This book is dedicated to my lovely wife, Susan Sherwood Parr. Thank you for all the encouragement and support, and especially our adventures in the wilderness together.
Copyright 2008 by Monte R. Parr
Parr, Monte R.
Best in tent camping, New Mexico: a guide for campers who hate RVs, concrete slabs, and loud portable stereos/by Monte R. Parr.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN-13: 978-0-89732-602-5 (alk. paper)
ISBN-10: 0-89732-602-4 (alk. paper)
1. Camp sites, facilities, etc.New MexicoDirectories. 2. CampingNew MexicoGuidebooks. 3. New MexicoGuidebooks. I. Title.
Cover and text design by Ian Szymkowiak, Palace Press International, Inc.
Cover photo by David L. Moore/Alamy
Cartography by Steve Jones, Jennie Zehmer and Monte R. Parr
P.O. Box 43673
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
M ONTE R. PARRS OUTDOOR INTERESTS were inspired as a child by his grandparents and treks into the San Bernardino Mountains of Southern California. His high school years were spent hiking and camping the hardwood forests behind his family home in Iowa. Monte has lived in California, Iowa, Nebraska, Mississippi, Colorado, and New Mexico.
Monte is experienced in backpacking, back-country motorcycle camping, and cross-country ski and snowshoe camping. He has camped extensively throughout Iowa, Nebraska, Colorado, Wyoming, and New Mexico.
Monte is an accomplished photographer With interests including astronomy, hiking, mountain biking, and fishing. Montes fascination with Old West history has taken him to dozens of ghost towns, old military outposts, and many ancient Native American cliff dwellings and ruins throughout New Mexico and Arizona. Monte is a U.S. Air Force veteran; he worked as a ground crew member on C-130 Aircraft and is an avid military aircraft historian.
Montes writing projects include his first book, Adventures in Camping , published by Word Productions, Inc. He is also a lyricist and poet, publishing his works on a Web site still under development, montesoldwest.com . He has recently created Montes Old West Chuckwagon Spice, a tantalizing barbecue spice, and is currently working on many recipes for camping.
Since moving to New Mexico in 1988, Monte has logged more than 800 nights under the stars, experiencing mountain, desert, and canyon camping, in every county in New Mexico. He has been a regular guest on the radio program ABQ-Connect for the past three years.
Monte is an accounts consultant for a major communications company in Albuquerque, New Mexico. His wife, Susan Parr, an accomplished author, and dogs Sheppie, Steffie, and Rascal join him frequently on his journeys.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I WISH TO EXPRESS the deepest heartfelt gratitude to the following people for their love, kindness, support, encouragement, and friendships: my wife Susan Sherwood Parr; dear stepson Chris Livingston; brother Robert and Debra Parr; daughter Kimmie Parr; grandchildren Paige and Austin; my dear mom-in-law, Neriede Sherwood, and the entire Sherwood family. Special thanks to my dear friend R. D. Don Eiler, host at Jemez Falls Campground. Don has been a godsend with his vast knowledge of New Mexicos wildlands.
My dear friends and spiritual mentors, Pastor Skip and Lenya Heitzig, and Pastor Eric and Debbie Larson. Thanks to Chip Lusko, Peter Benson, and Steve Reimann at KNKT 707.1 Connection Radio for their interest in my projects and for airtime. Special thanks to Jicarilla Apache Chief Reynard Faber for his warmth and long-time friendship.
I sincerely wish to thank Russell Helms, Molly Merkle, and all the kind folks at Menasha Ridge Press for their input, professional skills, and encouragement. They have no idea what an adventure they have given me. I am grateful and humbled to be chosen as the author for this book.
I would like to express my gratitude to the members of the following government agencies. These folks were friendly, helpful, and informative. Without their assistance, this project could not have been completed:
Jicarilla Apache Nation Mescalero Apache Nation National Park Service New Mexico County Sheriffs Departments New Mexico Fish and Wildlife New Mexico State Parks New Mexico State Police United States Army Corps of Engineers United States Bureau of Land Management United States Fish And Wildlife Service United States Forest Service
I would like to thank the following businesses for their help and inspiration with this project:
Amandas General Store Der Markt Grocery Manzano Tiendita Rays General Store Sportsmens Warehouse The Sherwood Company Word Productions
I would like to thank the following manufacturers for their excellent quality products used while researching this project:
Apple Computers Bushnell Optics Coleman tents, coolers, lanterns, stoves, and sleeping bags Dell Computers Delorme Topographic Maps Eureka Tents Ford Motor Company Garmin GPS Systems Kelty Sleeping Bags Meade Optics National Geographic Topographic Maps Nikon Cameras Sony Cameras Olympus Optics Winchester Knives Yamaha Motorcycle
PREFACE
I HAVE LOVED THE OUTDOORS since I was knee high to a short toad. I was raised by my grandparents, who taught me to slow down, be observant, and appreciate the gifts Mother Nature has generously given all of us. I was like most kids; I started camping in the backyard, with a sheet draped over the clothesline, sleeping on an old army cot and sleeping bag. In high school, I spent many hours hiking the hundreds of acres of hardwood forests behind our home with a knapsack, sleeping bag, and an old Army pup tent.