New Mexico

It was the 4th of July holiday weekend, and the Jemez area was packed! Every scenic stop was crawling with people, and every trailhead had a half mile of overflow parking along the road. Valles Caldera was impossible!

Do you ever get that feeling "Get me out of here!" I abandoned the Jemez, blew by Valles Caldera, and headed towards Los Alamos. My destination was a boondocking spot in the Santa Fe National Forest. ...

There's nothing like some big old ponderosa pines to make it feel like mountain living! :)

Apache Creek campground is one of those places that without being spectacular, is exceedingly pleasant. ...

I'm camped at this lovely spot right above the Gila River, with fabulous cliffs just across the way.

From my spot at the Forks campground, it's an easy walk down to the river, where I spent some time on this warm summer day dangling my feet in the water, thinking of everything and nothing. :) ...

Most of the Gila forest is north of Silver City, but there's a little piece to the south, in the Big Burro Mountains. Taking highway 90 from Lordsburg to Silver City, where you cross the summit and the Continental Divide, there's a turnoff where you'll find easy boondocking.

Cattlemen Trail is not an official campground, but you'll see stone fire rings left by previous campers ...