When I first found out I was pregnant, I already had plans for my due date- August 21- to go see the solar eclipse, but it looked a whole lot like I was going to have to change those plans. For the whole nine months, I kept saying that I hoped baby would arrive a couple of weeks early and we'd get to go see the solar eclipse anyway- which was … [Read more...]
Mesa Verde National Park
We made it out on a short trip last week that included two nights camping in the National Forest and a night at the lodge at Mesa Verde National Park. The first night camping was in the Jemez Mountains near a spot that I went camping at last year and just fell in love with. Unfortunately this year somebody else was already at my favorite little … [Read more...]
Ouachita National Forrest
The Ouachita National Forest is perhaps my favorite place in Oklahoma. I know in my post about Wister Lake State Park, I said the southeast corner of the state was my most favorite. The Ouachita National Forest is in this same area, so I'm not just saying they're all my favorite. Although I do have many other favorites, this area tops the list … [Read more...]
Lake Wister State Park
I have a lot of favorite places in Oklahoma, but I have to admit that the southeast part of the state is my favorite favorite. It's full of rolling hills and tree-covered mountains. It is green in a way that nothing in New Mexico is green. It's the part of the state that I like to go visit when I have a free weekend during business trips. Lake … [Read more...]
Backpacking at White Sands
White Sands National Monument is a really unique place. It features miles and miles of white sand dunes and, well, really nothing else. The fact that there is nothing else there is what makes it so cool. It's a surreal sort of place. Sam and I went backpacking there for a night. White Sands gets a ton of visitors, but there are only 10 … [Read more...]
Manzano Mountains
The Manzano mountains lie about an hour's drive from my house and yet I have visited them only twice very briefly in the years I've lived there. They are kind of the southern extension of the Sandia Mountains that dominate the eastern skyline of Albuquerque. My first visit to the Manzano mountains came because I wanted to visit Manzano Mountain … [Read more...]
Trampas Lakes
This weekend I spent 3 nights in the Pecos Wilderness. The area was absolutely gorgeous. I spent most of my time on the Trampas Lake Trail. It followed a mountain stream and not a smooth, tame sort of stream, but the sort with rocks and logs and some steep descents making the water seem powerful and alive and also providing a great soundtrack. … [Read more...]
Jemez Mountains
I went on a short trip with the van to explore the Jemez mountains a few weeks ago. Some of the areas I found were nice enough that I'm reluctant to share lest more people go and it ruins it for me. Like a lot of trips, this one had some ups and downs. There were times when it was plain hot, the AC in the van didn't seem to be doing much good, … [Read more...]