh to find one nestled up a few feet from Tevis’ tent. It scampered off pretty quick, but I was glad to have my tent off the ground!

The low temperature that night at Elephant Butte was 90 degrees. Josh and I decided to “cowboy camp” and left the tent put away in hopes of staying a little cooler. We envisioned fresh air and a night full of stargazing. That was the worst night of sleep of my life. The wind picked up aggressively shortly after we went to bed, it was blowing straight up my nose and at times I almost couldn’t breathe. Luckily, the wind died down after a few hours. However, that’s when the mosquitos came. I tossed, turned, slapped, scratched and even tried covering myself with my sleeping bag (that made it far too hot to sleep). I think the bugs finally wandered off, and suddenly the temperature dropped and it was chilly. Josh didn’t bother grabbing his sleeping bag, so he awoke to a chilly morning and I finally got a little rest.

Escaping the heat

After a quick discussion, we decided to change our plans for that night. We originally planned on staying near Aguirre Spring Campground in the Organ Mountains, which was 45 minutes west of White Sands National Park. However, temperatures were again over 100 and the nightly lows weren’t much cooler. We pulled out our handy smartphones and found dispersed camping areas in Lincoln National Forest, where the high was only 88 degrees. It was 45 minutes east of White Sands, but we knew it was worth a little extra drive time to get out of the desert.

We high-tailed it out of Elephant Butte and headed towards Lincoln National Forest. We stopped at the visitor center at White Sands to grab some stickers and information for our visit the next morning. At noon, the ranger at the visitor center told us it was 118 degrees out in the park. She also let us know that there was a missile test scheduled for the morning we were visiting, so the park wouldn’t be opening until 8am. We vowed to return the next morning at 7:45am to enter the park as early as possible. Luckily, the heat wave was breaking that day and the temperature didn’t get over 100 for the rest of our visit.

Lincoln National Forest

We stopped in the town of Alamogordo to restock some supplies, then headed into Lincoln Forest to find our camp spot for the night. Once we settled on a place, we whipped out our camp chairs and took a much needed nap. The rest of the afternoon was spent wandering around the campsite, where Tevis found a deserted little bush-craft village with makeshift shelters. Later that evening, we hunkered down for a storm that ended up dying out before it hit us.

We ended the day with our normal campfire talk without the fire. As we quieted down, Josh pointed out that it was so quiet out where we were that his ears had started ringing. Which, of course, put me on edge a little. I’ve never heard such silence in the woods. Then Josh told us to listen carefully, and off in the distance we heard a Whippoorwill softly singing his own name. And then a Hoot Owl hesitantly answered, with a “Whooo… whoo?” The silence of the night kept me awake for a while, but eventually I drifted off into a sleep that made up for the terrible night before.

White Sands National Park

The sixth day, we got to White Sands bright and early and made our way into the park. Getting going was a push. Josh and I were up before 6am and started packing up. A bit after 6, I wasn’t sure if Tevis was awake or not yet. “It’s time to get up, Tevis!” “NO!” was the reply I received. Huh. As I pondered the practicality of leaving him behind and coming back later, he crawled out of his tent and we soon hit the road.

The heat wave had finally broken and it was a refreshing 72 degrees in the park when we got there. We beelined to the Alkali Flat trailhead, and got some amazing views of the mountains hovering over the White Sands. There was a haze that settled in quickly, and the mountains disappeared. About a mile and a half into the five mile hike, I called it quits and turned around. It was getting hot, and walking up and down sand dunes is only so much fun. Plus, we got to go sledding after the hike.

Upon returning to the parking lot, we grabbed our sleds and hit the dunes. We quickly found that sledding on sand was more difficult than we anticipated. Before we realized that we had to get a good track going, Josh ran and jumped on his sled, thinking it would be like snow and he’d take off down the hill. This was when Josh bruised his tailbone. Luckily we only had 920 miles left sitting in the car!

