River Season

Multiple piles of important stuff are starting to gather around the house,

and some of it is already finding its way into dry bags.

We had several conversations about boat selection this year. For the past thirteen trips, BJ has always paddled her own boat. While she's feeling better, and doesn't want to pass up a river trip, she's decided to share a tandem with me this year, just in case.

The Souris River Quetico 16 tandem found its way off the rack and past a wet sponge and towel. It's been a while since this one has been on the water! The last time it was used was on a Friends of Helen trip in January 2016.

I even added a few extra light weight D rings to the canoe.

For years, Squeak traveled with us on river trips. In late July, 2015, I turned her loose to travel as a geocaching travel bug. Unfortunately, she disappeared a few months later. This year, she's been replaced by Cruiser who will ride the bow on our upcoming Labyrinth Canyon trip.

Time to get back to packing!

Rim Country

The other reason to overnight at Datil Wells was to time my approach to Pie Town when at least one of the cafes in town was open. Last time, I was too early and I wasn't going to make that mistake again!

What I didn't realize until I was sitting at breakfast was that Pie Town is a well known stop on the Continental Divide Trail even though it is several miles away from where the trail crosses the highway.

Speaking of breakfast - my choice was New Mexico Apple pie, and of course, a serving of dairy to make a well rounded breakfast. The Gathering Place was the only cafe that was open on a weekday morning, but turned out to be an excellent choice. They have their business to a science - you don't buy by the slice, you buy a small whole pie

Which leaves plenty for breakfast again the next day! Actually, the size would have been just right to split three ways but sometimes you have to make a sacrifice and eat it all alone.

As I headed west towards the Arizona border, it was clear that we were headed into Arizona's monsoon weather.

Camp, for several days, was a spot off of the Young Road, south of Willow Springs lake. I was the first to arrive for the tenth annual Team Evil Fish camp out. Got a spot where I could get some sun on the solar panel but didn't get many pictures around camp since it was in the middle of the weather factory - grey and wet most of the time.

I did find that in general, there were a few hours in the mornings where I could get out before the weather went south. Did some hiking on the Highline trail,

enjoying some of the views,

and logging some caches that hadn't been visited for more than a year.

Other days, I drove in to Payson to visit a few special challenge caches. Nearly all of them were positioned at the top of hills which lead to some beautiful views.

Most of the caches were in good shape, but that wasn't always the case! This one was spread out over a small area with the lid off and the base full of water. It suffered from exposure to the Arizona sun and was falling apart.

It was worth drying out the logbook enough to stamp it. It hadn't been visited for over two years! I dried out the container and tried to arrange it with better protection.

Meanwhile, other folks had set up camp and a few more came to visit on Friday.

It took some special assistance to get the fire going but eventually we enjoyed a nice fire for a few hours.

Saturday started off with rain that finally broke for a bit. I decided to take the opportunity and make a run for it, heading for the barn. Turns out the rest of the group enjoyed a nice afternoon while I unloaded the trailer and started the wash.

Won't be long and we'll be on the road for another short trip.

The Things You'll Find

I headed south out of Tucumcari early enough that I got to enjoy the sunrise trying to break through the clouds.

When I got to Clovis, I hung a right on Highway 60 and headed towards home. Clearly, there were some expectations that didn't pan out. A nice intersection sporting aging, cracked asphalt and a stop sign that ends at a fence immediately behind me and nothing but prairie beyond that. It's a nice stop sign!

New Mexico does a great job of putting in "Official Scenic Historic Markers" although sometimes with little notice that they're coming up. This area had been overtaken as a storage area for asphalt millings while they were resurfacing the road but the sign told an amazing story. You can click on any picture for a larger version.

Fort Sumner was another crossroads with history and not much else. In this case, it appeared the town was staying alive thanks to the Billy the Kid Museum.

More often, it was occasional old ranch buildings that were falling down.

The Yeso Post Office has seen better days but the building looked like it might still be salvageable if you had a reason to live in Yeso. Like almost everyone else, I just kept rolling through town.

Duran was once a railroad town but the railroad left and later the town was impacted when I-25 was built. There are a number of interesting abandoned stone buildings and about 35 remaining residents in town.

Corona is about 100 miles NW from Roswell but apparently close enough to be visited by aliens. As near as I could tell, this one was a legal alien.

Another scenic historic maker, this one commemorating the Trinity Site - the location of the first atomic bomb test. The actual site is well to the southeast of the sign.

Home for the night was BLM's Datil Well Campground in Datil, NM. This a first come, first served campground at about 7500' elevation. No hookups, but absolutely spotless bathrooms, and a miniature visitor's center with wifi. I don't think any of the sites are level, but I was able to get close enough with a couple lego blocks that I didn't have to unhook.

The weather was delightful. The campground is not far from the continental divide. I was pleasantly surprised to see wildflowers thanks to the elevation and recent rains.