May 18 - Snow Day!

Tuesday morning — We each woke up and went back to sleep at varying times between 5 and 6 AM, and only saw rain out the window.  Then my alarm went off at 7 and I looked out the window at a nearly solid blanket of snow! 

I woke Mom & Dad immediately, thinking it would probably stop soon and not wanting them to miss it.  I shouldn’t have worried!

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After breakfast, we made a Walmart run in Alamosa to get Mom waterproof boots for our first adventure of the day.

A winding mountain road took us the base of the Zapata Falls trail.  The snow was at least 6 inches on the mountain, and still falling.  It was a beautiful hike and easy enough with hiking poles.

To see the actual falls, you have to wade through a creek for 10-20 minutes, picking your way across river rocks if you want to stay dry (spoiler alert - you won’t, but it’ll be worth it.)

The main falls is in two flows, and the left one was still frozen solid.  It was an incredible sight and definitely an experience most late-spring visitors don’t have!

On the way out we passed a guy with his cocker spaniel who was LOVING the snow.

About a 30 min drive later, we arrived at the Great Sand Dunes, also nearly covered in snow!

The sun came out as we were crossing the creek to the dunes, and the snow quickly started to melt on the lower peaks.

I brought a reusable grocery bag to slide on, which didn’t work out well at first.

But I decided to try for one of the highest peaks while Mom & Dad rested in the sunshine below

That’s me with my arms raised, about to pass out.  Shout out to the person who climbed that dune before me, could’ve have done it without using your footprints as stairs.

From there I climbed to the nearest peak and tried out my bag-sled again.  No video of my frankly EPIC slide down this dune because Dad didn’t realize it was me coming down until I started shrieking.  You’ll just have to imagine my blazing speed and perfect technique!

Also, I was so excited to slide down forgot to get a photo of the amazing view on the other side of the dune ridge, towards the mountains.  The dunes on that side were higher and still completely enveloped in snow.  Just like this, I swear!

As we were leaving the Dunes, more rain rolled in, so we managed to be there at the most perfect window of the day.

30 minutes to the west, we soaked our achin’ bones in the hot springs pools at Sand Dunes Recreation.  It’s a very laid-back, unfussy place that feels sort of like an old school community pool (there are even diving boards) but kept at 90+ degrees.

There’s a 108 deg therapy pool with jets for adults in the main area, and a snack bar.  The main pools drain out into a stream in a grassy area overlooking the mountains.

For an additional fee, you can access the 21+ area, The Greenhouse, with smaller hot tubs amongst tropical plants, and a more upscale grill and bar.  There were certainly some colorful local characters.  Some of the baths could have used a good drain-n-clean, but the water felt so nice it was hard to care.  We were also extra grateful for the hot showers, after boondocking without water hook-ups for several days.

On the way back to the camper the view of the mountains was crystal-clear.  

I think this may have been the coolest day of the trip so far.  Although the snow was a big surprise, and worried us at first, it ended up making the day even more special than it would have been, and having it clear into the most picturesque Colorado evening was just perfect.  Couldn’t ask for more!

May 17 - Taxes & Trapped by Hail!

Sorry everyone, I am sadly still goat-less.  I just couldn’t bear to break up the Stooges.  I’ll have to settle for my two boring old cats for a while longer.  But would it kill them to just hop around gleefully and wag their tails occasionally?

After some frantic paperwork the night before, our first stop on Monday morning was the P.O. to mail Mom & Dad’s tax return.  

Ojo Caliente was the first post office we passed with a parking lot large enough for us to turn the rig around.

Still, it was so tiny that it had one window and a bell to ring for service - a wind chime, to be exact.

On the way to the New Mexico-Colorado border, we passed a big dust devil!

The terrain as we entered Colorado was dramatically different from New Mexico’s.  I’m not sure if we were actually seeing the Rockies yet, but it seemed like blue and white snow-capped mountains appeared almost immediately.  It was like being inside a Coors can!

We’d had cloudy skies our entire drive, but as we pulled into our Boondockers host’s site in Alamosa, CO, things started looking really ominous, and the temperature had dropped drastically.  We barely had time to set up before it started hailing!

Luckily the hailstones weren’t large enough to damage the camper or truck.  It was pretty wild to see though!

As the hail eased off, we were all able to take a nap.  While we slept, some other Boondockers, a sweet young couple from NC and their goldendoodle, pulled in next to us.  The black skies gradually passed over the mountains to the north. 

Mom made us a delicious breakfast-for-dinner omelet using fresh eggs gifted to us by Marta that morning.

Temperatures continued to drop and the clouds remained, so we stayed in and I convinced M&D to give 2001: A Space Odyssey another try (I brought Josh’s copy from home.)  We made it to the third act before we had to put a pin in it and crash for the night.  I’ll keep trying.  Hopefully by the end of this trip they’ll be so exhausted that they’ll develop some sort of movie-Stockholm-Syndrome and they’ll have to like it!

May 16 - Taos & Environs

 The rooster’s internal alarm was a few hours early, so I can’t say we slept very soundly the first night at the wine farm!  But we had beautiful blue skies waiting for us, so we mainlined our coffee and sucked it up, buttercup.  

Some lucky jerk was taking a hot-air balloon tour nearby as the sun rose.

I saw a female mountain bluebird out of the dining table window, but you’ll just have to trust me that it looked just like this stock photo.

Henry the cat came out to say good morning.

We drove across some scenic mountain roads en route to Taos.

We stopped at Nuestra Senora del Rosario, built 1764, in Truchas.

