Multiconstruct

Tonight finds me at a roadside picnic area down the road from Sitting Bull Falls and the North Entrance to the Park. I may not get down to hike the Canyon There since I was invited to my friend Ray’s land in Alamogordo for Solstice. We are going to burn a Yule Log. You remember Ray from my last Epic Road Trip where we met on a hike in the Lincoln National Forest and have stayed in touch.

I woke up camped on some BLM land too close to a paved road with this epic roadtripper Jon. He is a cancer survivor taking some time to just be and be happy. I had met him at Carlsbad Caverns and he invited me to lunch at his campsite. He was a great camp cook and we had lentils with sausage and broccoli and it was delicious. He also read me the first couple chapters of his novel and I shared a few poems (Untitled #1, my Christmas Carol, and i am a pattern, you can find them in my poetry page).

I wanted to get an earlier start than Job but just as I pulled in a gas station to use the facilities and get a cup of coffee it started steaming. The first place I called couldn’t get me in until mid January but the next place got it in and replaced the heater control valve.

I walked some of the river walk and used their outdoor exercise machines. I also went to the thrift store and the library to read a bit and send out thank yous and post cards. Now I’m waiting for the Falls to open and getting my narrative closer to caught up.

A few days ago I camped at the Roadside park right before you get to Guadalupe. I went to the Ranger Station for info and a map. I walked over to the Butterfield Station Ruins. It was about the fourth or fifth Butterfield site I’ve seen on this trip. It ran a stagecoach from St Louis to San Francisco in 25 days. About 90 miles a day which is about what I average. Gives you a better appreciation for the scale of the country.

After that I did some backwards walking and hiked most of the Frijole Trail. Most people hike it from the Frijole Ranch and come back the ridge trail as a loop. I hiked up until I’d had enough and then hiked back. I didn’t really get into the trees much and it was mostly desert stuff. There were rock wrens and some towhe (sp ?).

After my bike I checked out the turn of the century ranch house where some truck farmers lived who served a lot of beans, hence the name.

I went back to Van Horn because I had forgotten something at a truckstop and couldn’t reach anyone. I got a keto pizza and a hotel.

My friend Kevin recommended the McKitrick Canyon Trail. At the trailhead is a nature trail which has some good info and is definitely worth doing. The McKitrick Trail is a really great trail. You hike through typical Chihuahuan Desert and then go into a woods of oak and Texas Mahogany. It’s a great tree with an edible berry in the winter.

About 2 1/2 miles there is a stone cabin from the late 20’s and in the Fall and Winter weekends they have a volunteer to answer questions. It was her first day but she had hiked the trail and had some recommendations in the surrounding area. Further up the trail there is a grotto with some formations and then another stone cabin from the same era.

PostScript: Definitely behind in my narrative. Currently in Silver City in a Motel 6 gearing up to see some sites in town and then head southwest for some desert camping. It’s cold and would like to get out of the mountains.