Southwest AdVANtures: Day 4

Day 4, Tuesday, March 1st

photo cred: Frankie

If you want to start from Day 1, click here.

After two nights in Oklahoma, we were ready to hit the road again. We took one last peaceful sit on the rocks along the river, then spotted a few more birds, including vultures, Kestrels, and Eastern Meadowlarks.

Black Vultures

Eastern Meadowlark

Today's plan was to exit Oklahoma, enter Texas, and end up in the Lincoln National Forest in New Mexico. The drive through Oklahoma and Texas brought flat, mostly-brown farmland, tons of cows, and a prolific amount of roadside raptors perched atop fenceposts and trees. During one stretch, Loggerhead Shrikes seemed to decorate the telephone wires, each bird evenly spaced a few minutes' drive past the last. As we were almost through Texas, the scenery started to change again, gaining color and texture. Some of those browns gave way to washed-out greens, paving the way for rock formations that grew steadily taller. This visual shift recharged us.

the drive

Texas doodles

Once we entered New Mexico, "The Land of Enchantment", we stopped at a second Planet Fitness for another workout and shower. Next, we visited a grocery store to stock up on food and water. We drove another few hours, where we spotted our lifer (first-ever sighting) White-winged Doves and a dead hog of some kind (possibly a Peccary/Javelina?). Unfortunately, dead things don't really count as "lifers". RIP, pig.

photo cred: Frank

As the sun faded and more mountains loomed into view, we realized the Lincoln National Forest was going to be set within and atop those mountains, a fact we hadn't thought to consider when choosing our camping spots. Undeterred, though slightly nervous about the conditions (darkness, ice, snow, deer, and whether camping was even accessible this time of year), we forged on. This was a slightly treacherous drive, though in retrospect, an exciting one. We saw Mule Deer and a female Elk, HUGE, bearded, and so close to my side of the car I could've reached out and touched her. Apparently, when it comes to deerlike animals, Elk are only second in size to Moose.

We continued to creep up the mountainside, following my lonely GPS pin. The closer we got, the more unsure we became about the passability of those snowy, narrow roads. Just about half a mile shy of our marker, we abandoned the plan, turned around, and settled for a safer area close by. When my nerves settled and we got out of the car, we realized this was an epic spot. Yes, we were probably the only ones camping up here. Yes, there was still snow on the ground. However, much of that snow had begun to melt; the mountainous landscape and towering conifers were absolutely gorgeous; and the starry sky was breathtaking.

When we set up our Stargazer chairs and looked up, I realized it was the quietest place I'd ever been, as quiet as that cave in Missouri had been dark. I had to fight to keep my tongue, teeth, breath, and heart from making sounds, so as not to break the vastness of that silence. It came to me then that all those bodily sounds are things we usually never hear in our noisy home lives. I thought to myself, "Sometimes, you have to get away from the noise of the world in order to hear yourself again."

Sleeping Spot: Near Sleepy Grass Picnic Area off Apache Canyon Road, Sacramento Ranger District of the Lincoln National Forest, Cloudcroft, New Mexico

New Birds: White-winged Dove

Other Notable Wildlife: Mule Deer, Elk