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Date:         Sat, 30 Jul 2011 20:29:45 -0500
Reply-To:     mcneely4@COX.NET
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Dave Mcneely <mcneely4@COX.NET>
Subject:      Re: We went to Valle Vidal
Comments: To: Robert Fisher <garciasghostvw@GMAIL.COM>
In-Reply-To:  <CAB5BEXY1tOXov0fCaF77zJuSsGrGDjOHTTLc+pFnZmRrZDNHaw@mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8

in the Carson National Forest, New Mexico for a few days this week, mostly to escape the temperatures up to 111 F that occurred here in Edmond, Oklahoma while we were away.

Wow, that has got to be the last, best place left (accessible by road) in New Mexico. Thirty-five miles of gravel to get there, but then big, open panoramas, a forty cow elk herd with calves born in June just laying around for the looking (one big bull with the herd). Elevation of the campground just over 9500'. No drunks or other folks who disturb the peace. In my experience, when you get to the places without piped water, the yahoos don't make it there. Bear sign was abundant, but we saw no bears. Best of all, temperatures ranged from mid-forties to mid-seventies F.

A little rain, and down below at about 8100' a real surprise in the form of a persistent snow field about a mile across. This was well below timberline and well below any elevation where we would have expected snow. In fact, none of the areas above timberline showed any evidence of snow -- this was just an oddity that I can't really explain. It was in a long, north-south trending, heavily wooded valley. Perhaps just one of those spots where cold air settles and deep snow accumulates, allowing it to persist longer than normal. The other possibility is that a recent storm dropped it. There have been the usual summer monsoon rain storms over the past few days. The snow looked like old, leftover stuff, though. Oh, and along the creek, which had recently run very high, there were old ridges of a mixture of snow and mud that was cut by the water runoff. I really did not expect anything like snow persisting in New Mexico so late in the season.

Camper ran well the whole trip, including climbing and in the heat, well over 100 F as we crossed the plains in the Texas Panhandle and NE New Mexico. No oil pressure drops like it used to experience before the tencentlife oil cooler. The oil is Castrol 20W-50, which I've gone back to despite my dislike of the company that markets the brand.

mcneely


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