Thursday 2nd February – Bosque Del Apache Wildlife Refuge

I was awake before the alarm.  Probably worried I may sleep through it.  It was freezing cold and dark but the heating and the kettle went on straight away and we made it to the refuge by 630am, selecting a spot at the end of the field where we’d seen the largest number of snow geese yesterday afternoon.  We didn’t want to venture far from the warmth of the RV and here we had a good view straight out of the window.  The sunrise was impressive as was the numbers of geese:

Having witnessed the main event Simon then patiently drove us around the refuge stopping to order and spotting premium wildlife for the next few hours.  It did involve stopping for bacon sandwiches, and watching two bald eagles perched in the middle of a scenic lake (below) so it wasn’t all bad.  But the majority was just staring at birds….

The bald eagles are the two black blobs on top of the branch

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Close-up bald eagles

I've identified this as a merlin.... I could be wrong!

 

Close-ups of Sandhill Cranes

Prickly Pear cactus

Our ranger man yesterday advised us to take a walk around the canyon trail.  Even though we were tired we had been cooped up in the RV so agreed to go for a walk.  We were glad we made the effort, the canyon was intriguing and part of the walk took us up to a lookout with a fantastic view across the whole refuge:

It was only 1230 pm and we were satisfied we had well and truly done the wildlife refuge.  We were also running low on fuel and wanted to make some progress.  We briefly joined the interstate and found a town to top up on groceries (yes, a Walmart) and fill the tank with reasonable price gas.  It was then only an hour and a half’s drive to a PA I’d noticed for only $10 AND with amazing views of the Sandia mountains, right next door to the Coronado Historic Site.  But we were too tired to bother with any more scenery or culture today.  All we wanted to do was put the kettle on and relax for the evening.  Tomorrow would bring more exploration on scenic roads, no Interstates to be seen.

I know that the whole US experience is about seeing Cities as well as the rural side of the States but I think I will always be more taken aback by the natural wonders that America has to offer than the human ones.  I’m really enjoying this next phase of the trip into the wilderness.