LEASBURG DAM S.P.
Our first stop was in Radium Springs, just north of Las Cruces. We were excited to finally be back in a more park-like setting, and while Leasburg wasn’t secluded by any means, we were a little more spread out than we had been at the fairgrounds, and we had a nice view out the front. Our site, which I’d reserved online, hadn’t indicated it was anything but a regular site, and it turned out to be the disabled spot. I balked at check-in telling the ranger that clearly we shouldn’t be taking that one. He assured me it was perfectly OK, but I spent the next five days wondering if other campers were secretly judging us.
Our first order of business was to get out and stretch our legs. It was breezy, but warm, and we took in almost all of the park’s little trails, logging about 2.25 miles altogether. In the mornings, I enjoyed sitting in the driver’s seat watching the birds and bunnies start their days.
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| Pyrrhuloxia a.k.a. desert cardinal |
On our last trip through the Las Cruces area three years ago, we hadn’t been able to get in much hiking, but we knew some areas we wanted to see, and we headed up to the Dripping Springs Recreation Area.
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| heading into Fillmore Canyon |
It was a nice trail that, as the name indicates, led into a pretty canyon where there was still water flowing.
We had no idea what these destinations were all about, but found the signs detailing the history of these old buildings to be very interesting. Land disputes, a restorative retreat, and a fancy-schmancy upper-class getaway nestled in the mountains! You can read more about it here if you like. It was so easy to see why this area was chosen as a mountain resort and fought over.
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| I would’ve liked to convalesce here if I’d had consumption. |
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| Look how snugged into the rocks this building was! |
We took the trails from there down to the Visitor Center where the nice volunteer couple recommended that we take in the cave (cueva) on our way back to our car, and set us up with good information for our next hike.
It was a beautiful day filled with gorgeous scenery all along our six mile hike and the perfect way to commemorate our six-month Roadiversary.
Our second outing of this stop was to visit Aguirre Springs Recreation Area to a trail also recommended by the volunteers at the Dripping Springs VC.
This was a four-mile loop trail that felt longer due to its steady climb around the first half of the loop. It was never too hard, though, and was so pretty as it passed under huge alligator junipers (or joopers, as we call them, because we have our own names for just about everything) and pines.
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| Easy to see how the trail got its name. |
Little lizards darted all over the rocks, enjoying the warm sun, which we also tried to soak in as much of as we could knowing that it was about to come to a temporary end within the next week or so.
Our last day at the park, other than TBG taking Hond in for some tire repairs (nails in two of them!), was spent almost entirely indoors due to high winds and blowing dust. No matter how buttoned up you keep your rig or cars (or houses, I assume) when the southwest dust blows, some of it will invite itself right on inside. It was also quite warm that day, which made being cooped up a bit uncomfortable. I didn’t want to complain too much about being overly warm, knowing the temps we were likely headed for soon enough. (Are you catching all this foreshadowing?)
BERNALILLO
Next up on the route north was Coronado City Campground in the town of Bernalillo, just north of Albuquerque. We left Leasburg just after daybreak because severe winds were predicted over much of Arizona and New Mexico, and, obviously, we wanted to have our driving done before they hit.
We made it in good time, and once settled in our spot, we headed out to stock up on groceries. Just as we got back, the winds became fierce for the rest of the evening and also brought a brief spate of rain that turned the dust into mud which covered the vehicles.
Morning dawned calm and clear, and we headed up to the Sandia Tramway area for a hike. There was a $2 fee to park in the tramway lot (which we hadn’t known was coming) and if you want to ride the tram up to the top, it was a $15 fee (we did not.)
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| We took the Tram Trail, aiming for just over five miles out-and-back. |
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| Our $2 hike |
Although civilization was in sight for most of the hike, it was a fun
trek along the hillside. I have said it before and will no doubt repeat
myself time and again, but New Mexico from the road is nothing at all to
look at, and actually appears quite ugly in many areas as you motor
through. But if you stop and get out into it on foot, it is a magical
landscape. The Land of Enchantment, as it’s aptly nicknamed.
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| “I’m enchanted by the land, too!” |
That concludes our time in any sort of real warmth for awhile. We then had to assess the weather and make our final decision on whether or not we’d be moving further north or nixing our family plans. It was determined we would soldier on, and we pulled out our winter hats and woolies, and made the next leap.
SUGARITE CANYON S.P.
