Pueblo Park CG, near Reserve, New Mexico 65 miles

Oct 18-19, 2018 

October 18, 2018

Target for today is Pueblo Park CG with a grocery stop in Reserve.  The 6 mile dirt FS road to Pueblo Park is muddy in spots, but navigable in Mr. Rogers.  Beautiful old growth, park like Ponderosa pine, a favorite of ours.  And no one is here except an unoccupied trailer and a 5^th wheel by the horse coral.

 

Finally settled in for some type 3 camping.

Salmon salad sandwiches than an afternoon bike ride.  10 miles, 1000 ft of climbing leads to a ridge with great views of the surrounding countryside.  And some cell service.  Enough for me to bring in Gaia maps ok the area and for Rick to make a sad call to our friend Tom.  We had just learned he was in hospice after waging an heroic fight against cancer.  I pull into camp and after enjoying tea and pie I actually sat and read in the sun!  I was relatively comfortable with long pants, down vest and puffy.  Rick continued past camp, to the highway and back,  for another 12 miles and another 1000 feet of climbing.   Meat and potato dinner with moose backstrap.  We brought enough moose and salmon down to stuff our little freezer and have had to work hard to finish it before the trip ends.  Life is Good.  Wx is improving (KOW) with late afternoon sun and mid 50’s.  Stars in the evening.

October 19, 2018

The Black Bull Peak hike does not disappoint.  +-2100 foot climb and 13 miles RT.

 

 

Great hike.  I need to add an arrow where Rick had his rattlesnake encounter.

Last pitch to peak was off trail and steep but great views made it well worth it.  We even saw a Black Bull on the hike up.  Luckily he was friendly enough.  Worse were the sticker plants.  Their seeds stick to pants and shoes and gradually worked their way in to tender skin – ouch.  Not my favorite part of the hike.  Rick got an adrenaline rush when he almost stepped on a rattle snake.  It rattled and headed down the trail away from him as he jumped and high tailed it back up the trail.  Yikes.

 

Stickers from the “sticker plant” was not my favorite part of the hike. They even worked into my shoes.

Wonder how dangerous park got it’s name

Decided this rock pile counted as the top. Even if it was a bit lower than the one we couldn’t climb.

Black Bull Peak in the background.

We couldn’t quite get to the tippy top.

Black Bull Peak – our goal

The weekend brought elk hunters to the camp – even some horses in the corral.

 

NM is a very horse friendly state

Gees, the rules they have.

October 20, 2018

I hike the Pueblo Park interpretive trail which highlights prior occupation both indigenous and the 1930’s CCC Camp.

CCC fireplace

Indiginous grinding stone in foreground. CCC wall in background.

CCC bridge and culvert foundations still going strong.

 

The area where Pueblo Park CG is now was occupied by the CCC in the 1930’s.  Men got food, clothing, shelter and $30/month.  Educational opportunities – from basic reading, writing and arithmetic, as well as more advanced subjects were available.

 

Rick runs the trail downstream into a beautiful canyon and then does some strength.  We leave in early afternoon.  The road has dried out considerably and is much improved from the trip in.