Elephant Butte State Park, New Mexico
I slid silently and gracefully into the front gate at Elephant Butte State Park and, without even being noticed, pulled into one of the many boondocking areas overlooking the reservoir. One of the reasons I wasn't noticed is that there's hardly anyone here. It’s not deserted, but it's largely uninhabited.
Maybe this has something to do with the upcoming Thanksgiving holidays, and everyone's on their way to Grandma's house. Or it could have something to do with the extremely low water levels in the reservoir. Or maybe the locals heard I was coming and canceled all their plans to enjoy a few days at Elephant Butte State Park.
1...Everybody heading for grandma's house could be part of the problem, but you would think there would still be more than a handful of people camping here. Maybe grandmas are more popular here than in other places?
2… When I was at Storrie Lake State Park a couple of weeks ago, I commented that the water was extremely high in that reservoir. Yet there was hardly anybody staying at Storrie Lake either compared to the number of people I'm used to seeing at the Park this time of year. So, I don't think the water level has anything to do with it.
3… That leaves the locals hearing about me coming to Elephant Butte State Park and canceling all their plans. Since my blog gives everybody a pretty good indication of where I'm heading, it's possible that the locals would've heard through the grapevine that I was on my way and delayed all of their camping, boating, and picnicking plans for the week. That makes perfect sense because I probably wouldn't have come here if I knew I would have to put up with me myself, which explains why I never tell myself where I will go until I wake up in the morning.
Oh well, at least I don't have to put up with a bunch of people. I can boondock anyplace I want, surrounded by natural beauty and the silence of nature. And best of all, I have a 360° view without a single RV in it.
PS.. Here’s the latest I’ve read about New Mexico’s state park fee increases. In the article, click on “proposed changes” for details.
https://www.krqe.com/news/new-mexico/fees-for-state-parks-may-be-going-up-soon-in-new-mexico/
Theboondork
Here’s a whole tree full of the famous New Mexico Roadrunners. These New Mexico Roadrunners like to perch in trees so they can easily spot the snakes, lizards, and Coyotes they feed on.
Sandhill cranes.
Snow geese Landing on the lake.
Snow geese fly overhead getting ready to land on the lake.
I took this panorama to try and capture as many snow geese in the picture as I could, but there are still even more in front of my camper and behind the line of cars behind me. The Rangers estimate there are 22,000 snow geese at the Bosque.