Camping in the Wide Open

Camping with the Kyle Millers

We got invited to a pre-Memorial Day camping trip with Kelly’s brother and sister-in-law, Kyle and Dawn. We headed north to Colorado on Thursday morning, and arrived late afternoon, in enough time to find the campsite, get our things set up, and enjoy a nice dinner prepared by Kyle. We played rousing hands of Nertz and enjoyed the warm, breezy weather.

 

A bit after the sun went down, Rango and I heard the now-familiar sound of a rattlesnake not far from our circle of light next to Kyle and Dawn’s camper. Kelly and Kyle got up to investigate, and soon found a small rattler curled up and cold. They had no problem relocating him to some bushes farther away from the campsite. While they were in the process of moving the snake, Kelly found an interesting beetle on the ground. It was a group effort to gather needed relocation supplies (Dawn was Johnny on the Spot to grab whatever we needed) to collect the beetle (I was in charge of that) and to get the snake moved away from the camp. [Note from Kelly:  the beetle was an Amblycheila cylindriformis, a nocturnal tiger beetle].

Camping seems to reset internal clocks to match the sun, so when the sun went down, we were ready for bed. About the time we were making final preparations to crawl into our tent, the wind came up with a vengeance. It was all Kelly and I could do to hold onto the tent and get the supplies moved back to the truck. Kyle came out to help get the tent collapsed, and he and Dawn generously offered us space in their camper for the night. The wind blew hard (60mph, maybe?) until a bit after 1am. The gentlemen and the dogs seemed to be able to sleep through the wind. Dawn and I were not so fortunate, and shared stories the next morning of similar fears that the camper would end up in the lake.

The lake is lovely, with beautiful, cliffy rock formations on the shores. The fishing is good, and the birding is even better. The next day, we spent time doing a bit of both, and played a few more games when the wind picked up again. Kyle caught a gorgeous walleye. I caught an ugly, muddy catfish. Both were prepared for lunch. The walleye was much better, in my opinion.

There are two campgrounds at John Martin Reservoir. Point Campground is on the north shore of the long lake, on the flat, treeless grasslands. When we got there Thursday afternoon, there were half a dozen other campers there, spaced well apart. Our campsite was within an easy walking distance to a lovely fishing cove.

The other campground is down below the dam, around a few smaller ponds. It has mowed grass and tall trees and sheltered picnic tables at many of the spots. It is probably sheltered from the harsh winds, since it is lower in elevation than Point Campground. We drove around a bit on Friday, and were a bit envious of the lovely camping spots there. The trade-off was that it was much more full of campers. I preferred the more sparse camping up above at Point Campground, and was very grateful that Kyle had been able to get a reservation there.

The area afforded us some wonderful opportunities to see birds, something that all four of us enjoyed. Dawn kept seeing a burrowing owl, but I could never spot it. We also saw and heard various prairie birds, including my first mockingbird. Near a pond, we saw many waterbirds, including glossy ibis and avocet.

We left Saturday morning, just as a steady stream of campers was pouring in to enjoy the weekend. The wind blew steady, and was going to make tent camping a bit unpleasant for those not as lucky as us to have someone willing to share their camper.

We took the long way home, through Cimarron and over to Taos. The drive was amazing!! The mountains of northern New Mexico are incredible. The road wound along a creek and through amazing canyons. We topped out at a lovely aspen and spruce meadow, the perfect spot to let the dogs stretch their legs.

Seeing the Taos valley again made me incredibly verklempt. It is an amazing vista, carved deeply by the Rio Grande River. It reminded me of the first time I saw it, over two years ago. Upon arrival, I knew that this was a place I wanted to be, and that New Mexico could be home. So much has happened since I first visited Taos. I can hardly believe all that has transpired. But being around the Miller family this weekend reminded me that I could not have been brave enough to do what I did without the support of them and many others. I am beyond grateful for all those who have stood by me during this difficult, amazing, transforming season.