Gallinas, Coronado, Not Bluewater, and El Morro

Open rangeland to explore at Gallinas Group Site.

If you’ve followed the blog for very long, you know that my favorite flavor of camping is boondocking (free camping on public lands). There’s not much we enjoy more than having privacy, beautiful scenery, and a place to let the pups off-leash. We had all that and more at Gallinas Group Site, a BLM area near Corona, NM. We read that the site is popular during hunting season, but often deserted at other times. We arrived in the early afternoon on Monday, 4/17, and had the entire area completely to ourselves until after suppertime when just one other RV pulled in. Typically, there are no amenities at boondocking sites, but this one had a pit toilet and garbage cans. Another advantage, it was only 100 yards or so off SR54, so we didn’t have to drives for miles down a dusty gravel road. Put this one on your list! We just wished we could have stayed longer.

Huge grassy area for the kids to play on.

Relaxing in the shade of the Junipers. 

Another lovely sunset in paradise.

Why didn’t we? Well, the winds were about to make a serious comeback. So, we either had to beat feet or stay put for several days. We had a long to-do list and reservations at a campground outside of Albuquerque, so off we went. Let’s just say that between the blustery weather, truck traffic, and crappy road conditions, it was another no-fun driving day for Rog.

We pulled into Coronado Campground in Bernalillo, NM on Tuesday, 4/18. We had three days reserved which we figured would get us through the worst of the winds. I immediately got busy and headed to the laundromat with a couple weeks’ worth of laundry for four. Trust me, although Raney and Riley may not wear clothes, they sure shed and goober on everything we own, so I’m counting them! Lol. Dinner that evening was at Bosque Brewery conveniently located right next to the campground. Rather than walking all the way out to the highway and the main entrance, we climbed a few strategically placed pallets and hopped the fence into their back parking lot. Guess if you have trouble on the return trip, it’s a good indicator you had too much to drink. (We did fine, thank you very much. Lol.) On Thursday evening we also tried out Starr Brothers Bewery in Albuquerque. Chicken Hatch Green Chile Hushpuppies. That's all I need to say. Yum.

Parked for a few days to sit out the windstorm.

Raney and Riley liked the shady casita too.

Bosque Brewery, a short fence hop away. Lol. 

Wednesday, things really kicked up with sustained winds of 34mph and gusts up to 49mph. We’d designated this day for all our shopping. We hit Costco, Trader Joe’s, got groceries and gas, and picked up meds. Back at the campground, we also found a great spot for the pups to play off-lead and dip their paws in the Rio Grande.

Fun times by the Rio Grande.

On Thursday, 4/17, we made the short walk from the campground to the Coronado Historical Site. It is the location of the Kuaua Pueblo, settled around 1325 and then abandoned toward the end of the 16th century. Archeologists in the 1930’s were convinced that this was the place where Vasquez de Coronado stayed in 1540–1542. Although no evidence of Coronado was found, the site still bears his name. What they did find, however, was a series of murals in one of the kivas. There were at least 17 layers of murals painted over each other. Archeologists removed the walls and sent them to University of New Mexico for preservation. The murals represent one of the finest examples of pre-contact Native American art to be found anywhere in North America.

Most of the excavated pueblo was filled back in to preserve it, but a few areas were rebuilt so visitors can get a sense of early pueblo life. The volunteer docent showed us some of the original preserved murals and the kiva where a native artist had reproduced the images. Photographs were not allowed, so I found this public domain image of the mural on-line.

Rog climbs the ladder to the kiva. The murals were recreated by a native artist.

A few buildings and artifacts from the early pueblo village have been rebuilt.

We left on Friday, 4/21, for Bluewater Lake State Park near Prewitt, NM. The state park has six “campgrounds” with a total of 75 sites plus primitive camping along the far side of the lake. The entire park is first come/first served until the middle of May. We parked the RV and unhitched to scout. There were plenty of sites available, including some with electric, but we opted for a spacious dry-camping spot in Pinon Cliffs with a splendid view of the lake. Speaking of which, Bluewater Lake was not. Lol. It was actually a lovely shade of brown from the spring runoff, but I guess Chocolate Milk Lake just doesn’t have the same ring to it. There are also supposed to be wild horses in the area. There is plenty of supporting evidence, although after five days of searching we've not seen hide nor hair of them. From the copious amount of droppings, which are everywhere, I can't believe we haven't spotted at least one. All of which leads me to believe they must be invisible horses. Do you have a better theory?  😊

If that water is blue, then I can see horses too. Lol.

We got a great spot by the lake.

