Steven Crisp:
Waking up early at our campground along the Taos-area Enchanted Circle, I spied this spider's web laced with dew
Steven Crisp:
Nice bright yellow flower bouquet growing out of the natural desert-like ground cover
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And quite a few of these cute prairie-dog critters making this their home
Steven Crisp:
Some folks are out fishing early this morning at Eagle Nest Lake State Park.
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Check out the morning fog/cloud - to be expected, I suppose, when you camp at 8200' elevation
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Talking a walk around the campground -- nice cool temps
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Our campsite -- we would have stayed longer if it wasn't booked full
Steven Crisp:
After completing the Enchanted Circle Scenic Byway, we stopped at the Rio Grande Gorge State Park. Gotta wonder who put "Last Kiss" on this bridge?
Steven Crisp:
Carol decided looking down over the edge of high bridges was not her cup of tea. You can see why!
Steven Crisp:
They had sections that jutted out beyond the road which made for interesting perspectives.
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And the traffic was light, so check out this view of the ominous clouds from the middle of the road! Whew, happy to get back off the bridge myself. Especially freaky when a big truck went by and you felt the bridge move!
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Getting late, we pulled into to our next campground and this plant caught my eye.
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And check out this sunset! Makes me think of John Denver's Rocky Mountain High lyrics "I've seen it rainin' fire in the sky"
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Simply spectacular, if only for a few minutes before the sun fully sets
Steven Crisp:
We didn't really care for the campground we just stayed in, but had we just gone a few miles farther on this amazing RT 64 headed toward Colorado, we found this picnic/rest area where would could have easily boondocked. We'll remember that.
Steven Crisp:
Cute little flowers in amongst the native plants at this picnic area.
Steven Crisp:
This would make a great boondocking location. BTW, if you do drive RT 64 from Taos toward Colorado (and you should!), make sure your vehicle is in good working order, because there is no cell signal for miles and miles and the road takes you over 10,000'
Steven Crisp:
This is what we call a use-it-up meal. Lentil Bolognese w/ asparagus and ciabatta, Steven's "Good to Go" chef salad, and fresh corn on the cob. Nobody's going to bed hungry tonight!
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My slender wife amongst the slender aspen ;-)
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Lake Haviland Campground turned out to be great. Here's sunset after we grabbed one of their last spots.
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Here's our parking spot shaded by the giant red fir tree
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Carol's out for a walk along the lake front
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You knew I had to get up on the rock, right? Better to have height for reflection photos.
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The lake was like glass this morning -- perfect for reflection pictures
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The water level is quite low. We weren't sure why (what it just a bad drought this year?)
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Here's someone who came out to say "hi" as we were walking around.
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I decided to walk around the lake, and Carol (wisely) headed back to the camp. These local fishermen had been coming here for 40+ years, and told me the lake was drained two years ago for repairs, and was now filling back up. Good recovery they said.
Steven Crisp:
A little shore bird I saw as I walked around the "wet end" of the lake.
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And caught this cute guy as well.
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Heading over some beautiful vistas on HWY 550, the San Juan Skyway. Seems like an appropriate name!
