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| So many gilas! |
Getting here was an adventure in and of itself, and though we encountered nothing unexpected in the drive up, it was still a little heinie-puckering. GICL is about 45 miles north of Silver City (known simply as Silver to locals.) That’s not so far away as the crow flies, but the connection between them consists of two very twisty two-lane roads, only one of which is conducive to big rig driving. TBG did all of that while I literally held on to the edge of my seat and employed the lean-away-from-the-cliff-edges trick because everyone knows that’s completely logical and really helps the driver not drive off the road. It was not as high or treacherous as we’ve ever done, but we were both relieved when we arrived at the Visitor Center.
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| Whew! That fit up there! |
As you can see, with the help of some wooden ramps kept here for just this purpose, and some truly magical maneuvering by TBG, we not only fit but were able to get our rubber feet on the last vestiges of concrete. That’s going to be important later this summer when monsoon season arrives. We were set up quickly after that and began to explore our immediate surroundings in the residential area.
We quickly determined that while we were going to be sacrificing some conveniences here, we were going to be spoiled in a few other ways over the next three months. Not only do we have full hookups for the RV (hello unlimited hot showers in our own space!) but we hadn’t realized that it included an in-line propane hookup as well. We are provided access to a full laundry, extra refrigerator and freezer space (just ignore the whole frozen owl), and a treadmill and stationary bike, all just a short walk around the corner from our pad. We are issued uniform shirts/jackets/hats, saving wear and tear on our own clothing. Another unexpected surprise was the park wifi for residents, and while it isn’t enough to stream anything (which we don’t need to do since we have both satellite TV and radio) or publish this blog, it is enough for us to text and search a little of the interwebs. The cherry on top is that we’re in a gorgeous place to explore on our days off which outnumber our work days.
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| How can we be expected to work under these conditions?! |
I wasted no time getting the hummingbird feeder up, and the first one wasted no time in finding it.
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| Black-chinned Hummingbird |
Purple is the new black.
The word was out, and he was quickly joined by a Broad-tailed male and a Black-chinned female. While the little ones fought over the sweets, I got busy trying out the large-capacity washer and dryer with our mountain of saved-up laundry. Luxurious!
We had the whole first weekend to get acclimated to the park, and we hopped on our bikes to pedal around the park roads and get the lay of the land. We drove the five miles down to Doc Campbell’s Trading Post the closest place to get any sort of supplies, and the place where I am using their free wifi right this minute to bring you this post, and where I might partake of their delicious homemade ice cream. Again.
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| Ice creeeeeeeeeeeeeeeam! |
Across the road is the public campground where they keep a few spaces reserved for the other park volunteers who come in with their own rigs. When we accepted these positions, we were given the choice of staying there or up at the park, and we are very glad we made the choice we did. All our amenities are so close, we don’t have a five-mile drive (or any drive) to work, and it’s a whole lot quieter day and night. There is also the matter of being in close proximity to our coworkers, many of whom have cats and dogs, and all of whom need the occasional pet-sitter or -petter, and though it is a huge, burdensome chore, it’s the least we can do. Sigh. 😉
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| Unless these porklets show up. |
We have so far done only one formal hike in between our orientation days and our first round of work days.
He’s indicating the Middle Fork Trail because the sign doesn’t list the Stock Bypass Loop which is what we actually did.
Hey, why are you taking a close-up of dirt and rocks?
The trail was a moderate 4.5 miles that we traveled in a counter-clockwise loop in order to save the water crossings for the end.
Most of the trails in the area involve at least one but usually several water crossings, and the water runs year-round, so we’ll have to plan our future hikes accordingly. Before we did the crossings for this trail, we enjoyed watching some local residents.
There is already much more to share, and I had visions of neatly categorizing each post to highlight different aspects of our time here, but that is too complicated and time-consuming, so my revised big plan is to use my weekly solo day off – you heard me, ONE WHOLE DAY OFF TO MYSELF PER WEEK – to motor down to Doc’s and get a blog entry posted, each one mostly centering around a particular theme.
To that end, here’s a sneak-peek of next week’s post, which will be about our jobs here.
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| The view from our office. |
COMMENTS
Looks like you guys did really well! Nice digs, beautiful views, great amenities, enough connectivity to not lose your mind. Can’t wait to hear what the job itself is like. Everyone we’ve met who volunteers for NPS has been friendly and fun to talk to. I have no doubt you’ll be surrounded by warm and lovely people.
Finally, that hummingbird photo is incredible! Like “enlarge and frame and hang on the wall” – level incredible.
Chasing Dirt Since neither of us has driven over a cliff or off a bridge, I’m going to officially declare the Lean-In to be 100% effective!
We still have a whole lotta summer to go, but it really does look like we done good in choosing this place. Our co-workers are pretty great as a whole, as are the visitors. Don’t worry, though, I am saving up some good “Deep Dirt” stories especially for you, too! 😆
That hummingbird pic is one of mine, yay! Usually the best macro ones are TBG’s, but since we have a static spot to capture them, I get equal opportunity.
See, you did not have to drive to Silver just to get connected! And I’m
glad, we don’t have to wait three months to hear about your gig, your
adventures, and great photos.
When reading your adventures driving Essie up there, Steve and I
remembered the road going up there, it is narrow! But TBG is so skilled
and seasoned now that he is up to the challenge.
The trick you employed of leaning away from the cliff so the driver
won’t slip is almost the same trick I do when I extend both my legs to
help Steve slow down the car or Betsy 🙂
TBG is a real dedicated photographer, getting down to his knees to capture the lizard or is it the frog?
Chasing Dirt Oh, I dunno, after 3.5 months, as beautiful as it is, I’m sure we’ll be ready for a change. I just hope HE remembers how to drive it!
Yes, Doc’s has surprisingly fast WiFi, and it’s a really nice place to hang, inside or out.
That drive! Yikes! Good to know you have tricks, too, that help Steve navigate 😁
The “prickle frog” is really an incredibly camouflaged horny toad that I nearly stepped on.
So glad that your rig fits just fine into your space and that you have so many amenities. Only fulltime travelers appreciate the luxury of long showers, laundry, and limitless propane. I laughed at the frozen owl in the freezer—brought back memories of when I first met Eric and discovered he had a freezer full of roadkill birds. He had plans to become an amateur taxidermist. I’m happy to say he gave up that idea.
Chasing Dirt I was SO happy that Doc’s has such good Wifi for anyone to use. This is a waypoint for the Continental Divide hikers, and they love it, too. Plus, homemade ice cream don’t hurt!
Ha, yeah, hot showers and big washers — the stuff non-RVers take for granted 😆
Frozen wild birds — the coincidences should not surprised me any more. I’m glad Eric abandoned his taxidermy dream, though. You’d never have room in your RV freezer!
Laurel I did not encourage that hobby, LOL!!
Hugs,
Pam
Chasing Dirt Thank you, Pammie! So glad you’re riding along and enjoying the scenery. I hope all is well with you and your family 🧡
I know myself and other readers will wait with anticipation for your postings.
…and i’m sure we wouldn’t mind if you slipped one in without photographs sent directly from camp.
Chasing Dirt Thanks, Pete! So far we are very pleased with our new digs. We did get your nice message about internet, too. Thanks, for the helpful tip! We will definitely keep that in our arsenal.
I have thought about publishing a blog every now and then of straight prose, glad to know it would be appreciated 🙂