Back in Denver.
I made it safely back to Denver this morning, bringing with me a lot of good memories from my trip to Pete's. If it had been an ordinary trip to Pete's, the weather would've made it a total disaster, but since I wanted those three days of rainy, cloudy weather, it turned out perfect.
Since I had plenty of time to do some research on the Internet looking for a place that would be a substitute for Storrie Lake State Park in Las Vegas, New Mexico, that would offer me a place to unwind, relax, and start adapting to my winter travels, I found a place that might fill the bill, and it's called the Maxwell National Wildlife Refuge. It's located in a tiny town in New Mexico called Maxwell, about 50 miles south of Raton on I-25, and it seems to offer just what I need to get my winter travels started.
The high points are that there's a campground at the wildlife refuge, which is pretty rare for wildlife refuges, but it has a big open area near a lake with plenty of room for a lot of large RVs and, other than a few picnic tables, it's just a big open field to park in wherever you feel like, which is the kind of boondocking I like. There are several lakes there, and the main draw is fishing, birdwatching, and hiking trails; apparently, it attracts a lot of different kinds of birds, maybe even Sandhill cranes in the season. The campground has a seven-day stay limit, which works for me since that's all the time I need. I saved the best for last: the entrance to the wildlife area and camping are totally free.... And nothing makes me happier than free boondocking.
I don't know if that place is as good as it sounds, but I'm gonna stop there on my way south and find out.
Theboondork
Some pictures from Pete’s.