From Santa Fe we made a quick trip to Albuquerque to get our QX's oil changed at the only Infinity dealer in the state of New Mexico. Oh, and we decided to leave the big rig at Leah and Don's in Santa Fe. I think our gas mileage will be much improved on this little excursion...Before we head off into the wilderness, life wouldn't be complete without stopping at a brewery.
At Nexus Brewery in Albuquerque, they have great beer and wonderful soul food. Are we in the southeast or the southwest? Whichever it is, YUM!
In between Albuquerque and Carlsbad, there is just is not much. It looks like a desert savannah and we kept wondering when we would see the herd of zebras grazing. But we are not in Africa, only the occasional cow and sheep and high wind gusts. High winds made us thankful to not be pulling the beast behind us. We got to Carlsbad late in the evening and tent camped. I forgot to bring pillows, so we made a pit stop at yet another stop at Walmart only to find a dude jamming on his electric guitar at the entrance accepting donations for the entertainment. That is a first! I wonder how the RV'ers and semis enjoyed their free entertainment in the Walmart parking lot that night?!?
White's City, NM where we had two meals, one going in to the wilderness, one coming out. The aliens are in reference to Roswell, a town about 90 miles or so north of here, where there have apparently been UFO and alien sightings.
The entrance to our first National Park, just south of the New Mexico border in Texas, we are taking Tejas trail to Tejas backcountry camp, spending the night and hiking out in the morning.
I spot a fossil in this rock. Millions of years ago, this area was actually an underwater reef. There are also tons of pieces of quartz laying around, which I successfully resisted the urge not to pocket one.
This trail is very beautiful with really nice rock formations and wildflowers. It is desert and there are no water sources, so we have to carry all of our water. At least 1 gallon per person is recommended, weighing about 8 lbs just for water.
This trail is also very steep, with an elevation gain of 2500 feet. There are lots of switch backs and we are huffing and puffing our way up. If you look closely, you can see the trail along the side of the mountain. Our camp for tonight will be in a lower area, protected from the wind in a conifer forest in the middle of the desert.
Home sweet home for the night. We are completely alone and it is quiet and peaceful except for the birds and occasional rustling of leaves, which I irrationally think may be a mountain lion stalking us. The girl at the visitor center said, "this is bear and mountain lion country, but they are not really a problem". Hmm, we'll see about that. We did see a momma and baby barberry sheep above us on the trail, which are apparently from northern Africa and were introduced to New Mexico for hunting purposes.
After a much easier hike back down the mountain and minimal sleep, YAY! We survived our first night in the wilderness and didn't get mauled by a mountain lion. We decided to reward ourselves with a night stay at the Days Inn in Carlsbad. Ooh, that was a nice shower!
Total Miles: 334
Gas money: $117.30 (ooh much better without towing the beast)
Always remember: your tent when camping in the backcountry (we forgot initially until I asked Ryan about 5 minutes down the trail, "did you pack the tent?" He went back to the car to get it.)
New goal: to name the travel trailer
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