Rita Blanca National Grassland, Tristate Monument and Capulin Volcano National Monument

We've arrived at the Rita Blanca National Grassland... this may be the actual middle of nowhere, but it's really Texas. The National Grassland is broken up into several large pieces, but the main visitors center is in Wall, South Dakota. We are camped at the Thompson Grove Picnic Area, where you can camp for up to 14 days. It's quiet. We've had company in the form of one other camper each night. The first night had a young man who drove in a white sedan and set up his tent; he never cooked, and he never said a word to us. Admittedly, we were mostly inside the R-Pod because there are a lot of flies here. They have a pit toilet, and it is a good one, but still, lots of flies. Tonight (second night here for us) a lady drove in with a camper van and settled down in front of our truck. She is also quiet. It was wonderfully dark here last night, as we are a good ways from any settlements and it was a dark moon. The stars were bright, and the milky way was prominent. 

From the drive in. This is Oklahoma.

Our spot at the Thompson Grove Picnic Area.

Gin and Tonic with Fudge. Treats!

Sunrise over the Rita Blanca.

This is the marker near our campsite.

Russ in the grass.

The expanse is breathtaking.

Rita Blanca National Grassland Unit 12.

Just a note from our last stop. I ended up buying a bracelet at the Boothill Museum Store. I rarely buy souvenirs, but this was unique and I didn't want to pass it up. It is jewelry made from tumbleweeds.

Bracelet sits on my Hobonichi planner.

The bracelet is sitting on top of my planner. I've been using these Japanese planners for at least 5 years now. I prefer an analog method to a digital one. It is especially helpful when we are on the road for my travel planning. I use the calendar and also write where we plan to stay on the day pages. I use the day page to also record what we saw and did, including chores, and I write down costs for gas and camping. This is a bit similar to a Bullet Journal Style, but in a planner form. I do keep some lists at the start of each month and in the blank pages at the back of the planner. Adding drawings and stickers keeps things fun for me so I use it every day.

We watched a last sunrise from the grasslands and started traveling west, with a short detour to the Tri-State Monument, where Oklahoma, Texas, and New Mexico meet up at a corner. It is odd to think that the three farmers that share the intersection all live in different states.

Sunrise over the grass.

A great horned owl. We saw him(?) several times.

It was remarkably plain and unmarked.

I'm standing in Texas to take the photo.

Dirt roads along the border.

A raven makes a rest stop more interesting.

We continued west and ran across the signs for the Capulin Volcano National Monument. Just seeing mountains begin to emerge after so many weeks of the plains, I took so many pictures that the novelty wore off quickly. The monument was only 3 miles off our route, so we went out there. There was a road up the cinder cone volcano, but we couldn't drive it with our trailer, so we just went to the visitor's center and did a short hike called the Lava Flow Trail. I was impressed with the views. You don't need much height off the plains to get long views to distant peaks.

Capulin Volcano.

The trail was about 1 mile.

Views of Sierra Grande.

Decisions, Decisions.

We stopped for lunch in Raton, New Mexico.

No need. The food and the beer were awesome.

Green chile quesadilla and roasted corn fritters (elote).

Russ chose a road that would take longer to drive, but that yielded some nice surprises, including the Colfax Ale Cellar in Raton. The town was cute, and very close to the Colorado border. I also loved the sign as we drove out of town for the Raton Trap Club (shooting), since raton means rat in Spanish. Not every club has such a humorous name.

We continued through the Taos canyon into our new home base for the next three days, with a short visit to the New Mexico Vietnam Veteran's Memorial. It was a very impressive tribute and quite moving. The memorial is perched above the town of Eagles Nest, New Mexico and is an imposing presence from the highway. Our final leg of the day's drive was especially pretty, but I took few pictures from the winding canyon road.

The chapel at the New Mexico Vietnam Veteran's Memorial.

On the path to the chapel.

Photo from the road prior to the Taos Canyon.