The Catwalk, City of Rocks, Slot Canyon, and a Nope Rope

Hello New Mexico!

We have a love/hate relationship with New Mexico. We love the awesome scenery, the fantastic parks, the vast array of outdoor activities. And we hate the wind. It seems like whenever we’re here it is blowing crazy sideways. Every. Single. Time. I know springtime in the desert and wind are synonymous, but we also visited in the Fall and it was same same. Could you calm down just a little?  Please.

We arrived on Saturday, 4/4, (Happy Birthday, Mike!) at Bighorn Campground just outside Glenwood, NM. Bighorn is a tiny (only six sites!) NFS campground that is first come/first served. Since we were arriving on a Saturday, Plan B was the private RV park next door. No need, only two of the spots were occupied and we could easily fit into several that were open. The sites were large and spread out, so we tucked into site #1 which was off to itself. The campground has no amenities other than a vault toilet, but it’s free with a 14 day stay limit. I was shocked that it never filled up. And, it’s just across the road from the turnoff to the very popular Catwalk Recreation Area. Score.

 

Bighorn Campground is a hidden gem! 

After setting up camp, we drove through Glenwood to check out the town. Rog was interested in a local shop, Udder Delight, that sold handcrafted goatmilk products – soap, lotions, etc. He’s a goat soap fan and they delivered. They also have a “soap museum”, several cases featuring vintage soap products that was super fun. We now have enough goatmilk soap to keep us smelling good for the rest of the trip. Lol.  

Udder Delight!

On the Catwalk. The next day we headed to the Catwalk. I was really looking forward to this, and it is not to be missed! The Catwalk National Recreation Trail is a hanging walkway that winds up the narrow, spectacular Whitewater Canyon. The 2-mile roundtrip trail follows the path of an 1890's water pipeline that supplied water to an ore processing plant in the former town of Graham. The Catwalk refers to the original plank-board walkway placed on top of the steel water pipe, which was suspended above the canyon floor to avoid washouts. You can still see the foundation of the mill, which processed gold and silver ore from the nearby Mogollon mines. The Catwalk Trail was improved by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930's and again by the Forest Service in later years. 

The Catwalk is affixed to the canyon wall.

There are two options for the trail, one is paved and the other is a more rocky strenuous hike – both connect to the metal catwalk. Of course we chose the more difficult (and less traveled) path. Lol. The canyon is truly stunning with areas of huge lavender pink boulders. 

The trail to the Catwalk was lovely!

 

A glorious day for a hike.

The weather was beautiful and we crisscrossed over Whitewater Creek a few times. The catwalk has been rebuilt, no sketchy wooden planks, it’s all sturdy metal girders securely attached to the sides of the canyon. It’s a super fun and absolutely gorgeous hike. We went to the end of the developed trail, you can hike further into the Gila Mountain Wilderness area, but we opted to turn around and head back.

The catwalk curves along the canyon wall above the creek.

Turtle stepping stones and more catwalk.

So much better than any fashion show catwalk!

We took the “easy” path on the return and ended up on the wrong side of the creek at the picnic area. We managed a final scramble across the creek on rocks and logs. Ta da! No wet feet. 😊   (Note: the trail is dog friendly, but we left the pups napping in the RV.)

 

The end of the trail.

Gorgeous views coming and going.

This section of the trail was paved.

Careful... careful... Ta Da! I made it!

City of Rocks State Park. Our next destination in New Mexico has been on my wish list for quite a while. We arrived at City of Rocks State Park on Monday, 4/6. I think I have a new favorite campground! It’s at least going into the top ten. The name refers to the “city” made of volcanic formations featuring large, sculptured rock columns, pinnacles and boulders, rising up to 40 feet and separated by paths or lanes resembling streets. It’s like a giant playground!

There are 10 water/electric sites near the entrance, but trust me, you’ll want to pick one of the dry camping areas tucked into the rocks. We were in site #16 and it was amazing. The picnic table and firepit were tucked in an alcove surrounded by huge columns and boulders. The wind was howling when we arrived (surprise!), so Rog oriented the coach to act as a wind block for the patio side. 

What an amazing campsite!!

