Thin pines cover the surrounding mountains, stretching upward in an effort to greet the sun. A gentle morning breeze carries the subtle scent of wild mint mingled with pungent undertones of decomposing vegetation from somewhere deeper in the wilderness. Water burbles over fallen tree limbs and around exposed rocks, as buzzing insects skim the stream’s surface leaving expanding ripples with every touch. Hungry fish gulp after the flying creatures, temporarily leaving the comfort and safety of their underwater abode to venture briefly into the dry, alien world above. The most adventurous – and maybe the most hungry – leave the water entirely, flinging their sleek, glistening bodies into the air before plunging back into the cool, welcoming comfort of the stream. You stand on the shore, warmed by the summer sun, gazing into the swirling depths with fishing rod in hand and wonder aloud, “If these fish are so hungry, why aren’t the little [expletive deleted] eating what’s on my hook?”

Coyote Creek State Park is home to some of the best trout fishing in northeastern New Mexico, with the namesake creek running through the middle of the park and easily accessible from nearly anywhere inside the park boundary. Thanks to the recent drought and lack of snow this past winter, the water level is significantly lower than average. Many of the beavers once calling the area home have migrated to deeper waters, and their natural dams have fallen into disrepair. With no barricades to slow the creek’s flow, the deeper pools gradually disappeared leaving few areas for trout to hide. The New Mexico Department of Game and Fish routinely stocks the waters with trout (possibly from the nearby Mora National Fish Hatchery, but I couldn’t confirm this). Despite the lack of beaver dams, trout were still abundant on our first visit to Coyote Creek in early July. I hadn’t fished at all in New Mexico up to this point because the parks we visited previously weren’t great fishing locations. Thanks to the available WiFi at the Coyote Creek main office, I hopped online and acquired a fishing license to take advantage of the beautiful creek. During our first two-week stay, we enjoyed fresh trout for dinner nearly every time I chose to go fishing. This wasn’t because I’m particularly good at catching trout – I mostly got lucky and had plenty of fish available in the well-stocked creek.

When we returned at the end of July, the temperatures had risen to above average and the rainy monsoon season was just beginning. With the water temperature now averaging above 65 degrees, the DFG was forced to cease stocking the creek since trout need cool water to survive. The fishing experience was completely different during our second visit as a result. The lack of beaver dams combined with the lower water levels and higher temperatures created an environment inhospitable to trout. The few that remained in this area of Coyote Creek hid in the scattered deeper pools and required a bit more effort to coax onto a hook. When the water temperature finally dropped below 65 degrees, the rain from the daily thunderstorms quickly flooded the creek pushing fish out of the park further downstream. With no beaver dams to contain the rainwater, stocking efforts inside the park were essentially futile.

While standing creekside in an idyllic mountain setting is certainly nourishing to the soul, I enjoy catching fish slightly more so than the act of simply fishing. The handful of times I chose to go fishing during our second visit to Coyote Creek more closely resembled walks in the woods with my hands full of fishing gear, rather than actual fishing excursions. I caught exactly one trout over a two-week span, as opposed to fifteen or so during the same time frame of our initial visit. Since the fire ban was lifted in Mora County, I fired up the Weber in a smoking configuration and gave this lone trout a place of honor on the grill grates. The resulting smoked trout salad we shared for dinner that evening was worth the extra effort.

Coyote Creek is one of the most well-maintained parks we’ve stumbled across in our summer exploration of New Mexico this year. In comparison to some of the other parks we’ve visited, the facilities at Coyote Creek are fully cleaned every single day. This may seem like a small thing, but the maintenance effort by the staff completely impacts the overall atmosphere of the park. Where most parks are content to peek into the vault toilets every couple of days to check the toilet paper situation, the staff at Coyote Creek cleans the primitive vault toilets from top to bottom every day, with a “touch-up” cleaning later in the afternoons. The bathhouse facility receives the same treatment, and the picnic shelters are even lightly pressure-washed to remove debris and spiderwebs in between visiting campers. Ground maintenance routinely mows the grass and trims the weeds around designated campsites in an effort to not only keep the park in pristine condition, but to also control nesting wildlife which may cause a nuisance to campers. Not only are the staff members working diligently to present a shining example of a New Mexico state park, they also find the time to chat with visitors and share local knowledge, fishing tips, and simply pleasant conversation. They seriously deserve accolades for the work they do and their willingness to engage visitors.

