Saturday, December 19, 2009 - Bosque Bird Watcher's RV Park, San Antonio NM
< previous day | archives | next day >
Dawn at Fort Stanton Cave, December 19, 2009
{Shiver me timbers!} I stepped out at dawn to toss my trash and just as I reached the cans a nearby pack of coyotes set up a howling racket, touching off a lengthy conversation with their neighbors. That sent a shiver down my spine I'll tell ya! At least it wasn't one of those big kitties so common out here sneaking up on me....
I'm headed for Ghost Ranch
Friends Kate & Terry are camp hosting at Ghost Ranch. Kate has been bugging me to come up for a visit and she finally convinced me to do it before they leave for the winter. It's getting colder up there than I really bargained for in coming to New Mexico for the winter but it may be quite a while before I get another chance to visit and tour the Ranch with "insiders." I'm going to go for it - then head off to Henderson NV between the holidays to warm up with cousins Ken & Connie as planned.
As long as I'm here, before I head north I'm going to spend Sunday having a look around the Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge. It would be silly to be so near and not take a gander at the cranes if they are around.
Night camp
Bosque Bird Watcher's RV Park, San Antonio NM
- This is a basic, small Mom & Pop RV Park with full hookups.
- Verizon cell phone and Broadband service are available here with a strong signal.
- Locate Bosque Bird Watcher's RV Park on my Night Camps map
- Click for Google street view
- Check the weather in San Antonio NM
Absolute Silence
I remembered hearing of a backcountry Park Service ranger who was cleaning up after dinner one evening when he heard a chilling scream. He ran out of his cabin in time to see a mountain lion standing with a dead deer next to her. The lion saw the ranger and bounded off. The ranger realized this might be a rare opportunity to closely observe a mountain lion, so he stationed himself a short distance away from the deer carcase. He sat in absolute silence, and listened closely as night deepened. After sitting in darkness for well over an hour, he gave up hope of the lion's returning and stood up. In the powerful beam of his flashlight, he could clearly see that the dead deer was no longer there. ...
Caught in Fading Light: Mountain Lions, Zen Masters, and Wild Nature by Gary Thorp