The views were fabulous everywhere you looked. We also had our first snaky encounter while setting up. Rog walked around the side of the coach to set up the Starlink and came to an abrupt halt. There was a 3-foot-long snake right next to the rig (just where I’d been kneeling to check the jacks earlier!). I didn’t have time to get a pic, but we’re pretty sure it was a Desert Kingsnake. They are non-venomous snakes that grow up to four feet long. This guy was about three feet, which is plenty big enough if you ask me. They are constrictors and eat mainly rodents, lizards, and other snakes. Kingsnakes are immune to rattlesnake venom and will hunt and kill them, so they are good neighbors to have around.

View from our campsite.

 

Bonus Points. Our campsite was right next to the Hydra Trail.

We had some light rain on our arrival day. On Tuesday, the weather was cool and (you guessed it) windy, with huge thunderclouds threatening on the horizon. We weren’t sure if we were going to get drenched, but decided to chance it and rode our bikes five miles on the Hydra Trail around the park.

That does not look promising. Stay or go? GO!

Some parts of the trail were pretty sketchy for my limited mountain biking skills, but I made it without crashing (although there were a few close calls, Lol.). It’s humbling to watch Rog effortlessly weave back and forth, negotiating the loose rock washes with ease. While I’m white knuckling it, thinking oh shit, oh shit, oh shit. It’s not fair that he makes it look so easy!  The weather gods smiled and the storms passed by without dumping on us, although they did get the last laugh. As soon as we’d gotten the bikes loaded back on the rig, the sun came out. How’s that for timing?

 

He makes it look so easy!

This vulture was waiting patiently for me by the trail.
He obviously knew an easy meal when he saw one. Lol.

The Hydra Tail also went through the park's Botanical Garden.

We made it back without getting drenched. Yay!

Later in the afternoon, I took Raney for walkies. At City of Rocks you can go on an adventure hike without leaving the campground! We had great fun scrambling through the formations and girlfriend was a trooper. We had a few hours of sunshine and then the thunderclouds came back with lightning later in the evening. But the storm passed us by again, so no rain in the City.

Pretty Raney is a good trail dog too.

Raney and I had fun exploring the campground. 

After a brief respite, the thunderclouds came back.
This time with a light show.

Leasburg Dam State Park. On Wednesday, 4/8, we left for Leasburg Dam State Park in Radium Springs, NM. We stopped on the way to give baby a bath, a half hour and $15 in quarters later, she was squeaky clean. Unfortunately, when it comes to campgrounds you can’t hit a homerun every time. We’d gotten a notification that the comfort station and dump station would be closed for renovation at Leasburg Dam. No worries. Then just a day before our arrival, Rog saw on the website that they’d also closed the day use area and access to the Rio Grande. Ugh. And when we arrived, the road into the park was completely torn up and the detour was a dusty dirt road. So much for baby being squeaky clean. Sigh.

Baby gets a bath!

The campground itself is very nicely laid out with spacious sites and nice views. We had three days booked here in hopes of getting some kayaking in, but with the Rio Grande nearly dry and no access from the campground that was a bust. We still found plenty to do however. The rules of the road are go with the flow and consider it part of the adventure.

Raney’s Day Out. On Thursday, we loaded Raney into the pupwagon and headed to Las Cruces. We ran some errands and then took Raney to the Spotted Dog Brewery for lunch. She was a good girl, although the staff do not need to worry about sweeping. Miss Hoover took care of any stray French fries. Lol.  Do not feel bad for Riley, he would have been miserable in the heat and the pic shows how he spent his afternoon enjoying the A/C. Silly boy.

Raney at the Spotted Dog Brewery.

Awwwww, Riley.
My old man loves his couch and A/C. Lol.

We also upped the game on my new vice! We looked for paletas for dessert and found a place called the Paletas Bar. You choose your paletas (tons of flavors), then pick your dip (white, milk or dark chocolate), then your topping (nuts, candies, all kinds of goodies) and then add fresh fruit if you want. Oh boy! Talk about amazing. I chose a Reese’s Peanut Butter paletas, dipped in dark chocolate with chopped peanuts. Rog opted for a coconut paletas, dipped in dark chocolate with almonds. Can you say Almond Joy? Both were decadent and delicious. Next time maybe I’ll try a more traditional Mexican flavor, but it’s really hard for me to pass on peanut butter and chocolate. Lol.

Talk about raising the bar! 
This is a must do if you get the chance.

