Bob, Pam, and their shiny Airstream met up with us on the edge of the Sangre de Cristo mountains last weekend. After arriving, we laughed about the miles of cow pastures we’d all nervously driven through, wondering if we’d ever find the tree-wrapped campground we’d only ever seen photos of online. Thankfully the pin-straight road made a couple of sharp turns at the end of the wide valley and climbed up a dirt road to our weekend home.
We hadn’t seen Bob and Pam for more than 15 years and quickly fell to catching up. The years dissolved like cotton candy upon a tongue. The weather was perfect. The drinks cold. The hiking trails waiting.
Alvarado Campground’s many campsites are laid out in a rough, smashed S-curve up the mountainside. It looks like a lot of work has been put into keeping things pleasant and well-maintained. Few people were camping this early in the season, but we all had a bit of a wide-eyed giggle noticing the *cough* upside-down ‘tropical fruit’ flag at one of the other trailers. Thanks but no thanks.
Saturday morning dawned bright and cheerful, so after a hearty breakfast we hunted out the nearby Rainbow Trail. A steep climb up put us on the right path. We enjoyed views over the valley, strolls through the forest, and crossed a pretty waterfall. I found lots of use for the Seek app on my phone and identified several wildflowers in bloom.
Bob and Jeff were constantly swinging their heads to identify local birds and birdsong. Bob’s Merlin app was getting a workout, verifying calls and filling out his life list. I truly don’t know how they see animals moving among the branches so easily and differentiate the different bird calls so quickly. It’s an amazing skill.
Later, while making dinner, we noticed that the wind was coming up and the sky looked and felt like rain. Jeff suggested we eat inside the Airstream and that was a good decision as rain and then hail — again with the hail! — started coming down. We chatted comfortably, the rain came and went, and finally Jeff and I headed back to the Beangle for the night.
Around midnight, I found that the clouds had finally cleared. The sky was majestic, dark and deep and full of stars. I found a few of the better known constellations right away but realized right away that I need to get better acquainted with the night sky again. I’m looking forward to a lot more opportunity to do that soon.
Leave a comment