Storrie Lake State Park is just outside of Las Vegas NM. Though it’s not really a tourist destination, there are a few interesting things in the area. Plus it’s conveniently off I-25 and in route to Colorado. The state park is fairly nice with a decent sized lake surrounded by a large grassy meadow. Just west are the heavily wooded and very scenic Sangre De Cristo Mountains and east lay the beginning of the plains. You can camp with no hook-ups right beside the lake or get a large pull through site with electric and water. We chose electric and water and were quite comfortable. Our neighbors were quiet, and except for a few distant barking dogs, the area was very peaceful. We had a strong and reliable 3G phone signal, but no wi-fi. A Walmart Supercenter is five miles away and a convenient place for supplies. Las Vegas has some good New Mexican food restaurants that smother everything in roasted, spicy green chili…yum yum!
My parents, Sandi and Leon, made their 2012 maiden voyage from Castle Rock, Colorado. They spent six nights camped right next to us. Most days we would do something together for a few hours, have a good dinner, and then play a game of Pinochle before turning in for bed. It was very nice spending time with them. The Pinochle tally: 3 games to 2…we won!
My parents relaxing under their awning
Morphy Lake…
I visited little Morphy Lake two or three times as a teenager. It is one of my favorite places in New Mexico. The small lake, nestled at 8,000 feet, sits right up against 11,000 foot peaks in the Sangre De Cristos. Back in the day, I had to negotiate a rough, pot-holed, narrow dirt road that climbed steeply the last mile or two. To spend the night, we slept in a tent. Now, the road is still very narrow, but it’s paved. The camp sites are nice and could accommodate bigger RVs, but the road can’t so the signs say no RVs greater than 18 feet long. The state does a good job of keeping the lake stocked with rainbow trout. Nearly everyone caught fish. We had lots of hits, but had trouble keeping them on the hook. However, I kept four, the biggest was nearly 15 inches…a great catch on this little lake! Arleen grilled them up just a few hours after they were caught. It was a great dinner! We liked the lake so much, we took my parents up a few days later. They had a pleasant picnic and we did a little hiking. People unfamiliar with New Mexico could mistake this area for Colorado or Montana…it’s gorgeous.
Arleen paddling around scenic Morphy Lake Great place for a picnic
Fresh rainbow trout for dinner!
Pecos River, a great lunch, and Pecos National Historic Park…
The Pecos River between Santa Fe and Las Vegas is the other area I learned to fly fish. My fishing buddies and I made many trips to these pretty mountains to camp and fish. We nearly always slept in the back of a truck and ate cold pizza and chicken all weekend. I also camped here a few times with my parents and have many great memories. We kept going back, because not only was it very pretty, we nearly always caught fish! Small spinners or various flies worked without fail. Grasshopper flies produced splashy surface hits late summer and fall…it was fun! The rainbow trout averaged 9-11 inches…anything over 12 or 13 inches was huge.
Leon graciously took us on a day trip to see if the area had changed much in the last 20 years. It hadn’t! The road is paved farther into the mountains making access easier and the campgrounds were like we remembered. We stopped at Mora Creek campground where I made a few casts. And just like the good old days, the trout couldn’t resist my little spinner. I caught and released three pretty trout in short order!
On our way back through the little town of Pecos, we stopped at “Frankies at the Cassanova” for a great lunch. The old west décor was nice and the New Mexican food smothered in hot green chili was very tasty. My parents even bought a jar of their green chili sauce which we enjoyed on pork chops and fried potatoes a few nights later.
One more stop: Pecos Historic National Park. The Glorieta Pass area between Santa Fe and Las Vegas was inhabited by Pecos Indians whose population peaked around 2,000 in the mid 1400s. Their rock and mud fortress was five stories high with 15 or 16 room houses arranged in blocks. Spaniards began to explore the area in the mid-1500s and built the first church in the early 1600s. I found it interesting that the Indians intentionally guided the first Spaniards away from their region and east into present day Kansas intent on leaving them there to die. The park’s 1 1/4 mile trail was well done running through the historic settlement. As we stood just outside the fortress walls, we could envision the large open meadow full of different Indian tribes and Spaniards wanting to trade with the Pecos Indians. We enjoy and appreciate history so much more when we can be there and absorb it. We have learned a bunch since we hit the road.
Mora Creak where it meets the upper Pecos River
Stealth fishing on Mora Creak Typical 10 inch rainbow trout
Remains of second Spanish Franciscan church built in early 1700s
The mission complex and “convento” Inside a kiva
Showing the National Park Passport to my parents Leon taking a break from site seeing
Hike up Hermit’s Peak…
Our last tough hike was at the Grand Canyon about a month ago. It was time to kick our butts! A little online research lead me to Hermit’s Peak. It’s history was interesting as a “hermit” claimed it as home in the mid 1860s. The trail climbed about 3,000 feet in roughly four miles and sufficiently kicked our butts! It was shaded most of the way by pretty ponderosa pines, douglas firs, and aspens near the top. Unfortunately, most of the trail consisted of loose rocks. Each step, especially headed down, could easily result in a turned ankle, twisted knee, or worse. Near the top, not far from Hermit’s Spring, thousands of moths flew out of cracked tree bark. As we neared trees, the moths took flight, bouncing off us in swarms. I thought it was cool as long as none flew into my mouth so I made a point to keep my mouth shut. At one point, I kicked a tree sending tens of thousands of moths into the air. Arleen panicked and tried to run away. That’s when a downed tree stump reached up and grabbed her leg and sent her crashing to the ground! Blood flowed from her elbow. She was in pain, but “soldiered up” and marched on…she’s tough! She was just a bit on edge when a few turkey vultures buzzed us and seemed to smell the dripping blood and were assessing how damaged she was. We reached the top, enjoyed the view, had a snack, and treated Arleen’s wounds. On the way down, we took a wrong turn and found ourselves in a partially hollowed cliff face with waist high, hand built rock walls and a fire ring. Could this be one of the hermit’s resting places? or even sasquatch? We felt a connection to the peak and the hermit who lived there.
Interesting history of Hermit’s Peak The route up Hermit’s Peak
Loose rocks made up most of the trail
Wounded! The hermit’s drinking source at 10,000 feet
See Oklahoma? Looking east from the saddle At the top, looking northwest towards Morphy Lake & Taos
WHERE WE GOT OUR MAIL
Las Vegas NM
ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY…As of this week, we have lived in our trusty Arctic Fox Travel Trailer one year! We have zero regrets and thank God every day for this amazing opportunity. Life is great!
Next we will spend 10 days at Sugarite Canyon State Park near Raton NM.
Short-horned lizard
Our sad picture of the eclipse: 20 May 2012 at 7:25pm
Happy one year anniversary! Has it really been that long? Time flies! Ethan and I were wondering about the mail thing. I don't understand how you are able to get your mail at a different location each time. Is there some kind of forwarding service you use? Do you have to plan a couple of weeks in advance where you're picking it up? Explain yourselves!
ReplyDeleteHello "L"! We have have been "off the grid" for the last 10 days playing in Sugarite Canyon State Park in the hills between Raton NM and Trinidad CO. That will be a good blog post...stay tuned.
ReplyDeleteTo answer your question about mail...yes, we use a mail delivery service. We set up two mail deliveries a month using a web page. We don't even get junk mail! The mail service gets rid of it. It takes 4-7 days from setting up a delivery to receiving it. So far the system has worked very well.