theboondork's RV blog

an oasis in the desert

4/7/2018

The Oliver Lee ranch Alamogordo New Mexico

A painting of Oliver Lee and his ranch house

It's been getting pretty warm here at Oliver Lee state Park getting into the mid-80s in the daytime. I don't mind that because the nights are still cool, but it's been kind of breezy which I'm never thrilled about.

There's a little Museum at the visitor center here at the Park which shows some of the history of the area, which as you might guess is mostly, Indians, US Calvary, and ranching.

The Park is named after Oliver Lee a rancher who owned a lot of this area and I believe donated the land to the state. The Park is located at the mouth of Dog Canyon which is like an oasis in the desert. Water runs through the bottom of dog Canyon so both ancient and modern people have been living here for a long time.

Walking into the Canyon for only a couple hundred feet is like a different world compared to where we are all camped in the park, there's large shade trees, things are green, and there's a tiny Creek running through the bottom that makes all that possible.

The US Calvary fought many battles in and around Dog Canyon with the Mescalero Apache. Apparently the Apache knew that Dog Canyon was not only a good place to hide where you could find food and water but was also a great place to ambush anyone coming after you, as the Calvary found out on several occasions.

Since the Apaches spent so much time in Dog Canyon I have to assume that they bought the annual New Mexico state Park pass like I just did or it would've been too expensive to camp here for very long.

theboondork

looking out of the mouth of Dog Canyon

16 Comments

Barney Ward

4/7/2018 05:56:00 pm

I bet the indians got the resident rate instead of what us outsiders have to pay.

Tom hudson

4/7/2018 06:52:27 pm

Back in those days they had what was known as the Tribal Pass. The Tribal Park Pass would be purchased by the Chief and for one price the entire tribe could camp at the Park. This pass replaced the earlier Horse Pass which would only allow ever how many people that would fit on one horse. The Chief would be given one sticker for each member of the tribe which would be stuck to the horses head just below his left ear. This allowed tribal members to come and go as they pleased without trying to get 10 of them on the same horse.... For someone born in New Mexico I'm rather surprised you were unaware of this.

Tom

Tim

4/7/2018 08:25:59 pm

Maybe they used feathers instead of stickers back then? It's all starting to make sense.

I'm really impressed with everything I've heard about New Mexico state parks, especially for the price with the Annual Pass; only been to a couple of places in Northern New Mexico, so looking forward to seeing more of the state and hearing more from you and Barney on your visits this year.

4/7/2018 08:56:03 pm

I have found that New Mexico is a pretty good place to be when I'm transitioning from my summer area to my winter area and returning about six months later. Partially because of its proximity to Colorado and partially because it has different altitudes so you can find relatively comfortable climates in the late fall and early spring.

When I leave Colorado around October when it's starting to get pretty chilly, in just a few hours I can be in New Mexico which is not only a lower altitude but also further South so I'm back in fairly comfortable Fall weather again. And when it's starting to get too warm in the desert areas of Arizona in the Spring I can run around New Mexico and usually find weather more to my liking while I'm waiting for Colorado to warm up.

So by spending time in New Mexico in the late Fall and the early Spring I feel that the annual pass is not only a financial benefit but also makes camping at the parks very convenient.

Tom

4/8/2018 11:35:57 am

Hi Tom,

Yes, New Mexico is sure convenient to Colorado. When I was younger (and healed faster), I occasionally went skiing in Northern New Mexico (Red River area) and Southern Colorado (Purgatory, Crested Butte, etc.). I loved all those areas and am really enthralled by the western history of the areas (looking forward to visiting all the western places I've only read about).

I'm thinking that New Mexico will be my "touchstone" so to speak, where I can jump over to Arizona, head north back up to South Dakota (and other points north), or head east to see family. It seems like it's kind of a crossroads for most of the places I want to go.

We're still freezing our tales off up here in the Northeast. I talked with my RV dealer in Minnesota and I think my Arctic Fox has a foot of snow on top of it right now. I'm thinking I'll be there in September, but now I'm beginning to wonder if that's maybe waiting one month too long - have to give that some more thought. I might be making a mad dash to get down to New Mexico as soon as possible.

Enjoy the warm weather!