Roswell – We Believe

After having as much fun as we could at the White Sands National Park, we made the two hour drive to Roswell. The first thing we did once in town was grab a late lunch at La Escondida Cafe, where the Mexican food was delicious. We restocked at a grocery store across the street, then found downtown Roswell.

The town’s visitor center was surprisingly alien themed, in fact most of the town was. I had done little research on the town of Roswell before visiting, and I’m glad I got to experience it with no prior expectations! We walked around town for a while and did the UFO Spacewalk, a neat black-light alien themed walk through.

After grabbing a beer at the local brewery, we ventured out to Bottomless Lakes State Park. This is where we were staying the night. We went swimming in the refreshingly cool water and watched the gorgeous sunset. We went scorpion hunting and then played poker until we were ready to go to bed.

Santa Fe

We packed up and left Bottomless Lakes, and on our way out saw a bobcat dart across the road. Before leaving Roswell, we stopped and got breakfast at the UFO and alien themed McDonalds’s. (When in Roswell, you may as well!) The road to Santa Fe was uneventful, with not many places to stop along the way. We got to Santa Fe a little after noon, and our hotel room wasn’t ready yet. We grabbed a beer and a snack at Chile Line Brewery.

I then began my search for a six-pack of pickle beer from Bosque Brewery to bring home to share with my pickle loving friend, Heather. I found a tap-house that sold the pickle beer, and the owner told us about a reservoir not to far from town that had a rope swing and was a fun way to cool off.

We followed his advice and found the 525 acre natural area only two miles from downtown Santa Fe! Upon taking off on the trail, however, we made a wrong turn and ended up on top of a mountain instead of splashing in the reservoir. We blame Tevis for this one. It was obvious pretty quick that there was no water the direction we were going, but he hiked on anyways. The point we stopped at gave us a striking panoramic view over Santa Fe as well as the mountains east of the city.

Downtown Santa Fe

Once our hotel room was ready, we showered and changed. We walked from our hotel to downtown Santa Fe, where we got dinner at Del Charro. I had noticed that many restaurants in the area offered a Frito Pie on their dinner menu, so I went ahead and got one. It was amazing. After dinner, we walked to the Santa Fe Plaza. Everything was closed up by this time, so we ventured back to the hotel and sipped on a cocktail while we did another load of laundry.

The next morning, we returned to the Plaza which was now hustling and bustling with activity. We toured The Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi and enjoyed the Cathedral Park, which was strewn with history. Once we’d had our fill of the city, we loaded up and began our drive back to Colorado!

Back to Colorado

On the route we took, there was only one place to stop in New Mexico before crossing back into Colorado, and it was the little town of Tres Piedras. We stopped and had lunch at the Chili Line Depot. The restaurant was brimming with history, as it used to be the “chili stop” for a portion of the railroad that was built to run from Denver to Mexico City. It was the first north-south rail line in the nation, as well as the first three foot narrow track railroad in the nation. The restaurant building itself actually spent most of it’s years as a bar and dancehall. The railroad was abandoned in 1941, and the track was removed. I would have never known there used to be a railway there, but the owners of the restaurant keep it’s history alive.

Shortly after crossing back into Colorado, I noticed something called Cano’s Castle on the map. It was in Antonito, CO, which we were passing by anyways. We did a drive-by to check it out, not sure if it was somewhere that we really wanted to go into. That led us to seeing signs for the oldest church in Colorado. We stopped in Conejos to check it out!

We stayed on the road from there, and made it to Great Sand Dunes National Park in the early afternoon.

The first thing we did once inside the park was head down the primitive road to the first parking area. There was a trail from there that led down to the dunes. We played in the sand and splashed in the small stream still flowing through. We marveled at the beauty that is Colorado. I sure did miss it while we were in New Mexico.

Three Bites from Tears

We had walked half a mile down a steep and deep sand trail to get to the dunes, and weren’t looking forward to the scramble back up. However, we could see the Sand Pit Picnic Area that was right off the 4×4 road. We decided to get to the picnic area then walk up the road instead of the sand trail. Tevis and I thought it would be an easier walk, but I’m not sure that ended up being true.

