DAY SIX
It’s closing in on night down here in the Chihuahuan Desert, and as the sun goes down behind the mountains to the West, I can feel the corresponding cooling of the air. I wish it were cooler but then I think about what the temperature will be in a couple of months and I decide that this heat isn’t all that bad. Somewhere South of our camp, a dog barks. It’s been barking since we got here and I am thinking that in all probability it will continue to bark during our stay and then again long after we have gone. Some dogs have lives down here in the desert that are not the most glamorous I reckon.
It is certainly different down here, especially for an old mountain bush hog like myself. Up until around ten years ago, I had never really encountered a desert. Now, in this year alone, we will have spent time in all four of the major deserts of North America. Know what else? I think I like the desert. It can be harsh and unforgiving but it can also be timeless and breathtakingly beautiful.
The light on the picnic table burns bright, maybe too bright and not bright enough, if you know what I mean. I am trying to read but it isn’t easy – the light attracts bugs and from there its an easy transition over to chew on us humans. I consider it very rude of them to be attacking us honoured guests like this. I am not pleased but then again, there are no marauding racoons out to wreak havoc and steal dog food. All the same, the insect population of the Rio Grande is not pleasant to deal with.
It wasn’t this way at Alamarosa, at the Giant Pistachio. Here they welcomed us, gave us ice cream, pistachio of course.
It also wasn’t like that up high in the mountains either, in the land of the Mescalero Apache. Here the air is fresh and cool, and as you drive through it reminds you of the East Kootenays so near to your home. It also wasn’t like that at White Sands National Park.
It’s gypsum, and it covers an area of 275 square miles. Big eh? What is even more amazing is that people had the foresight to not go in there with loaders and take it for sand traps and sand boxes or construction projects, like 70 or 80 years ago. Thank you! This place is pretty amazing and you know what? The sand itself stays relatively cool. It was 31C and we were walking around in bare feet and it felt well, you know how it felt, like when you are a kid at the beach and you bury your toes deep down. Yeah, that good, man!
Oh, and if you are so enthused, plastic sleds can be bought at the Visitor Center (don’t forget the wax) and you can slide down the dunes. In case you are wondering, I did not try – like way too busy for that!
DAY 7
“Is there just the two of you in there?” The Border Patrol agent was asking us as we wheeled into the checkpoint on I-25.
“Yes sir” I replied. “Just us and the dog.”
“Alright then, you be careful now.”
Now what the fuck did he mean with that? Yeah, I don’t know either. And so we begin lol, our Day 7 drive up to Albuquerque.
Albuquerque is a big city, far and away the largest in New Mexico, so it was a bit hairy getting Anthony in but we are here, at Hotel Albuquerque! That’s right, we are going posh tonight, no KOA showers for us and even a couple of sit down meals on a patio.
Above you are looking at the Plaza in Old Town Albuquerque. It’s gorgeous! Bodhi and I were chilling in the shade while Max popped in and out of the shops. It was HOT, 32C kind of HOT! The couple you see getting out of the blue car? They are from Maryland, originally from New York, and now live half way between D.C. and Baltimore. While Max shopped, this kind couple and I discussed the state of the Union of America, our socialist Prime Minister, the pros and cons of Charleston, South Carolina versus Savannah, Georgia, the effects of Covid on our younger generation and their unwillingness to work (yeah, I am turning into one of those old curmudgeons lol) and how awesome Bodhi is. After they moved along, numerous others came along to say hi to the Bodester and ask where a good place to eat was. I directed them to the Sawmill Market of course. We were there for lunch where I had a giant burrito with red and green chilies. I enjoyed it immensely but after seeing a side profile of my person in the hotel elevator, well man, there needs to be some gym time when I get home.
Tomorrow it’s off to the Southern Great Plains; we are homeward bound now but far from home. There is however much more to see before crossing the line into King Charles’s realm. We are only just past the halfway point of our journey and the next two days of driving will be long. The country out here is BIG! The West is BIG! And yes, it is incredibly beautiful!
See you in a couple of days!