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).

Other pics from Day One

DAY ONE ON THE ROAD

After 9 hours on the road thru Oklahoma, we arrived in Clayton, NM at 3pm this afternoon. Spending the night at a Days Inn to rest up for the upcoming week of camping at Cimarron Canyon State Park. As uneventful as the route thru the panhandle can be, if taken at a relaxed pace with no definite destination time to meet, the drive can actually be quite interesting. Of course the wind blows constantly, apparently from the south since all the trees seem to be pointed towards Canada and most have bare limbs on their south face. Windmill farms, miles of wheat fields, curious abandoned farm houses and implements, and dozens of swallows circling mud nests attached to every bridge and overpass west of Tulsa were some of the things that eased the drudgery of the long drive. An antelope crossed the highway in front of us just outside Guymon, OK, which is considerably east of our normal initial sightings. To cap off the day, we had a nice meal at the Rabbit Ear Café – the highlight of which was a slice of homemade Coconut cream/strawberry cream (with fresh sliced berries on top) pie - mmmmm, goooood!

HERE WE GO!! The trip we have dreamed of and that you are probably tired of hearing about! As you can tell from the pictures, we are both pretty darned giddy about this whole deal! We have a very loose itinerary laid out for most of the trip, so we have a general idea of where we will be going, but are not sure about what all we will see, the people we will meet along the way, or what twists and turns lie ahead – those unknowns just add to the anticipation and excitement. But there is one given – there will be plenty of fly-fishing in some spectacular environs. I’ve always looked forward to and immensely enjoyed “road trips” ever since childhood, when a week-end camping/fishing trip or an extended vacation to visit family out west was preceded by a sleepless night of anxiousness to be the first to awake and get the family out the door. Charlcie, Ben, and I have continued to enjoy family explorations, and later, the many treks to soccer venues all around the country. Along with other soccer parents, we have continued this tradition. We are finally lucky enough to take the mother of all fly-fishing road trips – four months together in a big red truck, sharing a double sleeping bag, and hoping we can survive each other!

RETIREMENT (x2)

Having retired once without much fuss, I didn’t anticipate just how busy it could get with the both of us retiring. Although much of the activity has to do with the necessary planning and preparation for our upcoming 4-month journey, a considerable amount of time was spent in celebration with friends, family, and co-workers. It seems like the combination of two retirements and the fact that we won’t see most of our friends and family for a few months called for a number of “Good-bye” gatherings, all of which we have thoroughly enjoyed. There’s no doubt we are going to miss all our friends and family at home as we travel, but we are also looking forward to meeting up with others we haven’t seen in some time. Plus, just about the time you think you are rid of us, we will be back!Thanks so much to all of you for the dinners, gifts, and kind words! But most of all thanks for being such an important part of our lives! We are expecting you to keep in touch