A Quick Spin to Wrap 2022

After a long year, but a fun one with the travel and camping in the region, I thought a final trip was a wonderful way to put a bow on the year. As it happened, I saw a couple day window with warmer weather so I planned a quick trip. As usual, noting quite goes as planned...but usually ends up pretty fun!

It's pretty flat and open in this part of New Mexico, but I was excited to camp by a lake. There is a wildlife refuge that apparently has a lake with camping, but gates were closed with only authorized access allowed. No worries, I had a backup lake...when I got there, I found that you needed a fishing license to camp there, which I didn't have. So, my next back up was about 45 mins away, and took me into the dark. In some ways this was a lot of fun as I got to use some of the lights I added to the truck on the trails as I looked for a camping spot. And, there was no telling what the morning would bring!

It was chilly over night, enough so that the water in the nozzle that sticks out of the camper froze (but the water in the camper was fine with the tank heater). I ran the heater in the camper all night, on low, and was comfortable under the blanket, no need to even get in a sleeping bag. I even had to crack the windows a bit. But once I found a nice balance there, I slept great...and was curious to see where I had camped.

Mills Canyon Campground is a rustic campground in a National Forest, which can be risky as these often fill up quickly. I was optimistic just a day after Christmas. There's an upper campground, which is easy for a variety of vehicles and trailers to access. Due to the wind, and not having that limitation with Sawatch, I headed down into the canyon, past the sign suggesting RVs and trailers shouldn't continue. The road wasn't really that bad, but it was narrow, and would have been difficult for a larger rig to make its way down.

Waking up, I found myself in a very pretty little canyon. It was a chilly morning, so I made some coffee in the camper, grabbed a couple snack items (apple and orange), and started to head out of the canyon. Just outside of the canyon is the Kiowa National Grasslands as well.

After heading out, I neglected to check my fuel levels and where gas stations were relative to my route. This ended up costing me about 45 mins to ensure I didn't run out (I think I would have been ok, but I wasn't in any real hurry, so why risk it?). As I started to approach where I was going to camp for the night, I ran across an oddity that seemed like it was worth a break, The Cadillac Ranch. It was about...well, it was nice to stretch my legs, but the wind was gusting over 30, so didn't hang out for many pictures.

After just a few more miles, I made it to Palo Duro Canyon State Park. Palo Duro Canyon is the second largest canyon in the United States. Now, it's a far cry from the Grand Canyon, but quite impressive in its own right. I found my campsite, and changed for a bit of a hike as it was around 70F out, and that's what I had been looking for. A lovely hike to end the day, then a chat with some folks that were hanging out in their Earth Roamer at the park for the weekend.

It was a much needed break from the condo to get out, see another amazing place that is easily overlooked, and explore a bit (both by truck and by foot). A pretty sunrise to get the day started was a great way to start the drive home.