Crossing into New Mexico

From Amarillo Texas I crossed into New Mexico.  The winds had died down enough that the drive was not a white knuckle one.  

My destination for the day was Santa Rosa.  My research indicated that there was a privately owned campground in town and a distance out of town was a state park.  I had not stayed at any state parks yet, though I had read reviews about them generally being nice, inexpensive but not always fully serviced and with limited sites for "large rigs."  Generally reservations can be made online, but must be made at least a day in advance.  Otherwise most state parks have some sites for drop in guests.  

I had called the private campground to verify they had space for me, as I couldn't make a reservation at the state park.  They said there was room, that the rate was $20 cash for the one night I was looking for.  They didn't want a credit card number to hold the space.  I said I would arrive around 3:00.  As it turned out I arrived around 2:00 and no one was there to check me in.  I didn't really like the look of the place and it was next to a railway track so figured it might be kind of noisy at night.  I decided to take the drive to the state park and see if there would be a drop in site available for me.  

The drive was on a narrow winding road up into the hills, where a river had been dammed in the 1960's, which creates a lake to enhance the natural outdoor environment and allow for controlling the water flow, similar to ones in Ontario that I have stayed at. 

At the same time I arrived there, their was also a couple who were traveling in a Class A motor home.  We both stopped at the entrance point at the same time and had a brief conversations.  The nightly rate is $14 for electricity only at the site.  There were public washrooms and showers nearby, which I didn't need to use because I had enough water on board.  There was a dumping station on the way out of the park, so I was able to lighten my load before heading down the road.  

I encountered the camp host who suggested the best site for me and who was able to provide change for my $20 bill, which allowed me to put the $14 into the registration envelope and return it to the payment post.  He also briefed me on the wildlife I might encounter during my stay, which surprisingly included a stray black cat, a very skinny light brown dog, which ran away from its owner when they stayed there in the summer and was left behind, needing to fend for itself, and skunks.  I did see the cat and dog, but fortunately not the skunks.  Apparently the snakes, spiders and scorpions are all in hibernation at this time of year. 

The views and peacefulness was definitely worth the drive up to Santa Rosa Lake State Park, and the savings of $6.00 didn't hurt either. 

Once I was settled in, I got the bike out and went for a little ride around the campground.  There are two small loops.  At this time of year one was closed, so it made for extra safe riding.  I encountered the folks in the Class A out walking and we agreed to meet up at their camper after the sun would set a couple of hours later.  

The sky got a bit ominous looking as a storm blew through:

I went to the Class A at the prescribed time, with a drink in tow, in order not to be a burden on the other folks, but to just learn from their experience.  They were very welcoming and we had a nice visit, which ended up including a dinner comprised of leftovers as they were just one night from returning to their home in Albuquerque.  If she hadn't kept mentioning about the leftovers, I wouldn't have really noticed as she prepared a nice simple dinner.  Many of the ingredients had been purchased from Trader Joe's, a chain of stores I was not familiar with, that are located throughout the US.  She served their mayonnaise, salad dressings and some Indian food.   

They helped me plan my route for the next day and offered some suggestions of places to to and things to see, as they are very well traveled.