I ended back up in Las Cruses on Friday to do several weeks’ worth of laundry and then spent the rest of the day cleaning. Rog did some maintenance on the RV and worked on his bike. In the evening, the wind kicked up a dust storm and visibility dropped dramatically. No mountain views or starry skies tonight.

Have I mentioned the winds? Lol. 

Slot Canyon Heaven. We were scheduled to leave Leasburg on Saturday, 4/11, but decided we had time for one more adventure before we left. There was a slot canyon just a few miles from the state park and I LOVE slot canyons! Look for an unmarked green farm gate along Hwy 185 just a few miles past the state park. Crawl over (or under) the fence and follow the dry wash to the canyon. There are lots of social trails, but the way is pretty well marked. (Many thanks for the stone arrows!). 

Even I can follow this trail. Lol. 

The slot canyon is probably about a half mile long and the walls are a conglomerate rock that really looks like it should be soft and crumbly, but is hard as cement. As you walk deeper into the canyon, the walls get steeper, taller, and closer together. The twisting path was carved over eons by rushing waters. Evidence of more recent flooding indicates that mother nature still considers this a work in progress.  

The deeper into the canyon you go, the taller and narrower it gets.

Love the twisties.

A little bit of scrambling is fun too.

Around one last curve and then we come out of the canyon.

When you exit the canyon, you can hike to the top of the mesa for a 2.5 mile loop trail. We opted to go back through the slot canyon. That’s the thing about narrow, twisty, curving slot canyons – the view changes every few feet and looks totally different coming and going. Something about slot canyons just brings out the kid in me, so apologies for the photo dump. But isn’t it cool?

Climb to the top of the mesa or back through the slot? 
You know what I picked!

One of my happy places. :) 

Don't forget to look up!

Back through the canyon we go.

Last one, I promise!
Do you see tiny Rog in the canyon?

After our hike we got the rig ready and headed out for our next stop. As we exited the park, one of locals came out to say good-bye. I’m just glad we saw him from the comfort and safety of the RV. Made me wonder just what I missed while walking the pups in the scrub in the middle of the night. Yikes! 

Danger Noodle. Nope Rope. Spicy Worm.
Whatever you call him, I'll pass.

Coming up next – a Harvest Host stop with an unexpected treat, bull riding!

Goldilocks, Brother Bob, and Boondocking on the Rez

Campfire time at Shush Bezashe on Little Bear Lake.

Sometimes I feel a little like Goldilocks. Too hot, too cold, hunting for just right. Lol. We pulled into the Kofa Mountain RV Park in Quartzite, AZ on Thursday, 3/26, for a one night stay. The RV park wasn’t anything special, essentially a large gravel parking lot, but it did have full hook ups. Since we hit 101° today, the pups agreed that was essential. I also got my wish and we had pizza and a Big Blue Van (a fantastically tasty blueberry wheat beer) at Silly Al’s.

Cheers! Thanks to Bob and Carole for introducing us to Silly Al's.

Let me digress for a moment to tell you about a new vice that we’ve acquired. Paletas! Huh? You know how Rog and I love to find local gourmet ice-cream shops. We did our usual Yelp search when we were in Merced, all that came up was a Mexican ice cream chain called La Michoacana. Let’s give it a try. The hand scooped ice cream was delicious, but what really intrigued me were the variety of paletas (Spanish for popsicles). There must have been a hundred flavors! We decided to take some home, and the rest, as they say, is history. Paletas come in two main varieties: Paletas de agua (water-based): Made with fresh fruit, juice, or agua fresca. These are light, refreshing, and dairy-free. And Paletas de leche (milk-based): These are creamy and include milk or condensed milk for a rich, velvety texture. (My favorites!) The range of flavors was mind boggling. We tried some of each and yes, we’ve searched out other Mexican ice cream shops and found that paletas are a common staple. Unlike regular commercial popsicles with artificial flavors and preservatives, paletas are handcrafted using fresh, natural ingredients like real fruit, milk, and come in traditional Mexican flavors. So yummmmy!

Paletas, a tasty new vice.
Note, that is just one of a half dozen freezer cases. Crazy number of flavors!

