Week 6: The one with the hail storm and flooding!
A new campsite, Sunspot Observatory, the Smokey Bear Museum and more!
Hello hello and thanks for tuning in to this week’s advanture as we continue to travel New Mexico in our converted camper van!
Farewell, Lincoln National Forest
On our last morning at camp in Lincoln National Forest we were startled awake by an elk bugling nearby and I ran out of the van to try and get a photo — what an alarm clock!
We’re really going to miss this special place in the Sacramento Mountains and can’t wait to return someday! It was so nice being at 9500 feet with temps in the 40s-70s — we felt so bad for everyone suffering through the record breaking heat in parts of the country!
Sunspot Solar Observatory
On our last hike from camp we had a great view of White Sands and I noticed a funky looking building off to the right. I asked J if he knew what it was — and he said it was the Dunn Solar Telescope at Sunspot Solar Observatory! We were guessing it was only 2.5 miles away as the crow flies, but it would be much longer than that on foot LOL — so we waited to go on our way down the mountain.
When we got there we were told that there were no telescope tours that day, darn! We were bummed but we decided to go ahead and pay the admissions fee (a whole $5 each!) and walk around the grounds anyhow. We’re so glad that we did, because enough people showed up that we got to have a telescope tour after all! YEAH!
You can read more about the telescope’s unique design here. We were impressed that most of the telescope is underground — they likened it to an iceberg.
There was a neat mix of old technology and new — and pink (!) walls!
We had a somber moment reading the signs about the Trinity Test Site, which can be seen from a viewing platform. This was where the world’s first nuclear explosion occurred on July 16, 1945. If you watched the Oppenheimer movie then you’ll know all about it.
Since we were so close we decided to check out Apache Point Observatory — the grounds are open to the public and there are some great views.
From Blue Skies to Hail Storm and Flooding Oh My!
After a quick snack we headed off to get groceries in Ruidoso Downs, NM. That turned out to take waaaaay longer than it should!
First we were hit by a hail storm — our first one in the van! It was so loud, y’all!
I was freaking out, but Jason did great driving and stayed cool as a cucumber!
The roads and mountainsides got covered in so much hail it looked like snow! Temps dropped from 72 degrees down to 45 in a flash.
I was so glad we weren’t out hiking and the van didn’t take any damage.
Then once we got down the mountain the hail turned to pouring rain. We drove through the burned areas from the Salt Fork and Salt Fires (the fires are out now) and were sad to see all the devastation. The air was filled with the smell of the fires, and mud and debris were all over the sides of the road.
The next thing we knew there were flashing lights and a roadblock ahead — here the road was closed due to flooding as the rain washed down the mountains over the burn scars. We turned back the way we came and Jason found a way around, only to get hit by another roadblock on the other end.
Since we’ve been here so many of the locals have told us how whenever it rains it causes disruptions and many people have to evacuate — our heart goes out to them. Can’t imagine what this must be like.
We eventually made our way to get groceries at Walmart in Ruidoso Downs, but it took some doing on J’s part to figure out a route. While we were shopping we kept getting emergency alerts on our phones and hearing them throughout the store — it was pretty nerve-wracking!
The roads had reopened by the time we finished and we made our way to the town of Capitan, New Mexico to pick up packages from an Amazon locker — another first! Jason got parts to fix the rearview mirror camera (he bumped the camera and it snapped off — DOH) and I got a new pair of hiking shoes and some art supplies. My packages are definitely more fun!
Feels like we’re back in the Texas Hill Country!
We didn’t get to camp until 10 pm — but we were so thankful we made it!
We’re staying in the Fort Stanton-Snowy Cave River Conservation Area in New Mexico, which gets it’s name from the calcite lining the cave — it really does look like a snowy river from the photos! The cave is currently closed — hope we can come back someday when it’s open.
Since we got here in the dark it was so bizarre waking up to a landscape that felt like we time travelled back to the Texas Hill Country. The limestone and junipers make this place feel like home — but with mountains!
We’re back down at 6,100 feet and the temps have been up in the 90’s the last few days, but luckily it cools off fast in the evenings.
