We were very surprised to find that in order to get to the State Park we’d picked in Santa Fe, we’d have to go through town. Yes, THROUGH town, all 17 meters of us. I remembered Santa Fe as being very small townish but thought that perhaps I’d missed the big part of town. I hadn’t. Jamie about lost each and every one of his cookies driving down 2 way city streets, under trees, and navigating one difficult turn before we started up the mountain to the Santa Fe National Forest. I think he really regretted his decision to start dragging the trailer. I couldn’t believe how UP we went; we later found that Hyde State Park is at 8500 ft (about 2890 meters). The highest I’ve ever been is 6000 meters and this was quite high. We found each and every RV spot (there are 6 of them) occupied, even though we got to the park early enough in the day. The rangers were exceptionally nice; offered us their telephone (as the pay phone was broken) and finally stopped traffic so I could back up the road and manuver into a camping spot.
It was right off the road, but in a very wide pullout with a stream that occupied the children
(away from the road). Although we really prefer to camp in State Parks and BLM land, camping with the trailer is something quite different. I really wouldn’t call it camping. Basically, you’ve dragged your house into the woods. Jamie was frothing at the mouth for a bike ride; he simply had to get to the end of the road (2000 ft up). I couldn’t believe he had the breath to ride; we’d only been above 4000 ft since El Paso, but then again, we were in Ft. Davis (5500 or so ft) for a week. The kids were going crazy playing in the stream, but I really didn’t like being camped next to the road. We were all quickly in sweatshirts and long pants as dusk fell. I headed into town to try to get on the Internet, call friends in Santa Fe and get some groceries. I couldn’t believe the stark contrast in weather between our camp and Santa Fe. It was positively warm in Santa Fe.
I couldn’t believe how lost I got looking for a grocery store. All the housing (that we saw) in Santa Fe was very adobe sytle but they seemed to all be confined to the same three colors. A light tan, a tan and a brown. After the colors of Mexico; the reds, the oranges, the yellows and blues making up blocks of homes, this looked depressing. The homes really blended into the hillsides (perhaps this is the reasoning) but I really missed the color of Mexico. I was shocked to find a Trader Joes and a Wild Oats while looking for ANY type of grocery store. We shopped Trader Joes at least 1-2 times a week when we had a stick house and we LOVE the food they have there.
Walking into TJ’s was a strange experience. I was awash in food memories and recognized all
the familiar stuff we used to buy. It was a bit unsettling at the same time; all the thousands of different sauces, all the hundreds of pastas, all the frozen food; it began to become overwhelming. In Mexico you’d pretty much have a choice of three cheeses. Cow, sheep or goat. Trader Joes had such an array of cheeses my head began to swim and I never even found out if they had organic. Somehow, I made my purchases (making sure to stock up on frozen fruit and rice milk) and tried to make phone calls. I tried four different phones and not one would work. Finally, a store let me use their phone. We have had AWFUL luck with pay phones in the states.
While I was gone the kids and Jamie went for a nature walk with the very nice ranger who managed to scare the crap out of the kids with Bear Talks. They were buzzing the bear facts the rest of the night and today. This morning, we ascertained that there was no way to get a spot in the campground (it was full) for the weekend, but were not disapointed; the entire park is right on the road and just too busy (people and cars) for us. I really wanted a large meadow or valley; camped on a hillside is not for me.
We headed out early (10:30) for what we thought would be an incredibly short day. We were
headed to the BLM lands around Española but had conflicting directions and were unsure whether we’d be able to get there. One book said no RV’s over 20ft and the other said no water. We stopped in Española to call the BLM office and try to get more information. Luckilly, we hit a Casino (Española is surrounded by tribal lands) and were able to pull in and park a while. The BLM office gave us directions, said no length restrictions (usually 17 meters is WAY too long for many public lands) and said there was drinking water on site. Yeah! Drinking water and dump are our only restrictions. Just outside Chirimoya the narrow 2 land road turned to a dirt and rock one land road with road work. The bypass had been constructed without much consideration to large vehicles and I had to back up down a hill of dirt and encourage the drivers behind be to back up in order to miss a hill of dirt on a curve. Must have 
done well as the construction workers gave me signs of appreciation. Once on pavement again, the road continued as a one lane road winding up a mountainside. We drove through backyards and frontyards; I really felt sorry for the people who had homes right on this road; there was no privacy and the road was tiny. Finally, at the crest, we got two lanes, but it was short. We were soon back to a sinuous one lane road and were lucky enough to find a bit of width when a cars approached.
It was well worth the drive; we plunged to a very calm little lake and are camped in a dirt lot. We do have water and we have a picnic table and are quite happy for that.
The kids spent the afternoon fighting with each other, exploring the lake, watching boat after boat towed down the ramp and placed in the water, and throwing rocks in the lake. This lake is VERY busy with fishermen, but they all leave at dusk and we have the entire canyon lands to ourselves (and the coyotes).
Tomorrow to the Farmer’s Market and to see 2 of the 3 friends we have been trying to meet.
