The High Road Across New Mexico - US64

Where We Were at Wal-Mart in Taos    Bob started the engine as I sat myself down in the passenger seat and fastened my seat belt.  We had gone over the departure checklist together and after paying attention to one last detail, we were ready to leave the Wal-Mart parking lot bordering US68 in Taos, New Mexico.  I had the computer up and running in front of me with Streets and Trips squarely showing our route towards Farmington.  Even our Garmin had been programmed to show us the way.   As Bob stepped on the gas and inched our home to the exit driveway, I asked him, "Do you know which way to turn?"  "I turn right", he answered.  "Yes, turn right", I said.   Well, we were a few blocks down the road on hwy 68 heading West (I just knew Farmington was West), when I noticed on the computer screen that the little red arrow indicating our position was getting farther and farther away from the green line on the computer screen showing our route.  Apparently, we were going the WRONG WAY.  We wanted to go West on US64, but in order to get there, we had to go East a ways on US68.   We were quickly leaving Taos without any opportunity to turn around.  Bob turned left on what appeared to be the last road available before our being on the long road back to Santa Fe.  We found ourselves on SR518 headed for the mountains and the Carson National Forest.  Good luck finding a place to turn around.  After a few @ # $ % ^ &; *, we calmed down and enjoyed the scenery for about 5 miles, when all of a sudden a pass-through side road to the right side presented itself and Bob was able to u-turn maneuver the rig.    We got ourselves going in the right direction and relaxed as soon as we passed through historic Taos on a very narrow road with little clearance from the historic structures.     Downtown Historic Taos   Soon we were committed to the 2 lane desolate US64.  There was no shoulder and in some places the right side boundary white line marker disappeared as the asphalt dropped away.  This could be problematic for an 8' wide vehicle if conditions persisted in the higher altitudes coupled with steep drop-offs.   US64 Towards the High Country of Northern New Mexico   It turned out that the road in the higher elevations was pretty good and we were very comfortable in this beautiful high country with no other vehicles in sight.  With all the bare naked (Nina I wonder if "naked" will work for me?) trees lining the highway, we could only imagine how beautiful it must have been several weeks ago.    Beautiful US64 Showing Some Snow, and Bare Naked Trees, but no Traffic     The higher we climbed, the more snow appeared and the absence of other vehicles was positively noted.   We decided that US64 was a pretty good secret, and we were glad we had chosen this route.   Snow in the Higher Elevations Supported our Decision to Extend Our Stay in Cimarron Canyon   After a few hours, we were ready for a break and welcomed this rest stop at 10,508'.  We assumed we were at Brazos Summit as per this For-Sale sign advertising the sale of Brazos Summit Ranch.    Brazos Summit Ranch for Sale - Rest Stop at the Summit   We had a beautiful view as we enjoyed an early lunch at one of the cabana covered picnic tables complete with hanging icicles.  (What a silly square-head hat!)       It was all downhill from Brazos Summit.  Eventually we found Navajo Lake State Park at the end of NM511 - a very long 15 miles on a non-maintained state road about 50 miles east of Farmington.  Narrow, bumpy, and full of deep potholes, it jolted us into a few more @ # $ % ^ & * as we tried somewhat unsuccessfully to retain our composure.    All is well that ends well as we found a desirable campsite with electric and water and a view of the gorgeous lake down below.       As of this writing on Sunday, we have yet to explore the area.  Navajo Lake is the 2nd largest lake in New Mexico, has 2 marinas, and a number of campgrounds.  Several of the campgrounds are closed for the winter, but Pine Campground (where we are) near the Pine Marina is open all year.  It has campsites with electricity and water for $14 and those without utilities are $10.    On this cool and cloudy Sunday we are truly enjoying Being Where We Are.  Football and NASCAR have dominated the day.  Life is good.

Being Where We Are at Cimarron Canyon State Park

 For several months I've been exploring the map of New Mexico to see where we might like to go after the Balloon Fiesta.  I had focused on the Eagle Nest/Cimarron area of North Central New Mexico on Highway 64 in the Cimarron Mountain Range of the Southern Rockies.

 

The reason this area got my attention was the $225 per year camping permit that the New Mexico State Parks offers to non-residents.  Two of those state parks are in this area.  I thought we would bounce from one park to another and get our money's worth at the same time taking in whatever fall colors remained on the cottonwoods.

 

I was also hoping to have a snow fix. 

 

Although we didn't buy the yearly camping pass, we got here in time to enjoy some fall colors.  And then after a few days, I got my snow fix.

 

Life is good. And we are enjoying Being Where We Are





Highway 64 on the way to Cimarron Canyon



Settled into Campsite No. 16
We soon learned this is the Camphost Site

 



The Cimarron River Runs Through the Campground

 

 

A Few Empty Campsites at Cimarron Canyon SP

 



Another Look at the Lonely Campground



And Then the Snow Came



It Appears No One Else Wants to Camp in the Snow



The Sometimes Wild Cimarron River After the Snowfall

 

The Snow was Nice While it Lasted


 



Still Alone in the Campground...Alone and Cold

 


Sunny and 43° Made Shoveling Snow a Breeze

 

Nine Days of Balloon Fiesta



Where We Were at Balloon Fiesta  Sept. 30 - Oct. 14, 2013



Welcome to Balloon Fiesta

The party is over, but the memories will last a lifetime. The 42nd Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta had to be the best one out of the 5 years we've experienced. We were fortunate to be able to attend the whole nine-day event and to have been there in our motorhome.

The Fiesta Park offers overnight RV parking in several different areas on the property with different levels of amenities.