We did love the campground though. There were three short trails totaling about two miles. One went to an overlook of the dam that impounds Bluewater Lake and the others descended into the canyon to skirt Bluewater Creek. Once we were down in the canyon, the dogs could run and explore to their heart’s content. Silly, muddy puppers enjoyed themselves immensely and they both showed off their trail dog skills on the steep, rocky climb into and out of the canyon. Raney was also game to cross the creek on the steppingstones, Riley made it half way and decided he'd rather wade. Lol.

(Not) Bluewater Lake Dam.

We all enjoyed Canyonside Trail.

Our handsome boy.

The dam from the creek-side.

Riley made it halfway across the creek on the stones, and then...

...nope. I'd rather wade.

Both of the pups managed the steep, rocky climb easily.

We ended up staying five nights at Bluewater State Park. Part of that was because yet another windstorm was forecast, but we also decided to use it as a base camp for several day trips. Our first excursion was to El Morro National Monument on Saturday, 4/22. We loaded up the pups and set out to explore. El Morro means “the headland or bluff” in Spanish. This area was home to early pueblo Indians, a way point for Spanish explorers in the 1600’s, and later for US Calvary, railroad surveyors, and emigrants in the 1800’s. Not only was El Morro an impressive landmark, but it also provided precious water. At the base of the cliff is a pool, fed largely by runoff, that is about 12 feet deep and holds 200,000 gallons of water.

El Morro.

Water is a precious commodity in the desert.

Beginning with petroglyphs carved into the sandstone by early native peoples, visitors over the centuries left their mark – carving names, dates, and inscriptions into the sandstone cliff. It’s an amazing historic record. One of the earliest dated records was inscribed by the first governor of Spanish New Mexico in 1605, fifteen years before the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock. The park provides a fascinating field guide that deciphers many of the Spanish inscriptions and provides information about some of the explorers, soldiers, and emigrants who left their mark. More than 2000 inscriptions and petroglyphs cover the rock. When El Morro was designated a National Monument in 1906, early park administrators removed all writing on the wall made after that date.

Petroglyphs carved into the sandstone.

One of the earliest inscriptions by the Spanish govenor dated 1605. Wow.

Translation: On the 25th of the month of June of this year 1709,
Ramon Garcia Juardo passed through here on the way to Zuni.

Captain R.H. Orton of the First Calvary was sent to New Mexico
to reinforce Federal troops during the civil war.

Many emmigrants stopped and signed in on their way to California. 
These are dated April 1859.

In 1868, the Union Pacific Railway sent a survey crew to the area.

But wait, that’s not all! Lol. After perusing ancient graffiti, we took the pups on the 2-mile Headland Trail. It started off as a lovely stroll with great views of El Morro and the surrounding area. Then we climbed steep, narrow switchbacks to gain 242 feet in elevation and walk across a sandstone ridge. There were some…ahem…interesting spots scrambling across rocks near steep drop-offs. It wouldn’t have been that bad, but the park allows visitors to hike the trail in either direction, so we had to pass other people and dogs in some very narrow spots. No fun with an exuberant puppy and a sometimes-grumpy old man. However, both Raney and Riley were troopers and did great.  

The trail started off wide and flat.

An easy stroll along the base of the sandstone bluffs.

And then it got interesting. Lol.
Do you see those tiny people out there?

Views along from the trial.

The views were stunning. We passed a huge box canyon that was once used to corral livestock and the remnants of pueblo dwellings. To descend, instead of switchbacks we traipsed down 132 stairs. I wasn’t thrilled about that, but again, the trail dogs did an amazing job! We’ve come a long way from when I would carry Raney up and down the RV’s four steps. Lol.

Huge box canyon, seen from above.

We paused for a break under a pine tree.

Pueblo ruins atop El Morro date from about 1275.

Steps, steps and more steps!

Well, I’m going to wrap this up because we have two more day trips to share and there is no way I can begin to fit it all into one blog post. You’d be scrolling for days. Lol. Stay tuned, the Bisti Badlands, El Malpais National Monument and a super cool Junkyard Brewery are coming up!

In the Bat Cave with my Baby

 

Double the trouble, double the fun!

I mentioned that we had arranged to meet up with our daughter Randi and her boyfriend, Jose, to visit Carlsbad Caverns. We arrived on Monday, 4/10, at the Carlsbad RV Park and spent the next couple days doing repairs (the slide!), maintenance, laundry, dog baths, and other housekeeping chores. I was walking Raney in the campground when a gal in a pickup pulled up next to us and asked if she was a mastiff. Yep. Then she excitedly told me that she had one too, a brindle about the same age as Raney, and was also staying at the RV park. And that is how we met Andrea and Tonka. Sometimes serendipity is a sweetheart.

