Brantley Lake State Park, New Mexico

My first state park in New Mexico meets with my approval. Actually, this one was very nice and my site backs up to a big field with a lake in the background. You get such nice views out of the back of trailer or 5th wheel.

I guess I should just say it’s a part of the desert rather than a field. I always thought of deserts as big sand dunes with very little vegetation except for a few large cactus types. Maybe some are like that, but this desert is full of little creosote bushes, yucca plants, grass and some prickly pear type cactus. This is the Chihuahuan Desert, mostly in Mexico, but part comes into southern New Mexico. It’s not totally flat, but it’s not sand dunes either, and the ground is actually rather hard. I took the trail down by the lake and went through a small group of trees, similar to cedar but shorter. I never did get to the lake, since the trail turns around when it reaches a sand bluff above the lake.

The next morning, I took the trail to the visitor center, watching for rattlesnakes along the way. I really don’t want to run into those guys, so I made as much noise as possible, kicking little stones along the way. I figure they’ll hear me before I see them and they can give me a warning – in which case I’ll be headed the other way as quickly as I can. The only critter I saw on that 3 mile hike was one little rabbit, along with a few birds. It was perfect weather, still cool and totally overcast, it was still below 80 degrees at noon.

Since I went through a time zone last week, it gets light around 6:00 here and I haven’t adjusted to sleeping much later than that. When I get up, I go outside to enjoy the cool air – it averages about 70 during the night. I wander around my trailer and there are always rabbits around, they’re all over the campsite areas. For the past 3 days, I’ve had one sitting under my trailer for hours, no matter how many times I walk by or open the door, he doesn’t seem concerned. They will actually hop around within 5-6 feet of me.

Next is Roswell, New Mexico, a few hours north, to visit some alien beings. Hopefully they’ll be friendly!