The park is fairly small, with only 33 designated campsites plus an overflow area which could probably fit another ten or so RVs at full capacity. The campground offers ten reservation sites with water and electricity, however, you would be doing yourself a disservice to choose one of these sites. The reservation sites are lined up side by side, very close to each other, and mostly in full sun with no privacy from your neighbors. In fact, your slides and awnings may actually brush against your neighbor’s rig when fully extended. With the non-reservation sites located deeper within the park, they provide more seclusion, plenty of space, and the natural setting you may be seeking when camping within a state park. For tent campers or people with smaller RVs, five sites are located on the side of the mountain under the cover of pines – assuming your rig is 18 feet or less in length. While I think a couple of those spaces could easily accommodate larger RVs, the size restriction is likely due to the steep, rough road leading into this upper loop. We didn’t risk the trek up that road in the RV despite the attraction of those secluded sites, opting instead for the lower, more open sites which allowed us to make good use of the solar panels.

You’ll find typical New Mexico state park bathroom facilities complete with the push button showers. A few vault toilets are located around the park close to the various camping loops. Don’t expect a Verizon signal within the park – our booster couldn’t amplify a non-existent signal – but the visitor’s center does have WiFi available. It’s not great, but it worked most of the time and was better than nothing at all. Our Republic Wireless phones were also roaming, so we couldn’t have used their data plans even if we wanted to. Having public WiFi in the park allowed us to stay much longer than we would have without any internet connectivity otherwise. The park has a short hiking trail (less than a mile) leading to a couple of overlook areas on the side of the mountain, but the attraction of Coyote Creek is definitely fishing, not hiking or biking. Stock up on groceries if you plan to stay for an extended time, unless you don’t mind driving about an hour south or half an hour north to the nearest town. With Las Vegas to the south and Angel Fire to the north, you’re still within striking distance for day trips if you choose, but you’re not exactly able to make a quick run to the store. Some people we spoke with also visited nearby Taos and Red River, but again both are at least an hour away from Coyote Creek. Eagle Nest State Park (probably the subject of our next post) would make a more convenient home base if you’re anticipating a sightseeing tour of New Mexico’s Enchanted Circle.

With monsoon season well underway during our second visit, we got our first taste of New Mexico’s wild weather patterns. Mornings often started a bit chilly, with clear skies and plenty of sun. Clouds started to roll in around noon, innocently fluffy and white. By mid-afternoon the cloud cover thickened, blocking the sun and shifting to darker, ominous colors. Thunder rolled in the distance as the first few drops of rain fell and the wind picked up speed. Heavy, brief downpours would soon follow, occasionally bringing icy hail. After a thorough soaking, the rain would generally stop within an hour as the wind died, leaving cloudy remnants behind. The late evening sun would once again make an appearance, too late to significantly raise the temperature as night fell.

Experiencing the shifting weather was a novelty at first, until the repeated hailstorms increased in frequency. During our second visit, one particular storm dropped hail roughly the size of marbles – nothing too crazy, but big enough to crack and punch holes in our apparently brittle plastic vent lids on the roof of the RV. A little duct tape and plastic sheeting later, we had the lids patched up enough to temporarily keep the rain from dripping in while we waited for replacements to arrive at the Walmart in nearby Taos. Homes and vehicles obviously require routine maintenance and upkeep, from simple cleaning, to changing oil, replacing shingles, etc. Discovering that our less than two-year-old vent lids had already become brittle from UV exposure was mildly disheartening. Replacements are fairly inexpensive, but having to simply discard plastic pieces that frankly should be engineered to resist the damaging rays of the sun for more than two years is pretty galling. Chalk up one more reason why RVing isn’t exactly environmentally friendly.

