July 2015: A Quick Stop in New Mexico Before Exploring Utah in Depth (page 15 of 15)

Why didn’t you go to Bisti Badlands, at Ojito Wilderness? I thought you loved hiking, right?

Because when I was planning this trip (late 2014 and early 2015), I hadn’t read anything about that spot yet—so I didn’t know about it! 😛 Plus, the schedule was already packed otherwise.

There’s another spot in New Mexico that’s really worth it—Plaza Blanca in Abiquiu (Isap’s travel journal is a goldmine!!).

There’d still be so many places to discover... but we’re currently a bit farther north—Washington state 😎

Hello Peggy and Diamina,

And that was back in 2015

Yes, for us too in 2015 (June 4, to be exact).

Here’s what I wrote:

Goosenecks SP where we paid the $5 entrance fee at 12:21 PM and 83°F - 28.3°C. We didn’t see anything new in terms of amenities except for the entrance booth; it’ll take a lot of entries just to cover the cost of building the booth and paying the employee’s salary!

We had lunch under the only pavilion...

But despite all that, we really like this place where we spent the night in 2009.

Hi Alain-Pierre, We also stayed at Goosenecks SP not long ago (spring 2017 or 2018). We were in an RV, and there was another RV, German I think. There were also some Americans who went further to sleep along the San Juan River. I still remember the meanders and the park. Noëlle

Hi Alain-Pierre, Hi Peggy, Hi Noëlle,

After all, you should try the Southwest in winter. There are still some advantages!!! 😄😏

Peggy, I haven’t read the rest yet, but I will.

Noëlle, I really need to try an RV one day. But can you drive it on dirt roads?

Jean-Pierre, every time I read the temperatures you recorded, I get hot just thinking about it!!! 🤪

Hugs to everyone

Hi Peggy,

Hard to believe that both times we went to Paw Hole with Paria Outfitters, I paired Paw Hole with CBS and White Pocket. Reading your travel journals, I know I *have* to go back to Paw Hole and explore it properly—taking my time this time. Love the forum members who take the trouble to write travel journals!! Thanks!

Hi Diamina, We already tried the Southwest in February a while back; I wanted to see what the US looked like in winter—it looks like France...🙂 We did some trails with the RV, like the one in Chaco Canyon and the one in Wyoming to see Castle Gardens (some petroglyphs), but it’s really not ideal. I sometimes regret it, but you’d need to rent a proper 4x4—otherwise, it’s off-limits 😛 Noëlle

We already tried the Southwest in February a long time ago; I wanted to see what the US looked like in winter; it looks like France...

If you mean it’s cold there, well, that’s true—it’s invigorating! But hiking is so much easier when the temperatures aren’t overwhelming!!! And that blue, cloudless sky... It’s just so different.

We did some trails with the RV, like the one in Chaco Canyon and the one in Wyoming to see Castle Gardens (petroglyphs), but it’s not really made for it. I sometimes regret it, but you’d need to rent a proper 4x4—otherwise, it’s not allowed.

Yeah, you’re not supposed to get caught!!! 😏

Hi Noëlle,

We did some trails with the RV, like the one in Chaco Canyon... but it's not really made for that.

When we went, the trail was doable with any vehicle. On the way back, though, after the rain overnight and during the day, you needed a high-clearance (HC) vehicle—the bottom of the doors were almost scraping the tops of the ruts. We passed a "standard sedan" and wondered how they managed it.

We did some trails with the RV, like ... the one in Wyoming to see Castle Gardens (petroglyphs), but it's not really made for that.

It’s rare to meet someone who’s been there. I doubt I would’ve gone in an RV because the end is a bit rougher 😎, but what a treat—we had the place to ourselves, and spending the night there was amazing. In the morning, the light on the rocks was stunning.

PS: I probably missed your trip report—fixed now 😉.

it was my husband who was driving (he always drives the RVs in the US) to Castle Gardens, and it was tough—I noticed that too. We only saw one "tourist" there. The petroglyphs were what motivated us. We didn’t sleep there. As for Chaco Culture, we went, we slept there, and we came back without any issues, but it didn’t rain. Noëlle

Hi Peggy 🙂

I did see your retweet early in my planning and already noted a few things, especially about the little churches around Taos, but I read so many that my head’s all mixed up. I’ve gone back to your travel journal. I’ve reached Taos in my prep. I’ll tidy all this up. Have a great weekend and thanks! Martine 🙂

Good preparation and have a great weekend too!