Sunday, October 16, 2011

Refuge Days (San Antonio, New Mexico)

We are currently in San Antonio...... New Mexico not Texas! We are wrapping up a week here. We were only going to stay a few days but the campground (Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park) price is a real deal and we like the area so we decided to stay a week. The main attraction of the area is the Bosque Del Apache National Wildlife Refuge.


It straddles the Rio Grande and covers 57,331 acres! Soon there will be flocks of people arriving to watch birds because soon there will be flocks of birds arriving as they migrate to a warmer climate. The star of that upcoming show is the Sandhill Crane. He's a big guy so he's fun and easy to watch. We didn't plan our arrival here with him in mind and the result is that there are only a few here currently to be seen. But we have persevered and seen a handful as well as a few other types of birds and  wildlife.

Birds returning to the refuge at dusk

Nice to see this Great Blue Heron 

Lots of unusual bugs!
And lizards!
What's this?
We watched this turtle struggle and struggle to get up on the log. We were so happy he finally made it.





 
Oops!

Whew!  I made it!
Nonetheless, we have invested significant energy in maximizing our time here. Debbie's current exercise goal is to walk/hike at least 5 miles a day. We have met or exceeded that each day here. A couple days we accomplished it by walking multiple trails in the refuge.  The diverse landscape within the refuge made each hike unique and interesting.


















This 2 mile hike was the only one where we had any shade.  That was nice, but the mosquito's where not. It was one the fastest 2 miles we've ever done!

One day we hiked the Chupadera Wilderness Trail. It covers 9.5 miles with 1700 feet of elevation gain! It was fantastic! The gnarly exercise queen charged forward without hesitation! Check out our lunch stop view.


At the peak

One day we went to the Elephant Butte Lake State Park in Truth or Consequences, NM. to see the area and we did our hiking there.




Clever name for a town don't you think? Locally it's known as TOC.

One day we stayed home. Debbie maxed out her walking DVD and I road 32 miles on the two wheeler, mostly on gravel. Another wonderful day! Today we're staying home to do a little cleaning, complete a few maintenance tasks and satisfy our walking goal. It's been a very pleasant, low key week.  Nice to have no schedule.  Tomorrow we're headed to Alamogordo, NM.

3 comments:

  1. I've stayed at Birdwatchers more than once to enjoy Bosque. :)

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  2. Boy, you guys are putting the rest of us to shame! Great exercise goals and great job staying fit! We've discovered that after a year on the road, we're the healthiest we've ever been with cholesterol levels and blood pressure. Of course, no more stressful jobs for the both of us had a lot to do with it! Safe travels.....

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  3. Fantastic pictures as usual!! Sounds like you are continuing to have a great time.

    Travel safely!!

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