Matt's New Mexico (Formerly Airstream) Adventure
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Back on topic for a minute. We accomplished quite a bit this weekend. The aforementioned mystery leak that was soaking the bathroom floor turned out to be a failure in our city inlet. It only took several weeks of troubleshooting and $150 for an RV repairman who came highly recommended but ended up not knowing or doing shit but we finally fixed it for a total of $35 and some elbow grease. This is the way. The exhaust fan on our composting toilet gave out. This fan is what draws the odor out of the bin and redirects it into our black tank. The past week or so has been unpleasant to say the least. The mfg sent us two new fans for free. I guess that’s the least you can do when you charge $1000 for a plastic bucket that you poop in. We also sent in a ton of paperwork to get the truck and trailer registered in TX. Once we do that we can get our licenses and be done with TX for a while, no offense. @Chris was right, there’s not much here and I’m ready for a more diverse and engaging landscape. This campground is a bit of a soul sucker too. There’s no other campers here and the facilities are pretty basic. This should have been a 1 week spot, not 2. We got a lot done though and we’re looking forward to moving further into the dessert on our way to Big Bend.
Totally unrelated. We watched The Trial of the Chicago 7 on Netflix last night. Check it out. Tonight, all Mando!
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That might be a while. On a lighter note there’s a cardinal that believes his friends are trapped in my car mirror and window he comes back every day to try to free them…
If your truck is parked all day, wrap the mirror with a bag. It’ll save the cardinal from unneeded stress.
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That is a good tip @motojobobo thank you. We did this yesterday as a matter of fact but he returned several times and tried to remove the covering. After that he moved onto his friend trapped in the the rear widow.
This morning he was on our neighbor's truck.
I feel bad for him. It occurred to me I've never seen a cardinal witrhout a mate before.
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I talked to the camp host who was a bounty of information, if not bit of a know it all, and she said there’s a buzzard rookery in the woods behind the campground and in the afternoon you can see upwards of 250 vultures catching drafts and soaring in circles around the campsite. She assured me it had nothing to did with them sensing the slow and steady death of my youth and masculinity (her sense of humor was another possible target for the vultures).
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Just read this entire thread. Wow. I gotta say, this looks like a dream come true. A big part of me wants to do the same, but I know I couldn’t pull it off. I have to congratulate you on patience, perseverance, and a whole lotta gumption. Have fun in the southwest. When to make it to ABQ, I have some good food recommendations for you!
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Great journey so far @Matt ! Looking forward to your adventures in Big Bend. Darkest skies in the lower 48, believe it's only one of a dozen designated Dark Sky parks in the world. A friend of mine who is into astro-photography raves about the place.
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Thank you @Fadez and @Manticore !
I gotta say though I never considered myself to be especially ballsy or adventurous. It really came down to reaching the realization that a so called normal life would never make me really happy. Once I figured that part out there was really no other option than doing something drastically different. I truly believe that if someone like me can do this then absolutely anyone can.
I’m so pumped for Big Bend. We’re only there for a week but we’re camping inside the park (first time staying in a Natl Pk!) so we should have plenty of time to see it all. Bummed we had to circumnavigate New Mexico. It was a tough call but we can’t risking having our reservations cancelled since the next 4 months hinge on it. We decided we’d get more out of it if we circle back around and take our time seeing it the way we want to. We’re shooting for next fall.
We’ll be leaving Kopperl on Wed for Coleman then onto San Angelo. Excited to share that with all of you.
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When to make it to ABQ, I have some good food recommendations for you!
And what are those?!? How have you been withholding this info from me for all this time?!?
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Hahaha. I didn’t know!!!
- Rudy’s BBQ - you’ll prob find a few of these in Texas as well 2) Viet-Taste (Amazing Pho and more) 3) Sadie’s traditional SW fare.
You’re also gonna love all the breweries out there. I recommend (in no order) 1) Marble Brewery 2) La Cumbre 3) High & Dry.
NM must sees:
- Tent Rocks
- Sandia Mountains (gondola ride, drive up, or La Luz trail if you want an intense hike up)
- Jemez Mtn Trail.
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@Fadez I've been in the Santa Fe/ABQ area since 2006. Back and forth to Colorado and Texas too. When I joined the forum in 2011, I was at UNM. Also worked a summer job at La Cumbre Brewing too fwiw.
But I've never heard of High & Dry! That's not saying much but still interesting to know.
And I've never eaten at ANY of those restaurants. This is valuable information. Thank you!
How do you know ABQ so well?
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Martin House rocks - did you get any of the pickle beer??
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