4/8/2018 12:30:18 pm

Yeah New Mexico has a lot of things going for it, and the inexpensive parks pass makes it possible to see and do a lot of stuff around the state without spending a bunch of money.

My daughter and her husband are both skiers, actually more boarders now than skiers, I tried it when I first moved to Colorado but never quite got the hang of it. And then there was that little problem of driving over treacherous mountain passes in a blizzard just to ski on fresh powder.

In southern New Mexico its been a wee bit to0 warm, mid-80s in the daytime 60s at night, nothing I cant deal with, but maybe I need to get a little farther north when I leave here.

My personal opionion is, as long as your important ducks are in a row it's never to early to go fulltime, any leftover ducks can be lined up while traveling.... And then spend the rest of your life avoiding having any more ducks.

Tom

4/8/2018 07:31:19 pm

Tim most fulltimers I have met.feel that they started later than they should have.

4/8/2018 07:35:51 pm

This comment has theboondork's seal of approval

Tom

4/8/2018 08:02:30 pm

Thanks guys - very timely comment. On rare occasions, I wonder if I'm doing the right thing; but when I think about it, I realize the clock is ticking and it's later in my life than I think. I may wish I had just one extra month at some point because nothing is guaranteed in life.

Tonight I'm watching a recorded live stream by Bob Wells and he's talking about the importance of finding meaning in life. That's the reason I want to do this now - my current job is just collecting a pay check (I used to find fulfillment in it, but things have changed) and I think it's time to get out and start finding more meaning in life. I'm thinking of dozens of things I want to do when I go full time.

So, here's one of my favorite quotes by Mark Twain "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."

My second favorite saying is "Never put off till tomorrow what may be done day after tomorrow just as well". Smart man - I think that will be my new motto when I'm fulltiming.

4/8/2018 08:51:00 pm

And there will be dozens of things that you want to do when you go full time. But like I've said so many times before the most important thing that you do will be to slow down, relax, and enjoy every day simply because your where you want to be doing what you want to do. Believe me, that is the key to making everything else fun.

Mark Twain had it right, and I think a lot of people don't do what he suggested because they're afraid of failing, not realizing that failing is one of life's greatest teaching experiences. Someone can sit on the sofa all day watching MASH reruns where they will be safe but never have the satisfaction of having a life well lived, which includes both successes and failures.

I've simplified the never put off till tomorrow thing, with my version of "never do anything until you feel like it".

Tom

4/9/2018 01:27:50 pm

Good points Tom and guessing I'll slow down from where I am now. As we've discussed, I'll be in a little different boat because I won't officially be retired until Medicare age (in about 6 years). In the mean time, I'll continue to work at least 30 hours a week for the insurance, which covers me in all 50 states (many policies don't cover you everywhere). That might keep me busier than a normal retiree and might require a little more travel; it's more like I'll be semi-retired.

I have several ideas for work (some that we've discussed), which should make the transition easier from full-time stationary working to full-time RVing working (and be a lot more fun than my current job). All of them are going to keep me pretty busy, at least on start-up. However, really looking forward to the change to more freedom in my work life (and where I live) and if I don't like the work, I'll move on to something else. When I hit 65 (or change to another insurance policy), I can really start to slow down and relax.

Pretty exciting to think about all of this.

theboondork

4/9/2018 02:28:30 pm

I had forgotten about your insurance that required some work, but that can be a good thing. I myself was partially retired before I went full-time and if done properly can ease you into a life of freedom and limited stress without having to suddenly become that way overnight, which is not very easy to do and why I'm always emphasizing how a person has to work at it.

Since your work can be self-employment, as opposed to a camp host or something like that, I would highly recommend the self-employment. I was never happy at a job, I tolerated it, but I wasn't happy. Being self-employed changed all that and I no longer dreaded being at work, in fact I looked forward to it.

So finding something that you can do, or appear to do, whenever you want could be very beneficial and slowly ease you down into the full timing lifestyle without the sudden stop that a lot of people experience when they get the gold watch.

Tom

4/10/2018 07:56:21 am

Yes, I agree about preferring self-employment, although I haven't worked for myself before (well, unless you count mowing grass when I was a kid). I actually don't mind working at all - just tired of all the office politics and other nonsense.

