On Our Way without The GPS, Having Lunch At Abuelitas, Just Arriving On Time and More High Winds Coming

Our Location today is Bottomless Lake State Park, New Mexico, U.S.A. 

Not wanting to sleep to late this morning had me checking the clock the entire night. What we have always referred to this as is a Pretravel Night’s (or lack of) Sleep. Luckily Kathy slept like a rock so she wasn’t too tired when she heard me getting things ready for breakfast at 7:30. Looking out our windows we felt sadden that we were leaving such a wonderful place only days after having discovered it for ourselves. 

The Marina at Elephant Butte State Park.

This also gave us a new interest in visiting State Parks. Our first choice for our Fulltiming Lifestyle will be boondocking on BLM or LTVA lands. During travel days we will continue to find Walmarts, Cracker Barrels or Flying Js to stop for a night. What has changed is that if we need to find a park for whatever reason we are planning at looking at State Parks first and Escapees RV Parks second. 

As we finished closing up the trailer it took very little time to hitch up and start heading towards the front of the park. Due to a leak in the Dump-Out Tank in our area we had to get into a short lineup at the Sumac Loop Dumping Station. That was when Kathy decided to set our destination for today on our GPS. 

Mountains seen on I-25.

With everything once again secured as we were starting to pull out I noticed the GPS was not set up. After our extended trip to Elephant Butte State Park last week Kathy and I had discussed the Extra Time and Mileage that had been added to our trip because we followed the GPS. When we were researching our route back to Ontario on the weekend we paid particular attention to our next two destinations and even wrote down the directions to make our trip easier. When Kathy entered today’s destination the GPS gave Kathy two options both of which were double the time and distance we had found on Map-Quest. That convinced Kathy to try the Old-Fashioned Way of using a Map and Written Instructions which is how many RVers we know travel. 

Mountains seen from New Mexico 380.

Everything was going great as we traveled North on I-25 until we cut off on New Mexico 380 heading east. We had only traveled ten miles when we came to a five-minute Traffic Stop due to bridge work. They had a traffic signal at each end of the work allowing for One Lane Traffic to be controlled by the light. That was the last delay we had as we continued to enjoy the show the mountains were giving us as we traversed the valleys below. 

 

More rolling hills and less mountains.

By lunch time we stopped to top off the Diesel in Carrizozo, New Mexico and while that was happening I suggested Kathy check the parking lot of an adjacent restaurant so we could have lunch. What drew me to this place was that it was small but there was a steady stream of cars coming and going while the other two restaurants had hardly any customers. Kathy thought it would be a tight fit but after filling the truck I was able to drive around the back of the restaurant and parked where another truck had been. The place is called Abuelitas, was neat and clean the service was fantastic and the prices were perfect. It was run by a Mother/Daughter team with help in the kitchen. Kathy enjoyed her Garden Salad and Fish and Chips while I enjoyed my Enchiladas that helped to clear my sinus congestion. 

 

Within minutes of getting back on NM 380 the landscape seemed to change dramatically as we soon lost sight of the mountains and started traveling through rolling hills. Even the vegetation changed from cactus to more shrub and tree like plants. 

We finally turned onto south 409 for the last few miles into Bottomless Lakes State Park. Stopping at the Visitors Center when we asked about campsites the gentleman told us there were only two sites in the park left and it was first come first served. He gave us directions to where the Camp Host was located and wished us luck.


Not a wide road into Bottomless Lakes State Park.


The Camp Host gave as a map and suggested we take Site 10 for our sized trailer and he also suggested setting up ASAP then filling in the paperwork because he’d heard there were at least four other RVs coming up the road looking for sites.

 

It was an easy fit with the back of the trailer hanging over the end of the parking pad but it was wide enough to park the truck next to the trailer bringing an end to our 241mile travel day. The best part about today’s travels is that we didn’t drive further than we planned and we didn’t use the GPS. 

It did take a little longer to set up in the 79 F (26 C) temperatures we had today. We then walked over to the Pay-Post before going to look around the swimming area. It is nicely laid out and we are certain it is full with families vacationing during the summer.  

A New Mexico Sunset right out our door

We spent some time sitting in the shade of the Gazebo just cooling down. That was when we got a few good Wind Gusts that rattled our Slide Toppers. After getting the Computers and CPAP Machines all set up I checked The Weather Network for the upcoming days. This is getting to be Old News! Tomorrow’s Wind could be gusting to over 50 MPH so I’ve already tied the Slide Toppers down. 

Wind Gusts underlined in red.

Hopefully with the change of the local landscape there won’t be as much dust in the air as last Friday so we can go checkout a nearby town instead of sitting still. Thanks for following along and feel free to leave a comment. Be Safe and Enjoy! 

It’s about time.

Krackers 

Words of Inspiration 

Now join hands, and with your hands your hearts. 

William Shakespeare