A Day-Trip to Cloudcroft, NM

 

 Over the weekend we took a short camping trip to Truth or Consequences, NM,  Elephant Butte Lake, and the  South Monticello Campground. From there we did a day trip to Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge and up into the Black Mountains and the Gila National Forest. Hope you enjoy a few pictures. 

Sunrise over Elephant Butte Lake. 

Moonset from South Monticello Campground. 

Sharp-Shinned Hawks at Bosque del Apache. 

Ducks on a pond in the early morning.

Bosque del Apache. 

Mule Deer buck in the brush. 

Snow Goose.

Another Mule Deer buck.

Redhead ducks. 

At the eastern edge of the Gila National Forest, looking towards the Black Range and the Aldo Leopold Wilderness.

Looking eastward from the foothills of the Black Range, near Winston, NM.

Snow and ice in the Gila NF.

Dennis in the Gila NF.

An Elk skull and wild Indian gourds hung on a Ponderosa Pine tree.

In his retirement, Mike has been thinking of stopping rustlers for a little extra income.

An abandoned washing machine outside of the Winston General Store. 

An old, weathered cowboy at the Charles Motel and Hot Springs, Truth or Consequences, NM. (One of our regular getaway spots.)

Moonrise over Truth or Consequences, NM.

 

 It was a great trip. We have been back home for a week now, and reflect very positively on our trip to Alaska. The truck's computer says that we drove 11,172.1 miles from our driveway to Alaska and back to our driveway. And we averaged 14.3 miles per gallon - even though we were towing our travel trailer at least 90% of the time.  

So, here are a last few pictures from our return route down through the states. 

Pelicans on the North Platte River in Wyoming

Indian Paintbrush - It was still Spring in the Mountains

Unknown Wild flowers

Mike on the Memorial Falls Trail, Little Belt Mountains, Montana

Wild Orchids along the Memorial Falls Trail

Immature American Dipper

Adult American Dipper

Buffalo, WY

Another fan of Native American art

One last butterfly

And one last Rainbow at sunset - outside of Casper, WY

 

We spent the long Canada Day (July 1^st) weekend in Mount Robson Provincial Park in British Columbia. Mount Robson is the highest peak in the Canadian Rockies. The glacier fed Fraser River flowed through the campground that was encircled by towering peaks. We continued on to the Icefields Parkway, one of the most beautiful roads of mountain scenery in the world. The parkway connects Jasper and Banff National Parks. Even the flat tire on the drive did not detract from our appreciation of the area. It gave us an opportunity to pause and take in our surroundings. We camped for a few days in Banff National Park. Dennis created a sense of community in our rain soaked camping loop by keeping a fire burning in the cast iron stove in our group shelter.

Mount Robson Provincial Park, British Columbia

Fraser River  Trail

Jasper National Park, Alberta

Fraser River

Icefields Parkway

Flat tire repair on the Icefield Parkway

A rainy day in the town of Banff