We met up in the largest of the RV’s dog parks for play time pretty much every day and sometimes more than once. They did zoomies and chased each other and then Raney would act coy and hide behind a bench, only to run another lap with Tonka in pursuit. He was the absolute sweetest boy, just a couple weeks younger than Raney, and so similar in coloring and size that it was hard to tell them apart after dusk. I am so glad Raney found a friend to help expend some of that puppy energy.

Raney (rear) and Tonka (front). 
Hard to tell them apart during their evening play sessions.

Look at these goof bugs!

A game of chase. Who's at the gate? And the handsome Tonka.

The kids (Ok, Jose is 42 and Randi will turn 34 in July, but she’ll always be my baby!) checked into their hotel Wednesday evening. After a 7+ hour drive, they were ready to crash so we agreed to meet them Thursday morning, 4/13, for breakfast. Their hotel was right next door to an IHOP, not fancy but it’s hard to screw up pancakes. Lol.  

We had breakfast and made our plans for the weekend. We were doing Carlsbad Caverns on Friday and decided to visit the Living Desert Zoo and Gardens State Park on Saturday. They would be leaving Sunday, so that left Thursday as a free day. Randi, Jose and I decided to check out the thrift shops and the one antique mall in Carlsbad. Both my girls like to thrift and do estate and garage sales. Even Jose has caught the bug. Yes, I am a bad influence. 😊  Rog has no interest whatsoever in pawing through other people’s old stuff (sigh), so he volunteered to do the grocery shopping and make salmon for dinner. A tasty consolation. Lol. We also exchanged the last of our Christmas gifts. Due to a series of flight cancellations, we never got together around the holidays. I had accumulated two whole boxes of the Royal Albert Country Roses china that Randi collects and didn’t trust it would arrive undamaged if I shipped it. They brought welcome treats from Texas too, including our favorite jerky and jalapeno blueberry jam from Buc-ees (A Texas institution, think combo 7-11/travel center on a massive dose of steroids).

An after dinner stroll around the campground.

Friday, 4/14, we drove to Carlsbad Caverns. For those interested in visiting, even the self-guided tour now requires entry tickets that designate a 1-hour window for you to begin your tour. The tickets are only $1 each and there’s no time limit once you’re checked in, but it helps them control the flow through the caverns. There are also Ranger led tours, but those are much more limited in size and were sold out when I checked.  

Jose and Randi.

We started in the Visitor’s Center, always a good idea. The scale model of the caverns in relation to the visitor’s center really put things into perspective! Carlsbad Caverns has about 30 miles of mapped caves. We also learned about the nearby Lechuguilla Cave, discovered when cavers exploring Carlsbad Caverns removed a rock plug. It has amazing crystal formations and has over 140 miles mapped with more being discovered. However, the stunning photographs are only a tease, access to Lechuguilla is limited to research and exploration only. Bummer.

Scale model of the caverns, note the visitor's center above.

Stunning crystal formations in Lechuguilla Cave.
On-line Photo credit: Paul D. Stewart

We decided to enter Carlsbad through the natural entrance. There are three tour options. There is a 1.25-mile self-guided route that winds through the 8.2-acre Big Room passing many of the caverns most famous features. The elevator from the Visitor Center descends directly to the Big Room 750 below. The Natural Entrance route is a self-guided 1.25-mile tour that follows the original cave explorer’s path. The Natural Entrance route also descends over 750 feet following a series of steep, narrow switchbacks and ends at the Big Room. Of course, we decided to do both! Down through the Natural Entrance trail, around the Big Room and then back up in the elevator. The third option, a Ranger led tour through King’s Palace cavern takes 1.5 hours. Probably for the best that the Ranger led tour was sold out, we spent about four hours in the caverns as it was.

The Natural Entrance - 1.25 mile trail descends 750 feet to the Big Room.

We walked past the amphitheater where visitors can watch the evening exodus of hundreds of thousands of bats. Sadly, we were too early in the year to see the bat flight. As many as seven species of bats inhabit the caverns, but by far the most prevalent are the Brazilian free-tailed bats. Between 200,000 and 500,000 inhabit the caves during the summer months. The young are born in June and cling to their mothers or the ceiling for the next 4-5 weeks. During the day, mothers and pups hang in clusters with as many as 300 bats crowding into one square foot! When mom returns at dawn after consuming more than half her body weight in insects, she finds her own pup in the teeming masses by location and its scent and the sound of its cry. Amazing. Seeing the evening bat flight is still on my bucket list!

Some day I will be here for the evening bat flight!

