It's about time.: Another Cold Night, Foreign Exchange Campers, Hike To The Beach and Another First Time On The Weber Q.

Sunday, April 2, 2017

Another Cold Night, Foreign Exchange Campers, Hike To The Beach and Another First Time On The Weber Q.

Our Location today is Elephant Butte State Park, New Mexico, U.S.A.

After posting our Blog last night I double checked what The Weather Network had to say about today’s temperature. Since it hadn’t changed from earlier all we could do was to stay covered under the blankets until this morning. I was awake soon after 7:00 MDST but waited until twenty past the hour to get up. Even before checking the thermometer I simply turned the Electric Fireplace on before getting as much as I could ready for breakfast. My next move was to double check what the weather guessers were saying the actual temperature was. The temperature back in McGregor was again warmer then we were just above the freezing mark.

This Morning's Temp but it felt like Freezing.

Kathy felt comfortable enough that she slept just past 8:00 and the first thing when she got up was open the Window Shades to see if our young campers next door were up and about yet. Many RVers comment in their own blogs how they sit and watch new arrivals set up camp in the parks they are at. Just by doing so you can tell if they are experienced doing so or are Newbies. Many of us remember the days when we took our families away camping and teaching them things needed for a successful time in the woods. These four young campers didn’t have a clue and we watched as they struggled to put up first one Pup Tent and then the other. Finally after that they started a campfire to cook Hot Dogs for supper.

Our Site from across the street, and part of the view
that we see out our back window.

We were at our Computers doing our morning reading when they finally emerged from their abodes. The entertainment started all over as they stood outside brushing their teeth and washing with cold water straight from the water bib. They then used our picnic table to roll up their sleeping bags because they had piled the rest of their belongings on their table. Then they struggled trying to fold their nylon tents that were becoming air-born with the light wind. You couldn’t ask to be entertained better than that.

Rocks that look like a bird.

I needed to take out our trash so I when went outside it startled these kids and had them apologizing for using our table. I simply said we weren’t using it at the time so it was no problem. They offered the information that this was only their Second-Time Camping and that they were Foreign Exchange Students enjoying a weekend away from school. I gave them a few pointers that will hopefully make their next trip a bit easier. They were waving and telling me to have a Good Day as they were finally hitting the road.

Our trailer is to the left of that pole.

We had another Meat Loaf Sandwich for lunch along with the last of the Grapes we had in the fridge.

Part of the path to the Beach.

Beach ahead.

Even as we went out the door at noon the outside temperature was only at 46 F (8 C) with a cool Northeast breeze coming off the water. Our goal was to walk down to the beach and check it out. We wanted to see where the Hard-Packed paths were and how vehicles were getting to the Beach.

We saw this bug that we don’t have a clue what it is and Kathy wanted me to take a picture of. With only our Point-n-Shot camera without a viewfinder it was hard to get a single picture of it.

One of many groups of campers along the water's edge.

Even though the path we took was well packed lots of the time we were walking in loose sand. We walked down near the shore just staying clear of individual camps. The only way we could go further was to walk within two feet of the water. What we learned was the “A” Class that we thought was on the farthest part of the beach was not. It was actually parked on a hill and there was another five hundred feet to the shore behind it where others were parked.

Kathy leading the way along the water's edge

The view we fell in love with.

There was a Nissan Pickup that had gotten itself stuck in the loose sand. One person had tried unsuccessfully to pull him out but almost got stuck himself. Someone else with a truck equipped with a High-Performance Engine and Wide Tires designed for being on the sand took numerous tries before finally getting the Nissan on Solid Ground.

White Nissan being towed by a Ford.

That was around the time a message appeared on the Camera telling me to change the Battery Pack. That ended our picture taking but not our hike. When we finally made it to hard packed ground we only walked part way out on the Jetty because someone had set up their camp right on the end. We were getting tired from walking in the soft sand but slowly after a number of short rests we made our way back Home. Today’s hike was about two miles in soft sand that took nearly two hours.

Kathy relaxing after our trek in the Sand.

The temperature finally reached 68 F (20 C) but with the breeze we still needed our sweaters to sit in the Sun in order to remain comfortable. We watched as many of the RVs that had been camped down on the beach made their way out of the park. Even the big “A” Class Diesel Pusher that followed us into the park on Friday evening was about to leave when I hollered his Antenna was up. He looked at his rig then gave me the Thumbs-Up. The was the first thing we saw going down when he got back inside.

We walked up behind the two pickups on the Jetty. Zoomed In.

The Jetty is between the two water bodies near the Island.
Both pictures taken from behind our trailer.

This is definitely a park that we will return to in the future as we enjoy all the Scenic Views and this park Recycles. With less campers around the Bunnies and Gamble’s Quail seemed to be filling the Underbrush behind our Home.

Just the sound of the camera makes these guys run.

Surprised by the sound the Gamble's Quails make.

We tried a store-bought Enchilada for supper tonight that cooked for an hour and a half on our Weber Q. It started to burn the bottom a bit but every new thing we try is a learning experience.