Ashley took the video below during the hailstorm, while I happened to be outside practicing in the picnic shelter when it started.  You couldn’t hear anything over the hail, so I took the opportunity to play with reckless abandon.

 

New Mexico’s night sky is devoid of much of the light pollution that plagues our more coastal states closer to major metropolitan areas. Some municipalities across the state have even enacted legislation to protect the night sky, such as requiring specific types of street lights that direct illumination downward and highway signs with certain bulbs to limit unnecessary light spillage. Astronomy buffs and amateur stargazers have incredible opportunities throughout the state to witness the night sky in its pure, unmolested form. Many of the state parks even host star-viewing events, with staff members arriving in the evening toting telescopes, binoculars, and star charts to share with eager visitors. One of these events happened to coincide with our second visit, and I happily threw on some warm layers and joined the small group by the playground to take a peek at the heavens. A park employee had a large portable telescope mounted on a rotating stand resting on the ground, ready to turn its wide lens upon the rising planets at twilight. The clouds cleared long enough for us to spot four different planets through the telescope, followed by unaided viewing of various constellations as the sky truly darkened. As a kid with a minor interest in astronomy, I was briefly transported to my younger days as we peered into outer space. We were actually able to see the rings around Saturn thanks to the telescope – a first for me, and an image that was both profound and humbling for this almost 40-year old who isn’t exactly a kid anymore.

Since Coyote Creek is in a fairly remote location, our visits were devoid of the temptation to hop on our bikes and ride into a nearby town for restaurants, breweries, or coffee shops. Without readily available internet, we were forced to consciously decide when we wanted to get online rather than mindlessly looking at our devices whenever we felt the urge to check email or social media. This also made it difficult to research things online or search for a quick answer when needed, but we simply started keeping track of what we wanted to look up when we eventually decided to make the short trip from campsite to park office.

We’ve gradually developed daily routines during our travels around New Mexico this summer, starting the morning together with cups of coffee and a game (chess, lately) followed by knitting, crocheting, and working on Meandering Stitcher business items for Ashley, and writing, exercising, and practicing mandolin for me. Some days require the addition of mundane chores like cooking, buying groceries, driving to a new location, finding a place to do laundry, making minor RV repairs – the events of everyday life. But we generally have the luxury of choosing how we want to fill our days and having the time to think about what activities truly bring lasting satisfaction to our lives. While we both have a lingering desire to find a place to remain stationary sometime in the future and be part of a physical community, this nomadic experience presents the opportunity to figure out what holds real meaning in our day to day experience. I realize this isn’t necessarily common, and we’re actively striving to take full advantage of this rare and unique situation. We’re both discovering an inherent drive to create rather than consume (although I am often tempted by delicious beer, Ashley finds it hard to resist fancy coffee drinks, and we both definitely enjoy the occasional quality restaurant outing) which is becoming more apparent with each passing day.

We’re far from uncovering some mystical, hidden meaning of life – which may or may not even exist. But simply slowing down, eliminating unnecessary distractions, and giving yourself time to think might start you down your own path to discovery. Easy for me to say, I know – the guy with no kids, no pets, no real job – but this perceived “life of leisure” is anything but. We find the day to be more fulfilling when we’re actively engaged in projects, learning something new, or improving existing skills. Take one day if you can, or just take an hour if possible and hide your phone, turn off the television, and just slow down. Stare into the night sky, walk around the neighborhood, bike the nearest trail, watch the leaves fall in your backyard, and simply listen to the quiet voice inside your head that’s so often drowned out by distraction. It might not take a trip into the enchanted mountains of New Mexico for you to discover some hidden truth about yourself – but if the open road is calling, maybe it’s time to take a drive and get lost in the wild. You never know what you might find.