Too bad it’s only open during the summer.  Here’s one of the interior photos that Google cruelly taunted us with:

Further down the road, we stopped at San Jose de Gracia in Las Trampas, a larger and more elaborate church also built in the 1760s.  It is now a National Historic Landmark.  The adobe exterior is refinished every year by the community.  

The interior of this church is even more ornate than the first, but it was also closed. Sad face.  Enjoy it virtually:

Once we got to Taos, we browsed a few shops and used the facilities.  Not really in a shopping or dining mode, there wasn’t much to keep us occupied there, but it seems to be a very charming town.

We drove on to the Rio Grande del Norte gorge bridge.  

We’d been in the lower part of the gorge scouting campgrounds a week ago, but it gets incredibly high further north.

The gorge is so much bigger than it looks here.  Just one of those things that never photographs accurately.

Near the gorge is a large Earthship community with a visitor center.  

Earthships are self-sustaining homes made mostly from recycled materials.  Aluminum cans, glass bottles, and tires are used for structure, insulation, and decor.

We took the offered self-guided tour, which allowed you to walk through the entirely of the visitor center, which was built with the same structure as an Earthship home but outfitted with educational displays about the community and its founder.

We also walked around the construction site of a new communal-living building next door.

There are many functional Earthships dotting the nearby hills, but they’re either permanent residences or rented out like AirBnBs, so visitors aren’t allowed up-close.  

On the way back to Taos, we saw a hotel made up of vintage campers off the road.  We stopped in and chatted with the owners and took a peek inside one of the beautifully renovated accomodations.  It’s called Hotel Luna Mystica, and I’m definitely adding it to my list for my next SW trip.

There were two mysterious stone plinths on the central lawn area.  Mom tried touching one but it didn’t transport her into a hunky 17th-century Scotsman’s arms, much to her chagrin.

We got a late lunch at Guadalajara Grill North, which was highly recommended by our NM-local Boondocker neighbors.  I forgot to get a photo because were so famished and it was so delicious.  We got chiles rellenos, green and red chimichangas, and tacos and ate on the patio.  I finally googled what the fluffy white seed pods floating through the air are — cottonwood, or alamo in Spanish.

After a quick grocery run, we headed back to our campsite.  The two sweet grandkids living on the property invited me to play with the goats again, so I happily pulled my Goat Clothes from the day before out of the laundry bag and tagged along.  

Will I successfully smuggle Larry the goat into the camper and bring him on the road?  Find out tomorrow!!

  

Bloggin’ Day Off

 Today was SO BUSY and we are all wiped, so I’ll pick back up tomorrow.  In the meantime, here’s a preview of today’s post (whenever I get around to it):

SNOW!!

May 15 - Petroglyphs & Pygmy Goats

 May 15

After the blessing of approximately two teaspoons of rain in our patch of desert the night before, the skies were clear and beautiful on Saturday morning.  We packed up and headed further north.  Since there was plenty of RV parking at the adjoining campground, we were able to hit up the Three Rivers Petroglyphs Site on the way.

Looking for even one of the promised Three Rivers - no luck!

There are over 21,000 (!!) prehistoric petroglyphs here, carved into rocky outcroppings along a low ridge.  Even the rock formations themselves are a pretty cool sight.  

After going up the ridge a bit, the designs are everywhere you turn.  To see them all you’d have to pick you way through the formations for a long time.  It was really fun to climb around and try to find more hidden designs. 

At first glance, the petroglyphs appear to be painted or drawn on with a white material, but they were actually created by scratching away the dark patina of the rocks to expose the lighter surfaces beneath.  

 

They are thought to have been left here between 900-1400 AD by the Jornada Mogollon peoples.

Could they have dreamt that someday 1951-2021 Isaacs peoples would be capturing tiny versions of their drawings in glowing palm-sized rectangles?

There’s another small flat trail that leads to excavated home sites of the ~1000 year old pueblo ruins.  The partial walls are mostly reconstructions.  

We drove on for about 3.5 hours to our next Boondockers site in Velarde, NM.  It’s an operating winery that makes non-grape fruit wines only, as well as the home of the family members who run it.  The entire thing is inside a structure that was once a prohibition-era nightclub and brothel!  

Eric, the owner, gave us a tour of the winemaking facilities just off the living room.  

We also met his menagerie, including...

These chickens and a rooster that crows WELL before sunrise.

Donald the Duck, who has to be separated from the other fowl for being a huge bully

A mama cat named Mama and her newborn kittens

Henry, Mama’s Large Adult Son

And pygmy goats!!  Three bouncing little boys, named Larry, Moe, & Curly:

 I can say with scientific authority that they are absolutely the cutest animals that have ever existed.

There are also several ducks, chickens, bunnies, and two super-sweet dogs that aren’t pictured here.  I was happier than a pig in (goat) s***!

Later Eric’s wonderful sister, Marta, poured us a wine tasting.  Mom & Dad aren’t particularly drinkers, but these were all semi-sweet to sweet and a couple had virtually no alcohol taste at all.   Mom liked the Strawberry best, Dad the Apricot, and although I like very dry wines, the Choke-Cherry has a cranberry-like bitterness that I really enjoyed.  We ended up purchasing a bottle of each.

We also got to see Eric’s adobe brick making process for the security wall he’s building around the goat enclosure.

Before retiring we chatted with our Boondocker neighbors as the sun went down.  We talked (well, I followed Henry the cat around because I’m really missing my kitties) past 8 pm, so we had PB&Js and Cheetos and mandarin oranges (meeting our recommended daily allowance of Neon Orange foodstuffs) for dinner and hit the hay.  Next - more goats and Taos, which is almost an anagram of ‘goats’!  Makes ya think...