We followed Hwy 17 north, through some pretty basic flat, one could say hardscrabble, landscape. In a town called Pecos, we turned onto Hwy 285.
As we drove along, it became very clear that we, and our shiny little camper, were interlopers in a foreign land. The road was undulating rough, asphalt cracked and pounded, and the smell of oil hung in the air. Perhaps the endless stream of rail tankers was the first clue. The landscape evolved...or perhaps regressed. It was like we arrived at a giant industrial park that went on and on, until the horizon was just a thin line.
Every square inch of the land had been scraped, roughed up and used in all sorts of manner. There were buildings, machinery, trucks, pumpjacks, tanks, derricks, pipes, debris, you name it, scattered everywhere. It was hard to comprehend...it seemed so raw, so brutal. We understand what is fueling our little journey here, we just never really up close saw what goes on behind the scenes to put that juice in our tank. Now that we have had a glimpse, and it was not pretty...regardless of the all the arguments back and forth about oil, it is still today’s reality.
Then it changed, we crossed into New Mexico...the road became smooth, the stench was gone, the land was almost as you would expect it. There were however, tiny little islands of industry scattered about, many, many of them. But it was somehow different, more palatable, perhaps because it was not so visually raw.
It was a thought provoking drive, and you do need those.
We eventually arrived at the park, and I say eventually as it is really out there. Brantley Lake is part of a reservoir dam that formed a large lake. The campground is perched on top of a ridge, overlooking the lake below. The sites are big, well appointed with sun shades and picnic tables, and the whole place is well maintained.
The wind was howling though, just ripping across the wide open spaces, and it was seriously chilly. We got set up, took a little walk around, then headed inside, mostly out of fear of being blown across the land like a tumbleweed.
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| a little experimentation with night photography |
It was forecasted for the temp to sink to 30F overnight, so we decided it was time to give one of our winter projects a test. In extreme temps, we have found that the side walls and glass can transmit a fair amount of coolness. Hoping to improve the warmth inside, we came up with a mod to add an insulating liner to the side and back walls.
Up they went, and quite frankly, it felt warmer. Less cool spots, and certainly less cold radiating from the side wall. We only made the panels for the back half of the Alto, thinking the sleeping area is what needed the extra comfort. There is a short mod post about these panels, with a few photos of course...found here.
Damn cold last night, it sunk to 28F...but at least I don’t have to shovel it.
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