The RV sites range in price from $30 a night for dry camping located about a mile away from the launch field to $150 a night with limited utilities, but located on a bluff overlooking the Launch Field. Details of the RV accommodations offered can be found under the Guest Info/RV Information tabs at the Balloon Fiesta Website..




Lucky to be Parked on the "Box" (3rd RV from the left)

Bob and I enjoyed an extended stay at the $30 a night dry camping sites. We arrived on Monday before the start of the event and stayed until the day after. 14 days in total. Our early arrival guaranteed us a site on the "box", as the place was virtually empty and we pretty much had our choice of spots. I say pretty much had our choice of spots - at least of those that groups had not been assigned. The mile distance from the launch field was of no consequence, as the park provided shuttle busses that began running every morning at 4:30am. The bonus to be parked on the "box" was that if the wind patterns brought the balloons to the south, they would fly over the RVs and very often would land in the dirt field known as the "box".

A Southerly Wind Allowed Many Balloons
to Land in the Field in Front of the RVs

We enjoyed several mornings at the motorhome watching the balloons fly low overhead and watched many landings in front of us. 





A Gondola is Dragged Along
as the Passengers Hang on for Dear Life

Some landings were a little rougher than others as crew members or bystanders were dragged by the gondola as they tried to stop it and keep it from bouncing along on the ground.



The Passengers and Pilot of this Balloon were
Very Happy to Have Extra Braking Power

Balloonists come from all over the world to participate in one of the most, if not the most, photographed events in history. Kodak was a major sponsor as recent as 2001 when we came to our first Fiesta. I remember vendors walking around the field selling film and disposable cameras. All that went out the window with the advent of the digital camera, including the camera phones. Now virtually EVERYONE has a camera of some type or another, and virtually EVERYONE was taking pictures...many with brand new NIKON or CANON SLRs with no idea that they may have stepped in front of another photo enthusiast and many with their cell phones outstretched high up in front of them with a keen eye gazing at the LCD screen. I peeked over a shoulder or two and was surprised to see very nice images on the screen.


An Enthusiastic Owner of a Spiffy New DSLR
and Airabelle from Canada

Over 500 balloons were registered to participate in the event this year. At one time in years past over 800 - 1000 balloons participated, but the limit has now been set to 750. It was an amazing sight to see even 500 balloons in the sky all at once. It was also an amazing experience to photograph as many as I could. During Opening Day's Mass Ascension, I found myself in the middle of the crowd, turning in a circle, not knowing what to "shoot" next. Plus, there were so many people, I couldn't readily get from one place to another.


The Enormous Crowd Watched the Balloons
Fly Away from the Field on Opening Day

Every day of the event had a Mass Ascension of one type or another scheduled to take off at 7am. The Mass Ascension is just what it sounds like - a mass of balloons ascending nearly at the same time. They would typically start the program at 7 and would usually be finished by 9. There had to be somewhat staggered starts which are monitored and managed by the "Zebras" - the balloon traffic cops that give the "go" signal to the pilots. Under that "controlled chaos", many balloons lift off the ground in unison.

A Group of "Zebras"
Pose in Front of the Zebra Balloon

The Special Shaped balloons had 2 days devoted to them where they were the main attractions of the Mass Ascension. Their first scheduled day had high winds aloft and therefore the ascension was scratched and the event that morning turned into a static display. No balloons flew that morning (Thursday), but all those special shaped balloons were inflated and their staying in one place created many photo ops. On that particular day, Bob and I chose to view the field from a high vantage point just outside the entrance gate.

We had an Amazing View of the Static Display

Soon we decided to go down to the field and walk amongst the crowd and get up close to these amazing creations.

Friday and Saturday mornings turned out to be two of the best fly days of the event.  To get another good look at the balloons, we returned to that high vantage point that had given us such a good view of the static display of the Special Shape balloons on Thursday.  From this point we had the most amazing view of the "Albuquerque Box" in full force. The "Albuquerque Box" is a weather phenomenon that occurs due to the location of the Balloon Fiesta Park. When the effect is in force, the lower level wind currents flow south and the higher wind currents flow north. These perfect conditions occurred these two mornings.  It was thrilling to watch some balloons fly south at a low altitude while others overlapped them going north at a higher altitude as they traveled north back over the field. For more detail of the "Albuquerque Box" check out the discussion at: http://www.theweatherprediction.com/weatherpapers/107/index.HTML.

Balloons were Coming and Going Over the Balloon Museum

On Friday of Balloon Fiesta week, the ABQ box was in full effect allowing the Special Shapes to show their stuff.

A long time tradition at Balloon Fiesta is to eat as many Breakfast Burritos, Cinnamon Rolls, and Turkey Legs as one can manage.  Bob and I had our share of all three.  The carnival-like Mid-Way offered many opportunities to indulge in all three plus more.

  

The Mid-Way after the Morning Mass Ascension -
The Mass of People was Gone



Bob Enjoying a Turkey Leg for Brunch

As if being in the middle of all the balloon activity wasn't enough, I am very happy to have met 3 gal pals with whom Bob and I are planning a trip together in the early Spring.  We couldn't have had better neighbors.  Sandy and Nadine traveled from Oregon in their respective Class B accommodations.  Nadine's sister, Laurie, from Huntington Beach came along with Nadine.   We were lucky the RV park personnel parked them next to us.  Sandy, Nadine, and Laurie:  We really enjoyed your company.

  



Sandy, Laurie, Me, Bob, and Nadine



I really must end this with a few of my FAVORITE photos of the Fiesta.

And Finally....

We had a wonderful time and can't wait to come back again.

We truly enjoyed Being Where We "Were."