Oliver Lee State Park, New Mexico

 

This park has a unique rock formation as shown in the above photo.  There is one trail up and you can go as far as you like, or as far as your legs will hold out – as long as you save enough energy to get down the trail, which is very steep in most parts.  There are parts that are very much like a steep staircase, but to balance that out, there are a couple areas that are nice flat meadows with wildflowers.  As a matter of fact, there are probably a dozen different wildflowers along that trail.  That’s in addition to lots of cactus and other plants with spikey branches reaching out to grab your legs as you go by.  And of course, there are rattlers and tarantulas.  I have still not seen a rattlesnake (whew!), but I did come across a furry tarantula on the trail – only about a foot away from my foot.  As far as I know, he could have been napping because he didn’t move – but I sure did.

 

 

 After two hours of hiking, mostly uphill on the steep rocky trail, I looked over the valley through the canyon walls.  This was about the three mile mark and it was as far as I had planned to go.  I was contemplating the view before I started back down the trail.  The flat valley below spread far into the distance, to a mountain range, which was just a dark shadow on the horizon.

 

 

I saw tiny little cars down in the valley below, traveling on little roads that looked like ribbons on the land.  I started wondering what I’ll find around the next bend, and what adventures I’ll find at my next stop.  That’s what entices people with the “gypsy spirit”, the wanderlust that keeps them wanting to explore.  That spirit is alive and well in my 5^th wheel.

 

And I’ve been seeing great sunsets.