One of the advantages of New Mexico state parks is that, if you purchase the yearly pass ($225 for non-residents) any stay with water/electric is then only $4/night ($8 if there are full hookups or FREE to dry camp). The size of our rig makes some of the parks inaccessible, but there are enough of them that we can take advantage of the screaming deal even with the cost of the yearly pass. Sugarite (sugar-EAT) Canyon, located just outside of Raton on the border of New Mexico and Colorado, fit the bill for a good staging point to our final destination.
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| All tucked into site #5. |
We traveled early in the day again because there was some rain (maybe snow, grrrrr) predicted in the following few days, and we wanted to have at least part of the day to get out for a walk if possible. The time change, while annoying as crap, worked to our advantage as far as a late afternoon walk was concerned.
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| It looked okay at the beginning. |
We didn’t get all that far, though, because of snowy, slushy trail conditions, only making it about a mile before calling it quits.
We were feeling kind of tired anyhow, and just wanted to get back to our warm rig and white chicken chili. Isn’t it fun that cold weather makes you want to stop moving and eat more? No wonder this park is famous for bears.
We spent the evening cutting Reflectix insulation for all the windows, listening to satellite radio (no phone, internet, or TV here), and working on a jigsaw puzzle.
In the morning, we drove into town for internet access so that we could check the weather, and the forecast told us we would need to cut our stay at Sugarite short by one day so that we could stay ahead of some very nasty weather moving into the Colorado Springs area. That left the rest of the day to try for another hike in the park.
When I had called the ranger a few days prior to our arrival to go over some information, she told us not to miss Lake Maloya, which, she said, is the park’s centerpiece. While I waited in the bitter wind at the trail sign, TBG chattered away with some random guy who just happened to be passing by (and was the only other human we saw that whole day.) When I chastised him for making me wait for him to get to the sign for the requisite picture, this is what got:
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| “You think you can do better?” he sneered. |
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| “Apparently not!” I countered. |
We’re fun like that!
This is about where my camera fell out of my pocket, and we had to retrace our steps to retrieve it. At least we were the only ones out and about, and it was easy to spot.
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| Canada geese avoiding us on the frozen Lake Maloya |
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| It was a bleak day. |
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| Some of the bare branches mimicked a previous fire. |
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| Hoping not to post-hole in the snow. |
At the north end of the lake, the trail crossed the border into Colorado and connected with the park’s main road. We made our return route on that deserted road to avoid slogging back through the mud and snow, making our total hike about five miles. It seemed like every review I’d read about this park mentioned all the bears, and the pamphlets I got at the little visitors center offered helpful hints on living with all the bears, but we never even saw bear poop let alone a bear.
It was another very cold night, but we stayed toasty inside. It felt extremely isolated since the two other campers in the park the night before had left earlier in the day, and we had the whole place to ourselves. With no phone service, and no one else within shouting distance, that was a bit eerie, especially with the insulation covering all the windows which made it like a dark, sound-proof cocoon.
The morning was foggy and rainy, and we quickly got everything buttoned up to hit the road. Twenty minutes later, as we headed north, we were in blue skies and sunshine. Leaving a day early, forfeiting our $4 for a third night, and accruing the costs for another night in the expensive Colorado park turned out to be the best decision we’d made in a long time. Ever heard of a “bomb cyclone?”
Tell ya all about it next post 😉
COMMENTS
Chasing Dirt We so love New Mexico, even in the snow! We are having fun here currently, and looking forward to even more this summer. ☀️
Chasing Dirt New Mexico just keeps surprising us,
and that’s no small feat! The parks pass is such a deal that it makes me
wonder how much longer they’ll offer it. 
Oh, this stupid weather! We, too, are glad that so far we’ve all been
able to plan and work around it. We are always asked if we’re staying
warm in the RV, and it makes me chuckle because I remember wearing my
huge wool sweater and a scarf around my neck around the house almost all
winter at Old-Home. The RV is a snap to heat (though I’d rather not
*have* to!) Here’s hoping we get some more visiting time in enchanting
New Mexico before we part ways for the long, hot summer!
Happy six-month roadaversary!
Chasing Dirt Ha, as you know, I’d rather not hike in the snow, but we do what we gotta do 😀 And we have many hikes to take together in the (near, I hope) future! We are looking forward to making use of that new NM parks pass on our way back south from here. As you say, so many cool ones to explore! Can you believe it’s been 6 months already?! Surreal!