A big day today.......a new state. As I packed the tent and stuff, felt a few raindrops.......hoped no more rain today. I was waiting at the convenience store when it opened at 6. Needed some ice, something for breakfast, and a few other things for the road. Talked to a guy there who was from NM, and he knew his stuff about distances, elevations, etc. (I have to take back where I said nobody knows this any more.) I mentioned Lordsburg was 36 miles, he said 37 from where we were at the time (which it was). He said I would gain 600' elevation (which I did), and hold it all the way to Deming. Said I had a tough climb out of Alomogorda, and might encounter some snow there. Interesting guy to talk with,and I appreciated his advice.
Headed out, and before long was in NM. I had not walked over a mile in the new state, and encountered 4 tarantulas. It's like there are invisible boundaries in the desert, and they couldn't cross into AZ. They were just like the pics you've seen of them.....for some reason I imagined them to be all black, but the bodies are mostly brown and the legs more black. I took 1 picture with my cell phone, then the memory was full, so that's all I was able to take. I also saw a small snake, looked kinda like a garter snake or something. Also spotted either a coyote or wolf in a field......think it was probably coyote.
Most of the rest of the day was just walking. I noticed NM has fences along the roads, just like AZ. The other difference I noticed was, it was like the mountains were set back away from me for 10 or so miles. While in AZ they were close by. But here, they were in the distance with vast, flat, plains of grass (and grasshoppers) in between. I also lost an hour of walking because of the time difference. Around 5pm, decided to go ahead and quit for the day and find a good camping spot. Figured I have covered about 23-24 miles, leaving a relatively short day tomorrow into Lordsburg.
As it started to get dark, lots of wind came up and I could see lighting in the distance. Do I go out and put the fly on the tent and risk an encounter with a tarantula? Or, do I risk waking up with rain in the tent. Finally decided to put the fly up, and not worry about the tarantula. The wind blew for a while, but never rained. Soon I was asleep.
(Some days back, Dianna at the RV park in Apache Junction told me the wind always blows in NM. Well Dianna, so far I agree with you. Hasn't been too strong, but a constant wind coming from the southeast. And, the terrain is so flat and desolate. Probably the first day I haven't talked to someone.)
Headed out, and before long was in NM. I had not walked over a mile in the new state, and encountered 4 tarantulas. It's like there are invisible boundaries in the desert, and they couldn't cross into AZ. They were just like the pics you've seen of them.....for some reason I imagined them to be all black, but the bodies are mostly brown and the legs more black. I took 1 picture with my cell phone, then the memory was full, so that's all I was able to take. I also saw a small snake, looked kinda like a garter snake or something. Also spotted either a coyote or wolf in a field......think it was probably coyote.
Most of the rest of the day was just walking. I noticed NM has fences along the roads, just like AZ. The other difference I noticed was, it was like the mountains were set back away from me for 10 or so miles. While in AZ they were close by. But here, they were in the distance with vast, flat, plains of grass (and grasshoppers) in between. I also lost an hour of walking because of the time difference. Around 5pm, decided to go ahead and quit for the day and find a good camping spot. Figured I have covered about 23-24 miles, leaving a relatively short day tomorrow into Lordsburg.
As it started to get dark, lots of wind came up and I could see lighting in the distance. Do I go out and put the fly on the tent and risk an encounter with a tarantula? Or, do I risk waking up with rain in the tent. Finally decided to put the fly up, and not worry about the tarantula. The wind blew for a while, but never rained. Soon I was asleep.
(Some days back, Dianna at the RV park in Apache Junction told me the wind always blows in NM. Well Dianna, so far I agree with you. Hasn't been too strong, but a constant wind coming from the southeast. And, the terrain is so flat and desolate. Probably the first day I haven't talked to someone.)
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