Wednesday 15 November 2017

New Mexico, Home to Bayfield Ontario…Four Days, May 2017

Our plans to stay another day near Taos, at the foot of the Rockies were altered when a snowstorm descended overnight and was being followed by more snow clouds over the next few days.  We high-tailed it out of the high elevations of New Mexico into the plains of Kansas.  The views were spectacular!

P1140388

P1140393

P1140402

P1140404

P1140412

P1140417

P1140423

P1140425

P1140440

Lucky to have snow-free roads.

P1140444

P1140461

P1140469

P1140474

P1140482

P1140483

P1140509

Always sad to see the ravage of forest fires.

P1140494

P1140520

Leaving the ragged Rockies behind us.

P1140487

P1140500

P1140563

P1140570

P1140574

P1140578

P1140596

Great spot for our picnic lunch.

P1140588

P1140591

P1140604

P1140616

P1140619

P1140627

P1140621

P1140628

P1140729

In the plains of Kansas the highest structures are the grain elevators.

P1140647

Found an amazing place to camp overnight near a huge dam.

P1140649

P1140650

P1140645

P1140656

P1140658

P1140662

P1140652

Out here, it’s all about the skies!

P1140695

P1140721

P1140720

P1140727

P1140755

Determined to avoid the great rains in the northern states, we hunkered down in our favourite Prairie Dog State Park for a couple of days.  Our first morning, we awoke to snow and a power outage.  Relying on our generator and many layers of clothing, we stayed warm and eked out our day like the pioneers.  Even the prairie dogs stayed underground avoiding the frigid temperatures.  Thankfully, the sun shone the next morning when we were leaving.

P1140787

P1140792

P1140794

P1140802

P1140811

P1140812

Heading northeast we soon observed the flooding and damage of the past days of rain.  Rivers were swollen over their banks, fields and roads were flooded.  Trees were uprooted and some bridge abutments had been washed away.

P1140825

P1140826

P1140967

P1140850

We arrived at Eugene T. Mahoney State Park, Nebraska in the early afternoon.  Some areas of the park were deemed too muddy from flooding but we were situated in a picturesque lot by the lake.  We had time for a good hike before dinner and settling in for the night.

P1140851

P1140852

On our way home in the morning, we were out of the weather warnings and letting the roadside sites be our entertainment.

P1140901

P1140897

P1140907

P1140913

P1140919

P1140921

P1140922

P1140923

P1140965

In a few wetlands we could see Nutria, a mammal that looks like a cross between a beaver and a rat.  Native to South America, their introduction to the US has caused an epidemic where the Nutria eat wetland vegetation and cause erosion.  Their population explosion is partly due to the fact that females are ready to breed within forty-eight hours of giving birth!

P1140972

P1140964

Lucky to be avoiding traffic in the oncoming lanes and accidents in the ditches, we motored on towards home.  Our last night was spent in Iowa.P1140955

P1140959

P1140938

P1140994

And over the bridge we go at Port Huron into Ontario.







No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.