The wind that was blowing when we got there had died down, and when we walked through a thicket we awoke a horde of mosquitoes. The bug spray was half a mile up the road in the truck. So, the best we could do was walk quickly and swat aggressively. I kept stepping on burrs and really wanted to put my shoes back on, but every time I stopped walking it felt like I was being eaten alive.

By the time I was about 3 mosquito bites away from crying, I had managed to get my shoes on. A vehicle was coming down the road, and I stopped to turn and warn Josh. What I saw behind me was a wall of mosquitoes that had been keeping up with me, waiting for me to stop. At that point I basically ran the rest of the way to the truck. Tevis and I soaked ourselves in the soothing deet spray and jumped in the truck to track down Josh. I had thought he’d fallen behind when I took off, but he came hustling around the corner just as soon as I turned the key. He was less than pleased about Tevis and I’s “shortcut” back up the hill.

Great Sand Dunes National Park

My parents met us at the park to finish up our family trip. We met them at the campsite that my dad had reserved months ago, and caught up on the adventures of the past week and a half. As the sun set, my parents and I went over to the main dune access area. The full moon rose above the mountains and lit up the dunes. The stream sparkled in the light.

The next day, we loaded up in my truck Beverly Hillbillies style. Josh sat up front with me, while the rest of my family rode in the bed. Including my mom, in her camping chair. I warned her that we were going down a 4×4 road and that she should ride in the cab if she wanted a seat. She rode it out though, until her chair about fell over and she finally abandoned it. We spent the day playing in the sand, attempting to sled, and walking up and down the stream. The sand suddenly got very hot in the late morning. We scampered off the dunes that we had ran up barefooted and into the cool stream. In the evening, we went on a little hike to the main dunes area and caught view of the evening storms rolling in.

Last Leg of the Road-Trip

This was it. The final day of our road-trip! After leaving the park, we took a quick hike to Zapata Falls. Part of the hike included walking up-steam to the falls. The water was freezing! But seeing the waterfall up close was worth the chill.

We were about five and a half hours away from home if we drove straight through. I could tell that the alluring call of a shower, a couch, and a real bed was on everyone’s mind. However, I really didn’t want to give up our last couple stops! It wasn’t too difficult to convince the guys to finish out the road-trip.

Bishop Castle

Within a couple hours, we were at Bishop Castle outside of Rye, CO. It was fairly busy on a Friday, but the man who built it, Jim Bishop, happened to be there! He was sitting at a picnic bench, stoically watching the crowd enjoy his creation and life’s work. We went inside and marveled at the intricate stone and metal work.

Now, I must admit that I’m not great with heights. I slowly walked out onto a metal balcony, trying not to look at the ground below through the grated floor. Some do-good stranger asked Tevis and Josh, who were standing back and probably laughing at my spaghetti legs, if they were struggling with vertigo. Without waiting for an answer, he took a flying leap and landed on the balcony three feet away from where I was clinging to the railing. I swear I saw my life flash before my eyes. He laughed, told us it was sturdy, and disappeared as quickly as he had appeared. Tevis ran off to explore the higher levels of the castle. He didn’t make it all the way to the top, but he made it much higher up than I did!

More about Bishop Castle: https://wanderingprose.com/bishop-castle/

Garden of the Gods

Another couple hours on the road landed us at Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs. We made a quick stop at the visitor center, which happened to be one of the nicest visitor centers that any of us had seen. It was starting to get late in the afternoon, so we made our way to the main attraction. We walked the main loop, Perkins Central Garden Trail, through the rocks.

We battled traffic, construction, and downpouring rainstorms the remaining three hours of our road-trip. The heavy rains that we avoided the entire trip caught up to us all in one day! After grabbing a pizza and a cantaloupe, we finally returned home late in the evening. Our New Mexico road-trip was finished. 10 days, 2,171 miles, 40 hours of driving, and a lifetime of memories completed!

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