But we did see lots and this time I have the pictures to prove it. Lol. No restrictions at Carlsbad on photography so I took hundreds. I promise to only include a fraction, but it’s so hard to choose!  Every twist and turn in the trail revealed another breath-taking scene. The park does a good job with lighting, accenting specific formations, but still keeping the cave dim. Too much light promotes algae growth, and you can see in a few places where that has happened. Several of the more spectacular formations are named and accompanied by an informational sign board, but much of the time you are just wandering slowing along the trail awestruck by nature’s artistry.

Flowstone creates formations that look like stone trees.

Randi and Jose take photos in the dim cave.
The formation on the left is called the Whale's Mouth.

Lion's Tail formation.

One of our favorites. We thought it looked like a dragon!

The three tallest towers in the caverns.

Iceberg Rock, weighing 200,000 tons, fell from the ceiling about 513,000 years ago. 

In 1924, early cave explorers used sticks and fence wire to make ladders. Nope.

One of the most mind-boggling aspects of the caves is the time involved in their creation. The history of Carlsbad Caverns begins 265 million years ago when the area was a 400-mile-long reef that stretched along an inland sea. Over the eons the earth shifted, the sea dried up, compression created limestone, which in turn was converted by sulfuric acid to gypsum which dissolved creating the caverns. (That was the Readers Digest version.) The decorative formations which are the real draw began forming 500,000 years ago. Water seeping through the ground formed a weak acid that dissolved a little of the limestone and formed calcite. Once a drop of calcite-laden water emerged into the cave, the water evaporated leaving a tiny calcite crystal behind. If the water dripped slowly soda straws and stalactites grew. Faster falling water created stalagmites. Draperies hang where water flowed down a slanted ceiling and (my favorite!) flowstone formed when the water flowed over the surface of the rock depositing layers of calcite. Cave pearls, lily pads, and rimstone dams formed where water occurred in the cave. We got to see examples of all these exquisite formations and many more.

We loved the huge rooms of fantastical formations, but...

...the details, colors, and crystals were also facinating.

Mirror Lake.

Cave bacon and draperies flowing from a crack in the ceiling.

Although water levels are low, there are still streams and pools.

Crystal Spring Dome is the largest active (still growing) stalagmite in the cavern.
A rare type of bell canopy is visible at its base. 

Doll's Theater.

Ok, last cave picture, I promise! 
But I couldn't resist the trees and the little pacman ghosts are just adorable. Lol.

After a long day in the caverns, we met for dinner at the Guadalupe Brewing Co for pizza and our beverage of choice. We ended up eating out far more often than we normally do, but we found some great little restaurants in Carlsbad. The Blue House for breakfast and pastries was a hit, the food was good and the porch kitty was a charmer. Mexican restaurants were everywhere, and we found two that we would highly recommend. El Charro got a well-deserved solid 5-star rating on Yelp and Mariscos El Buchon for fresh Mexican seafood was excellent.

We ate way too much and enjoyed every bite! 😄

On Saturday, 4/15, we stayed above ground and visited the Living Desert Zoo and Gardens State Park. It’s a lovely stroll through desert landscaping with animal enclosures. My favorite was the prairie dog town, their antics were just hilarious. They also had a greenhouse with “Succulents of the World”, but I swear it was well over 100° in there! There was even a sign outside saying the temperatures inside could be extreme and use discretion. Not for me, it far exceeded my very narrow comfort zone. Lol.

Gypsum Hills.
Seeing a lot of that in New Mexico!

Roadrunner, Javelina, and Mr. Bear.

The Prairie Dogs were so entertaining.

Randi and Jose.

These may thrive in extreme heat. I'll pass.

In the afternoon Rog and Jose went to the gun show. Luckily nothing followed them home. But after dropping Rog back at the RV, Jose picked Randi up at the hotel and they went back. The magpies ended up with some custom-made knives. Beautiful and functional works of art.

Pretty and practical. What a nice souvenir of their visit.

Randi and Jose left early Sunday morning. We met them for breakfast again at IHOP, then hugged them both and sadly sent them on their way. It was so much fun to see them and do the caverns together. Jose had never been in a cave before and Randi had never seen anything as extensive as Carlsbad Caverns, so it was a special time.

Rog and I weren’t leaving until the next day, so we took the puppers to Carlsbad’s Riverwalk Park. It’s a lovely, paved path along both sides of the Pecos River. The nicest picnic and play areas are not pup-friendly, but we found a fishing access with a little boat ramp at one end where Riley and Raney could get their feet wet.

Riley is in his happy place. Lol.

After one final play session with Tonka early Monday (4/17) morning, we pulled out in hopes of scoring a spot at a boondocking site near Corona, NM. And score we did, but that’s all in the next post. 😊