CIMARRON DAY 2

Friday, June 18, 2010 Was able to fish for a little while this afternoon. There is a 1.5 mile stretch that is designated Special Trout Water that is inhabited by wild brown trout. I was enjoying this small stream that meanders through valley and canyon until the experience was ruined by five kids coming downstream. They were swimming, chasing fish, messing with the habitat, kicking up mud, etc. Not only did they ruin the fishing upstream, but because of their actions, the water was muddied all the way downstream. I did manage one fish and several missed strikes on dry flies before this happened. So much for the “Special” designation. Oh well, we will have many more opportunities as we scoot along.

CIMARRON STATE PARK

From Folsom, we traveled through the town of Cimarron to our “home” for the next several days, Cimarron Canyon State Park. After lunch at the Cree-Mee Drive-In, and taking care of some logistics, we arrived at the Maverick Campground in the park. There is so much busy work associated with camping, that frequent R&R breaks are necessary. Most of the effort is spent in trying to locate all the stuff we need among the tons of gear we have stashed in every square inch. We are enjoying the relaxed pace and our bedroom in the back of the truck – we are in sleeping bags on top of a great mattress, and is so cozy we look forward to early bedtime to read and then sleeping in until 8am! We are getting used to the two-lane highway that runs near our campsite – in fact, we were just settling in on the first night when a Wal-Mart semi went buzzing by – we’re never too far from home.

FOLSOM, NM

June 17, 2010 You don't get to Folsom unless you make a point to get off the beaten path. My grandmother lived in Folsom for some time when I was growing up. My parents and I lived there for awhile when I was a year old and my brother Ronnie was born nearby in Raton, NM. Thus, our reason to venture to this tiny town stuck in the middle of nowhere. Sadly, the town seems to be dying a slow death, as are many others out here, as there are virtually no opportunities to make a living outside of ranching. However, there are some kind souls that are keeping a small museum alive here. It is crammed with artifacts, both natural and man-made, along with written history and old photographs that have been donated by former residents. What are particularly interesting to us are the many photos and written accounts of several generations of ancestors on my father’s side of the family. They have even published a large “annual” that is packed with the history, which we can’t wait to more thoroughly peruse when we return home. We did learn that my ancestors were on their way to California in a wagon train of 35 wagons, and decided to settle in area. Notice the swallows nests over the entrance. From the museum, we made the short trip out to Folsom Falls, which we had swum in on our childhood visits. Formed from underground springs running through and over the lava rock, this was a state picnic area for some time until discontinued due to vandalism and too many drunks. We did not see anyone else in the time we were there.

Capulin Volcano National Monument

June 17, 2010: Departed Clayton today headed initially to Capulin Volcano National Monument just a few miles down the road and near Folsom, New Mexico. I had visited this park when I was a young kid on the way to Folsom to visit my grandmother. In fact, the story goes that my mother left a camera there and was not able to recover it. They tout this as one of the best examples of a cone volcano. Charlcie and I hiked the one-mile Rim Trail. This was our first exercise in high altitude and so we went at a slow pace, and dealt with very strong winds (which are prevalent everywhere we’ve been so far).