Thursday, December 17, 2009 - Brantley Lake State Park, Carlsbad NM
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Lava field dawn, Valley of Fires, Carrizozo NM, April 28, 2009
Back on Saturday, December 5, 2009 - Brantley Lake State Park, Carlsbad NM I mentioned New Mexico's plan to close the park system December 23rd and 24th this year as part of an employee furlough program the State put in place to help deal with their budgetary shortfall.
It's time to start drifting toward a solution to the problem of where to make my Night Camps those nights so tomorrow I'm going up to Valley of Fires Recreation Area, Carrizozo NM. From there I'll head west over to the Rio Grande valley and hopefully touch base with friends at Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge and Elephant Butte State Park as I drift down the valley before making a blast over to Henderson NV to spend a few days with cousins Ken & Connie between Christmas and New Years.
Night camp
Site 42 - Brantley Lake State Park, Carlsbad NM
- Verizon cell phone service - Access is via Extended Network, roaming
- No Verizon EVDO service - access is via the Extended Network and service varies with many drop-outs.
- See a list of the nights I've camped at Brantley Lake State Park
- Locate Brantley Lake State Park on my Night Camps map
- Go to Brantley Lake State Park website
- Locate services on my Resources map
- Check the weather here
Rice Toss
After the dinner our hosts conducted us to the beach. Among the presents was a large supply rice for the fleet. It was put up in straw sacks or bales containing about 125 pounds each. By the pile stood a company of athletes or gymnasts chosen from the peasantry for their strength and size and trained for the service and entertainment of the court. At a signal from their leader, who was himself a giant of muscle and fat, a sort of human Jumbo, they began transporting the rice to the boats. It was more frolic than work. Some of thembore a bale on each hand above their heads, some would carry two laid crosswise on the shoulders and head, while others performed dextrous feats of tossing, catching, balancing them, or turning somersaults with them. I saw one nimble Titan fasten his talons in a sack, throw it down on the sand still keeping his hold, turn a somersault over it, throw it over him as he revolved, and come down sitting on the beach with the sack in his lap. Beat that who can. If you imagine it "as easy as preaching," try it the next time in a gymnasium. But let me advise you, first make your will.
The Logbook of the Captains Clerk, John J. Sewell, Lakeside Press, 1995 pg 256