I’d noticed Roger’s former paramedic partner from the Tacoma Fire Department, Bob Wells, was also camping in Arizona. Rog gave him a shout out, and Brother Bob decided to leave a prime boondocking spot near Sedona, AZ to rendezvous with us near Prescott, AZ.

We left Quartzite early Friday morning and parked the rig at the White Rock Trailhead on Thumb Butte Road near Prescott and unhitched the Pupwagon to scout. Rog had checked out the Prescott National Forest dispersed camping map, so we knew there were 22 camping sites along Thumb Butte Road. What we didn’t know is what would be available and what would be suitable for our rig. We’ve learned from experience not to make assumptions when we’re taking the Short Bus offroad. Lol. I’m glad we scouted, Thumb Butte Road turned into a very poorly maintained dirt road, we’re talking high clearance 4WD in some sections. We’d gone less than two miles up the road when we hit a washout that we decided was not happy making in the big rig. Luckily, we had passed a site large enough to accommodate both our rig and Brother Bob’s truck camper, which he’s dubbed the White Buffalo. We turned around and claimed it. Score!

 

Three days of boondocking bliss coming up

We got set up and Bob arrived shortly thereafter. I truly wish I could have you all join us for story time. When Rog and Bob get together, the tales they tell would have you in stitches. Trust me, I ended up laughing so hard that I think I can skip the ab workout. Lol. We shared some amazing meals together and great times around the campfire too.

Steak dinner and story time.  A great time together.

 

And the tales continue. Lol. 

The area is rife with hiking and biking trails. On Saturday we rode our ebikes up the dirt road to Sunset Lookout for fantastic views of the Bradshaw Mountains and Prescott National Forest. We did about 14 miles, that’s 7 straight up and 7 straight back down. Lol.  The weather was perfect! Sunny and in the low 80’s during the day and cooling down in the evenings. Goldilocks finally got it just right.

View from Sunset Overlook.

Rog checking out some side trails, I stuck to the road. 

Seven miles up, seven miles down. Lol.

We decided to extend our stay for an extra day. Bob and Rog took the ebikes out again on Sunday. Rog rode about 13 miles including several on single-track mountain bike trails. I opted to take Raney for a two-mile hike through the pine forest. With hardly a soul on the trail, girlfriend got some off leash sniff time and loved it. She is turning into quite the camp dog; she loves sitting out with us by the campfire and is eager to explore. Riley has slowed down considerably and shows a strong preference for his comfy couch in the RV. He still loves playtime and the water, but the play sessions and walkies are getting shorter now.

Scenes from Rog's single track ride.

Raney is becoming quite the trail dog.

On Monday, we pulled up stakes with Brother Bob and headed for another boondocking spot outside Flagstaff, AZ on National Forest Service Road 171. I wasn’t sure what to expect, so again we unhitched the pupwagon to scout. Wow. The NFS road was well maintained, went on for miles and miles, and there were tons of great boondocking spots. We found a large site in an open area next to the pine forest and set up for two delightful days. Bob rebuilt (and enlarged) the firepit and we enjoyed some great campfires in the evenings. And no, they haven’t run out of stories yet. 😊

Gotta love free camping on public lands.

 

Brother Bob was our official "fireman". Excellent job!

On Tuesday, we visited Walnut Canyon National Monument. The park preserves the ruins of cliff dwellings left by the Sinagua (Spanish for No Water) people who lived here from 1100 to 1250AD. Walnut Canyon only had seasonal water flow, and the early tribes were accomplished dry land farmers and made pottery vessels for water storage. We walked the two short trails that leave from the Visitor’s Center and chatted with Robin, a Volunteer Park Ranger. Robin was a wealth of information and showed us the “Seek” app which she said was great for identifying plants and animals even without an internet connection. We’ll be downloading that asap. Then we drove into Flagstaff to grocery up and had lunch at Dark Sky Brewery - good food, good brews, and a fun atmosphere.

 

Walnut Canyon National Monument.

The Sinagua took advantage of natural alcoves to build their homes.

The NPS has reconstructed parts of the ruins.

A close-up view of ruins across the canyon.

A new National Monument and then lunch at Dark Sky Brewery.
An excellent day.