After I've been doing this for a few years, I could see being a campground host at a location that I've found in my travels that I really like, want to spend some extended time at, and like the supervisory personnel (maybe with the Forest Service or Corps facility). I wouldn't want to be a campground host somewhere that I've never been to and don't like the people. Plus, it would have to be relatively short term. But, all of that is for years down the road when I get a handle on a few other things.

I'm really looking forward to the work projects I have planned. Like any new business, it may take some time for any money to come in (if it ever does), but it will be a fun challenge. Plus, as you say, it will allow me to skydive into the land of retirement instead of jumping without a parachute. You know what they say, it's not the fall that gets you, it's the sudden stop.

4/10/2018 08:48:40 am

My experience has been that it's almost never the work, it's the boss, the pay, the other employees, or a combination of those three.

I've talked to a few campground hosts at various places and they all say they like what they're doing. Especially the National Forest and state Park hosts. Those hosts are almost always seasonal so there only working for a few months, so even if it's not all that great there not going to be there for very long.

There's a whole bunch of self-employment things you can do when you're around a bunch of RVers. Just a few of the things I've seen are. Minor RV repairs, tax preparation, dog grooming, dog photography, barber, filling people's water tanks, computer repair. There's a lot more, these are just the ones I've seen personally.

Yeah I think it is that sudden stop when you walk out of the office you've been working at for 30 years and think you're going to replace that with a few more games of golf or learning how to fish. And after a couple of months of rattling around a big empty house your knocking on doors looking for a job again.

I think full-time RVing in itself helps the transition from working full time to a leisurely retirement, because at least you have a new life with new places to go and new things to do without having to look out the same old window at the same old neighbors house and drive to the same grocery store day after day after day. Geez, that made me cringe just writing it.

Full-time RVing is a completely different way to live, which offers you new challenges, new vistas, and new ways of thinking about life. Or in my case setting new records for procrastination and laziness.

Tom

4/10/2018 09:27:11 am

That's interesting that you brought up the house versus RV retirement. Part of my trepidation was all the decisions to be made: 1) When to retire; 2) Where to live; 3) What kind of structure to live in (RV, house, condo, apartment, etc.) and 4) What to do in retirement.

For me, when I thought about all the questions in the preceding paragraph, I circled back to Rving. My thoughts to each question were: 1) Whenever I want to, because my expenses will be less in an RV than a house (at least the money pit of a house that I had); 2) In an RV, anywhere I want, depending on my mood, weather, time of year, etc. 3) I wanted a different view and different experiences - only one that made sense was an RV. I cringed too when I thought about always going back to the same place (but I might feel different at some future date) and dealing with the same potentially cranky neighbors day in and day out until I die. Plus, I didn't want to buy a house and then have trouble selling it if I didn't like the area (I tried selling my house 3 times over the years). 4) There are so many potential things to do RVing that I doubt I'll get bored unless I want to be bored. Plus, for things like photography and blogging, there's more to discuss when visiting new locations.

I have some remote opportunities that are a possibility already (helping my son), but they will be really depend on having reliable internet. I could probably also consult in the business I'm in (maybe even with my current company), but I'll probably want to move on to something else and put this all behind me.

Camp hosting does appeal to me for the Forest Service, Corps, or BLM. What doesn't sound like much fun is working for some of those Vendors that contract with the Parks. Looks like a lot of stress and high pressure, but I could be wrong.

Well, it sounds like you've put in your time, probably working your tail off in your own businesses, so you should relish any laziness and procrastination that comes your way.

4/10/2018 03:52:34 pm

Like I mentioned before one of the many good things about the RVing lifestyle is it's not permanent, you can always rent an apartment somewhere and use the trailer for vacations.

It seems like there's a lot of people working on the Internet and living in their RVs nowadays. Even though I complain about the Internet and its availability a lot, there have been very few times when I couldn't get on the Internet and that was mostly because I was either too lazy to drive to a town to get some Internet or I boondocked someplace where the Internet was poor. If my income was based on having good Internet reception, a little bit of preparation and investigation could solve most of those problems.

I loathe and despise our parks and public lands being leased out to those "vendors" in my opinion their our lands and our parks and companies should not be making a profit letting us visit our own property.

Yes I did put in a lot of hours, but it wasn't like work to me, I went home tired but happy, and that seldom happened when I worked at a job.

Tom

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