Angels Peak, NM

I had to pull away, on my last day here at Chaco Cultural National Park. Along with the usual chores I was able to prepare myself for departure. I was directed to the north exit which was “only” 13 miles of dirt road towards route 550. In hindsight, compared to the southern route, it should have been a piece a cake. It really was, except for the slow going on teeth jarring washboard roads, and by the time you hit pavement you can’t help but yell out a cheer of joy for such simple pleasures. Like a real whoo hoo, audible for only you and your dog. I managed to reach the closest gas station, and after $50 for a fill up, I was good to go for the immediate future. I managed to find a pull out off of the freeway to do some much-needed catch up with emails. 


I headed towards Angels Peak using my many apps to find dispersed camping in the Bureau of Land management. As much as I like technology, I wound up on a road that didn’t seem right. And after recalibrating my distance it seems that I was 34 minutes off of my target. The northside of 550, near  Angels Peak is a gas pipeline reserve. But also BLM land, so here I am tonight at one of the gas whatever you call it gated, calibrated, measured, stations. I don’t much care at this point except for the fact that I’m out in the middle of nowhere with one bar of service. I figure if it was camera sensitive surveillance, at some point, the Ranger would be out here to shoo me away. Just me and my little dog who want a quiet place out in what was considered the Bureau of Land management public lands. I have a stunning view of these semi painted cliffs: horizontal and vertical variegated gray cliffs with an immediate, unfortunate small little dumpsite of bottles and debris. You think you can really get away from man’s inhumane dumping, but even here you find it. Nonetheless, I will appreciate the quiet serenity and the beauty beyond this immediate space, and look beyond, as this is actually my mission to seek out. 









Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

At home now… from the great 2023 Alaska Road Trip!

Image
​ Jo Jo and I are home, from the trip of a lifetime! 106 days, 11,539 miles, 675 gallons of gasoline, a ton of fun, beautiful views, and amazing experiences. Other than a brief head cold, no other mishaps, except my souvenir windshield chips. The Sylver Gypsy performed wonderfully. She kept me safe and warm. My last days were drive heavy, but I managed a quick stop at Bryce Canyon National Park. My last night was in the Coconino Forest near Flagstaff, where I also made a brief stop at Sunset Crater. I’ll need a few moments to adjust being back to reality, but it’s nice to be home!
Read more

Bryce Canyon National Park, then almost home

Image
​ A great night in the Utah desert, and a rather chilly morning, surprisingly, but I got up and hurried out of there with the intention of getting to Bryce Canyon National Park. I wondered if I would have enough time and decided it was only 20 minutes one-way, out-of-the-way as I continued on my route home. This would be my third time visiting Bryce and I’m so glad I did. As with any National Park, there are some new changes and the Ranger told me that because I’m over 20 feet I would have to park in the main parking lot and take the shuttle bus in to see the viewpoints. She gave me a tag to hang in my window. My heart sank to the bottom, since I know the shuttle buses will not except pets, and I was not willing to leave Jo Jo. However, upon examining the tag, it indicated vehicles over 23 feet to park and shuttle. My Travato is 21 feet. Hmmmm, I was annoyed. So I ignored the directions and went straight to the parking area at the sunrise amphitheater and not only did I see other campe...
Read more

Montana to Blackfoot, Idaho

Image
​ Well, other than spending the day driving I didn’t do much else. Unless you consider the excitement of filling up my gas tank for $80.00. It’s the first time in a long time when I looked down I saw my gauge in the red and the yellow warning light came on indicating low fuel. I never do these things, but I must’ve been in “the zone” while driving. Either way, I made it to the next gas station and I also have 2 gallons as a spare mounted to my ladder. I wound up staying in the same place that I stopped in May, as I was traveling up north. It’s Rose Pond Park near the town of Blackfoot, Idaho. I even recall exactly where I stayed and it was open and available. However, there was a radio concert going on right around the corner. I wasn’t into listening to the “boom boom.” I found another spot just as a truck came with three ATV, mini bikes and kids who spent the next two hours driving around, mostly in the parking lot. I was actually concerned that they would come by too closely or lose ...
Read more