Tuesday evening our weather luck ran out, and the forecast was for possible snow overnight. (I wish that was an April Fools joke!) From triple digits to snow, I think we may have overcompensated. Goldilocks says, “This porridge is too cold.” The snow never materialized but it rained all Tuesday night. Rain can be an issue when you’re parked in a field and weigh over 28,000 lbs. Red dirt + rain = red mud. Ugh. We made it out without a problem, but I think we added a hundred pounds of sticky red mud to the undercarriage of the RV and car.  Before we left the locals came by to say, Hi. A herd of about a dozen Pronghorns. Two of the males were doing a lot of posturing and head butting which was very entertaining. What a fun surprise!

Pronghorn visitors.  

We sadly parted ways with Brother Bob. He headed back to Sedona, while our next stop was supposed to be a dispersed camping area on the White Mountain Apache Indian Reservation. Unfortunately, the winds were howling with gusts up to 40mph so we pulled into Homolovi State Park near Winslow, AZ for the night on Wednesday, 4/1. It’s a nice park with pueblo ruins and hiking trails, but it was so windy we just hunkered down and watched a movie and ate ice cream. Yeah, I know. Roughing it. Lol. We did get to see the resident herd of wild burros, but they didn’t come too close to the campground. 

 

Resident wild burros.

We finally made it to the White Mountain Apache Reservation on Thursday, 4/2. You need a permit from the tribe for camping ($15 a night) and fishing ($10 a day). Online purchases on their website were down. Stike one. I called and was told permits could be purchased at the Sportsman’s Warehouse. When I called the store to confirm, I found out the machines had been taken out the day before. Strike two. No worries, permits are available at the convenience store at the Hon-Dah casino gas station or the Hon-Dah Outdoor Sports store. We stopped at the gas station and were told they were out of paper so couldn’t print the forms. Strike three. We had to backtrack to the Outdoor Sports store where we were finally able to purchase the permits. Geesh. 

Gotta say, it was well worth the hassle. We did our "park the rig and scout" routine.  There are 1000 campsites and multiple lakes, but we were interested in Big Bear and Little Bear Lakes, each with dispersed camping. We scouted the Shush Bezashe camping area on Little Bear Lake and decided we didn’t need to look any further. We had nearly the entire lake to ourselves. We parked in a prime spot near the boat ramp with easy lake access. Absolutely gorgeous! We enjoyed a lovely sunset and let the pups explore off lead, there was literally no one else around.

We made it and it was soooo worth it!

 

Our campsite is right next to the lake, Raney and Riley approved. Lol.

The golden hour.

Then pinks and purples, and...

...finally the fiery orange sunset. Just wow. 

On Friday, we took the pups on a hike along the lake. We were trying to go all the way around, but the trail petered out and Riley is not a fan of rock climbing. Lol. He could have done it in his younger years, but we try not to let him overdo it. The pups had a great time dipping in and out of the water and exploring. Rog spent some time fishing, but had no luck. Riley napped in the afternoon while Raney went along for a ride in the pupwagon to check out Big Bear Lake. The camping area there is further away from the water, but there were tons of really nice spots. It was also totally deserted. A few cars were coming in as we left, I imagine it’s hopping in the summer, but for now it is so quiet and peaceful. I really do love boondocking. I’m thinking maybe next year we do a whole trip that is all, or at least mostly, boondocking. Anyone game?

Morning mist on the lake and a heron taking flight.

When the sun is out, it is perfect.
View from the opposite end of the lake and our water dogs.

No pesky fish biting to disturb the peace and quiet. Lol.

Here’s a quick update on our electrical issues. So far, we haven’t had any recurring issues with the A/C. We haven’t had to run it since Quartzite, in fact the furnace has been getting a workout with the temps dropping to freezing and below at night. Careful what you wish for. Lol. The flickering in the overhead LEDs has continued, but we did figure out that it only happens when the fluorescent fixture above the sink is on. Hmmmm. Rog is hypothesizing that the ballast in the fixture may be going out and causing the voltage to fluctuate in that circuit. No other lights are acting weird and that seems to be the only condition when it happens. I’ve ordered replacement LED bulbs for the over the sink light and Rog will remove the ballast when he installs them. Fingers crossed that will be the end of the ghost in the machine!

It's a bit nippy in the morning.
Frost on the chairs and ice on the puddles. Brrrr.

Next stop, we tackle The Catwalk near Glenwood, NM. What is that?? You’ll have to wait and see. Should be fun!