We still can’t get over all the public land here in New Mexico — it’s so different from Texas!
Town Day: Capitan, New Mexico
The next day we went to town do laundry and the Smokey Bear Museum was right across the street — so of course we had to go!
Some random facts I learned at the museum:
Smokey was a real live bear! Soldiers from Fort Bliss discovered a tiny black bear cub who had survived a raging fire in Capitan Gap. The soldiers rescued the cub and initially named him Hotfoot Teddy, but he was renamed Smokey after the fictional character that the Forest Service had used as a symbol in 1944 for the Forest Service’s campaign on forest fire prevention.
Nationwide, 9 out of 10 forest fires are started by humans. I had to let that one really sink in — I thought most fires were started by lightening.
Fire is beneficial to forests and the forest ecosystem, and Smokey’s message is not to prevent ALL forest fires.
I really loved seeing all of the old artwork and posters.
While we were in town we also filled up our water at the Mama Bear RV Park — it was only $5! And we grabbed a few groceries at Smokey’s Country Market, where I scored some more Pinyon Coffee — so good!
This Week’s Art Practice
I filmed a bunch of sketches at our camp in the mountains and can’t wait to share them! Here’s the first — shadow sketches of a spruce:
Shadow sketching is just what it sounds like — simply trace the shadows! It’s so relaxing — and an easy, low pressure way to document something in your nature journal. Check out my shadow sketching video here on Instagram to see it in action.
Let me know if you give it a try — I’d love to see your take!
Register for My Nature Journaling Workshop at Valles Caldera National Preserve, New Mexico!
If you’re in the area I’d love to have you join me for a Nature Journaling Workshop during my residency at Valles Caldera National Preserve!
Dates: Sunday, August 18, and Saturday, August 24
Time: 10:00 am to 12:00 pm
Location: Meet at the Ranger Station
Join artist-in-residence Lisa Spangler (that’s me!) for a nature journaling workshop on either August 18 or August 24! Through presentations, demonstrations, and guided practice, participants will learn the art of documenting discoveries in nature on paper with words and sketches. Take home what you create! All supplies will be provided. Click here for more info.
Hope to see you there!
A question for you!
I have a question for all of you: I’ve been pondering what to say when people ask where I’m from.
And I really don’t know how to answer!
I grew up in Northeast Ohio, about 45 minutes west of Pittsburgh and my first “real” job was in Columbus, Ohio. So do I say I’m from Ohio?
I lived in Austin, Texas for 28 years — the longest I ever lived in one place. So do I say I’m from Texas?
Now that we sold our house and are traveling full time, do I say I’m from our last camp spot?
Help me out — leave a comment below! :)
Have a question for me?
Just leave me a comment and I’ll do my best to answer! Most of this week’s questions were about the kale salad that I posted in my Instagram stories:
I was craving a BIG salad after we restocked on groceries — does that ever happen to you? This one had kale, spinach, shredded red cabbage, shredded carrots, cucumbers, red bell peppers, tomatoes, soy beans, green onions, sunflower seeds and hemp seeds and black pepper with a tahini dressing. YUM!
Here’s the basic dressing recipe:
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup tahini
1/4 cup lemon juice or rice vinegar
a teaspoon of garlic powder
salt to taste
This makes enough for 3-4 salads, depending on how big they are. Sometimes I add a little miso paste or soy sauce instead of the salt. And sometimes sriracha! It’s so good on a hot day!
See you next week!
Thanks so much for following along on our advantures — I’m so glad you’re coming along for the ride!
See you next week — when we’ll hopefully be back up in the mountains! — Lisa and Jason
Hi Lisa, I registered for your Valles Caldera workshop and have not heard if I and my husband were accepted. I hope it's a "yes" and I will be able to meet you before we leave for our California home 😊! (I also sent a message to the organizer)
You may have talked about this but how do you decide where you are headed next? Do you have a '"schedule" of where you are going? Love that you have little workshops set up as you travel. I guess that made me wonder if this is what leads where you go next.