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Published: April 5th 2019
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right on NM 518
Rio Pueblo Canyon New Mexico Hwy 518 runs from Taos South to Las Vegas and all my pics are from there. Coming from the Rio Grande Gorge I started on NM 518 about 15 miles South of Taos and finally made it to Las Vegas. My first visit there was in the 1980s when things were different and that highway was New Mexico Hwy 3. I included some of my old pics in the 1980s shot on my 135 mm SLR on print film.
This blog is about me finding a private camp on the Rio Pueblo; virtually all my pics are shot there except the few last shot in Las Vegas. I arrived at my very old camp that is Comales Camp Ground by the confluence of the small Comales creek. These pics are from the 1980s when there was a barely passable trail (for two wheel drive high clearance) with five very isolated camp spots. Now there were about 15 pay camp spots with large trucks with fancy trailers. The camping fee was a very reasonable $10 cus of no services available. National Forest land is for everybody including the people in large rigs and I have no bad feelings that
they get to enjoy my old camp. (Notice in my old pics of Comales no vehicles there in the past.) You can not see Rio Pueblo in my pics, but it is there just under the cliffs.
I past an nice old free camp spot from a few years ago when I shot the two pics; but continued on hoping to find an isolated camp by the Rio Pueblo.
My next stop was at my old camp that now is Aqua Piedra Camp Ground by the confluence of Aqua Piedra Creek. Once again I use my 1980s pics of this pay campground. There is a large group camp area with a higher (but reasonable) fee there cuz they may have services there. It is good that many people get to enjoy this very nice place.
Then I found a trail with a bridge over the river that led me to an isolated camp by the Rio Pueblo. I had a very short walk to the river where I enjoyed my solitude. I cooked my dinner and returned to the river for my all important "goofing off". Then I went to sleep in the back of Old Blue
with a small breeze and at night it fell to about forty degrees; perfect sleeping with the sound of the nearby river.
The next morning I had a long coffee break by the river to get me going, before breaking camp. There was more scenic driving on the way home.
I made a stop in Las Vegas and got me a good Lota Burger. I got on Interstate Hwy 25 South for about ten miles. Then I got on a US Hwy 84 going SE back to Interstate Hwy 40 (East). (The interstate South took a SW direction to that large traffic jam called Albuquerque making for a much longer drive.) I had a two day drive back to my home in East Texas.
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