Coffee is on and fire is going.



The wife had a 7AM doctor's appointment yesterday, so we didn't leave downtown Austin until 7:30. Took 9 hours to get here, even with fighting rush hour traffic to escape Austin and three fuel stops.

Had a little fuel shortage scare coming into Ft. Stockton. I had stopped and topped off in Fredricksburg. About 15 miles east of Ft. Stockton my Low Fuel light came on. Ended up putting 26.5 gallons in the 27 gal. tank. Too close for comfort in that part of the world.

Saw lots of wildlife along the way. I'll post up more pics later.

Nice
Good to get a little R&R.
Y'all deserve it, relax and enjoy

Have fun while you're there.
It will be good to see some pics from up that way.

Nice

Sure looks nice, have a great trip.

We're staying at Dan Dee Cabins in the upper canyon. Every cabin has it's own fireplace. They're comfortable and a little rustic.

Just finished a breakfast of biscuits, bacon and scrambled eggs. Now getting ready go do some sight seeing. This is my wife's first time here.

Enjoy. Look forward to seeing some pic's.

I am now wanting a fire, some bacon, eggs and biscuits. Hope y'all have a great time.

Me too! Have fun!

Sounds like a good trip so far LP.

Have a good time LP. It must be cold up there today! Are the snow slides open by Ski Apache? Might be a neat place to take the Mrs. and do some uuber tubing.

My grandfather owned a pharmacy there years ago. On trash days he would wait in the alley with his Benjamin air rifle and shoot a black bear who was a dumpster diver extraordinaire. Papa was a great grandfather and super pharmacist but he should have rethought his hunting setup a bit.

Have fun up there Mike. That is beautiful country.

I skied there when it was Sierra Blanca around 1980 or so. Beautiful place!

Post some pics!

Air rifle against a black bear? Chital would be envious.

Apparently the bear was more interested in the trash than in a 65 year old air gun wielding pharmacist beccause he died of old age (grandfather, not sure what happened to the bear).

Beautiful Place. Inn of the Mountain Gods is a must see if you like a scenic golf course. Stayed in Alto Village for a week and had deer in the yard almost every morning and evening. I can remember counting hundreds of speed goats right around the Texas, New Mexico border. That was about 18 years ago. I understand their numbers have suffered in recent years. Hope you enjoy your stay. Looking forward to the pics.

Sounds like a good one

Yesterday we headed up to Lake Bonita. I was here last summer just days before the fires swept through and burned all around the lake. We continued up Tanbark Canyon, to the top of Nogal Pass. Then we headed down the north side of the pass to the town of Nogal.

For us flatlanders the north side of a mountain is the coldest and holds snow longer. Heading down the grade was much more difficult than it sounds. We bogged down in deep snow and had to dig out. Then it required a lot of throttle to get going again. We did make it though.

The snow was over a foot deep, crusted on top, powdery beneath and on a layer of thick ice at the ground. No traction.

At the top of the pass. We went up the southern side and it was very easy. Required 4x4 but no slipping or sliding.



Road heading down the north side. We got mired in the snow just around that far bend. The road was too narrow to turn around so once we committed there was no going back.



...and we're stuck



My brother digging out. He lives in Ruidoso and 4-wheels all over these mountains. In his words, "You ain't stuck 'til you're walkin".

Nice. Have a good time LP.

After coming off the mountain we went to Capitan and ate at the Smokey The Bear Cafe. Not bad food and worth the stop. We then toured the Smokey Bear Museum. Then drove down to Lincoln and checked out the Billy the Kid attractions.

Pic of Sierra Blanca from Mid-town



Lake Bonita and nearby hillside burned. Lake Bonita silted in with ash after the fire. It's being drained so it can be dredged.


All of the tracks through the snow are amazing. Here's a set of Kangaroo Rat tracks followed by a set of fox tracks.

Angela and Smokey



Mule deer between Capitan and Ruidoso



"Yard Rats" at mom's house

I wanna shoot one so badly!

From the pics it looks like a fun trip! Weather looks great.