Well that sucks!

Click the pics like you've never clicked before.

The boondocking spot I've stayed at before in the Rio Grande Canyon at the foot of the Elephant Butte dam

This morning a Park Ranger drives up and informs me I'm not supposed be boondocking where I'm at. He was very nice and even apologetic about it, he said it wasn't my fault, but Elephant Butte had closed all the boondocking except up at the main camping area, and nobody bothered to put up any signs telling folks that was the case. He even said he had to call the boss to make sure that was still the policy, because if you remember, they just opened up boondocking last weekend, and he said for the most part they're just as confused as the rest of us. So in all of my years of boondocking that is the first time I can remember being asked to leave while boondocking.

So it looks like I've learned something else about New Mexico State Parks getting back to normal which is.... there still not back to normal.

Finding that out on a Friday was really bad timing for me because when I got to the main camping area I found the boondocking area full. And of course the reservation hook- up campgrounds were also full, seeing as how it's the beginning of a weekend this is to be expected.... Bummer.

So I went to a place a few miles away where I've boondocked several times before in the Rio Grande Canyon, which is at the base of the Elephant Butte dam. It's not a bad place, as long as the dam holds. It's right on the river and there's plenty of room between boondocker's so I'll just deal with this until something better comes along, but there's no chance that's gonna happen until after the weekend rush is over.

                                       Theboondork           

New Mexico Mountain sunset.

It's very rare to find a Blue Bellied Cattlestalker this far west, usually they live on the east bank of the Rio Grande, but this one is apparently confused as to what bank he should be on. There's only two ways of identifying this bird so that it's not confused with the Singlewinged Blue Bellied Hummingbird.

One is the slight green coloration on the upper part of the bill, and the other is his legs are seven feet long, the Rio Grande is pretty deep at this location. Their diet consists of things that you probably wouldn't eat, and their mating dance is the Bossa Nova.