Saturday, August 18, 2012

"The Way West"...Day 62...Tuesday, August 14, 2012

I'm up early (as usual) and performing all of the normal morning rituals:...hike to the bathroom, make coffee, check emails and post to the blog. The "speed" of my Internet connection here is excruciatingly slow...so the "posting" is taking up most of the morning. Around 11:00AM, "check-out time, my last photo has been uploaded...and I'm on the road again.
I'm headed for Guadalupe National Park...a short drive of seventy miles or so. In Carlsbad, I fill up with gas, re-ice the coolers and stock up on groceries. And, along the way, I stop for a cheeseburger at the small local burger stand...very good burgers there.
The drive south is nice and easy. Scrubby brush and a few trees mark the way...with the Guadalupe Mountains looming ever closer.
Around 2:00PM or so, I'm at the Park's Visitor's Center to get my usual "souvenirs" (cap, t-shirt, refrigerator magnet) and a map of the Park. The camping area is not the best in the world...it's basically a paved parking lot. But I get a nice spot on the perimeter...there are even a few trees for morning shade.
This Park is know as a "hiker's park, but I'm thinking that I'll hike tomorrow. This day, I spend the afternoon exploring the area around my camp and, later, reading at the picnic table.
At 4:00PM (my favorite time of the day), it's cocktail time. I've got Cuervo "pre-mixed" margaritas in big 1.5 liter bottles. I always add an extra "shot"...a healthy dollop of Don Julio "Silver" Tequila. And, in blatant disregard of U.S. Park regulations, I take a small prickly pear that's dropped off a cactus, chop it up, and squeeze the juice through some cheesecloth into my Margarita...fancy cocktails in the wild.
For dinner, I've got a nice rib eye steak, and that gets seared in a cast-iron skillet (no "fires" permitted in the Park)...I also heat up a package of Indian spinach and cheese...open a nice bottle of Nero d'Avola from Italy. It's another great meal.
It was in the 90's during the afternoon here. But a light rain comes around 5:00PM...and the temperature drops comfortably into the 70's.
I listen to some news....some music...pound a few beers...look at the stars...very relaxing. Around 10:00PM, I'm tucked in the camper...out like a light.






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