Adventure 104: Boondocking in the Guadalupe Mountains

At home in the Guadalupe Mts.

I told you no lead is safe against the wily cager. She beat me like a rented mule, both in the Carlsbad Open and in the Guadalupe Mountain open. My overall lead has been narrowed to one. Hopefully, El Paso will be more kind to me (Naturally, Judy feels the same). We cruised from the lovely mini-lopolis of White's City a whole thirty-six miles to find a level stretch of pavement the Guadalupe National Park calls an RV site. It was very nice. After getting Frac settled, we set off to McKittrick Canyon, one of many hikes in the mountains. We hiked up the canyon a total of five miles round trip. The hike took us three and half hours (Including lunch). The trail was mostly large ballast, which made the walking difficult. In addition, we were climbing into the canyon toward a destination of the Pratt Lodge, which is a neat house made completely of rock. In 1931, a petri-geologist named Pratt wandered the area, fell in love with it, and built this lodge in the middle of freaking nowhere. Nearby is a natural spring, and it's clear that sometimes large amounts of water rush from the mountains. I'm not sure when the wet season is, but it wasn't today. Our weather was perfect; bright sun, cool but not cold temperature, and no wind until our return. On the way up we saw a few fellow hikers and a gaggle of college students from KU (Kansas). They were cute, although obviously tired from the work they were doing building trail. One of the said, "It's been a long week." Judy traded college chants with them, we snapped a picture, and one of the cute little college girls ran to her pack to retrieve the KU logo. It was fun. We visited the Frijole Ranch after our hike. Intrepid settlers, a couple of brothers named Rater built the place in 1876, managed the orchard, and were basically the cultural center of the area. There is a spring that pours six gallons a minute right in front of the cabin. The cabin is nestled right under the mountains, has several nice shade trees out front, and would have been a very comfortable place for the time. Back at Guadalupe, we saw an amazing sight: the turtle car. it was camped next to us in White's City as well. It is a minivan with a popup tent attached to the roof. The van rides low because it holds the gear for four people (Three guys and a gal, most likely a family). All four sleep in the tent above the car, which they access via a built in ladder. it takes the idea of minimalist to a new level. Judy didn't think she'd like it. This morning we traveled just over a hundred miles to El Paso. Our low air pressure light came on, telling us the air in the tires is low, but we made it her so that is good. Or next stop will be Costco to check the tires and buy some Fix-a-Flat. I'm very happy I didn't have to change a flat tire out in the wilds of Texas. The only good thing about that would have been that the road was reasonably flat. No worries, fate shined on us today, and as usual life is good, especially today.

 The view into McKittrick Canyon. 

 Rock Chock Jay Hawks. Notice the logo dead center. Cute!

 The Guadalupe wilderness above and beyond.

 Hey, wait for me you wily cager!

 Amazing, since the desert is right behind us.

 Near the spring that is sort of a forest of mahogany trees.

 The Pratt Lodge's backyard.

 Me, impersonating Pratt sitting as he might have on his front porch.

 The house and the other out buildings are entirely stone (Even the roof), except for the wooden rafters.

 The view as we walked out.

 The Bunny next to one of the mahogany trees.

 Unfortunately, the place was locked up tight. We saw a little bit through the windows.

 The Rader house front yard, the little red school house in the back left.

 The view from our living room just before dinner.

 Our thin gruel for the night: sweet potato quinoa burritos. They were really quite good.

 Sunrise at Guadalupe (I didn't take this photo).

The Turtle Car. It takes all kinds!