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Leasburg Dam State Park, Radium Springs NM

Leasburg Dam, Leasburg Dam State Park, Radium Springs NM, April 21, 2008
Leasburg Dam, Leasburg Dam State Park, Radium Springs NM, April 21, 2008

Leasburg Dam State Park, Radium Springs NM

Nights I've camped here

  • Thursday, December 1, 2011 - Leasburg Dam State Park, Radium Springs NM
    • The New Mexico State Park system allows one to stay a maximum of 21 days at a time. My 21 days are up so today I moved over to Leasburg Dam State Park north of Las Cruces along the Rio Grande River for a while. Image: Red-winged Blackbird, San Antonio NM, March 31, 2010.
  • Thursday, February 3, 2011 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
    • New record lows were set across a large swath of the west central States yesterday and last night and last night set a new record low temperature for my time living with this old Lazy Daze, exceeding even the ten below we survived at Ghost Ranch back on December 26, 2009. I stuck my head out the door about 4:30AM, pointed my infared thermometer and shot a temp down on the step. Sixteen below zero! Image: Ghost Ranch Camp, Abiquiu NM, December 24, 2009.
  • Wednesday, January 5, 2011 - LoW-HI RV Ranch, Deming NM
    • Now that I'm caught up here I'm going to try to get caught up with the posts I let slide while I was boondocking over at Leasburg Dam State Park without enough power to comfortably keep the laptop running. If you want to follow along, start with the December 6th post. You'll find some info in those posts about my experiences with winter boondocking. Image: Late Snack, Sandhill Crane, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, February 4, 2010.
  • Sunday, December 26, 2010 - Leasburg Dam State Park, Radium Springs NM
    • Image: Cow's Tongue Cactus, Leasburg Dam State Park, Radium Springs NM, January 22, 2009.
  • Saturday, December 25, 2010 - Leasburg Dam State Park, Radium Springs NM
    • Merry Christmas. Image: Desert Christmas Cactus, Leasburg Dam State Park, Radium Springs NM, January 22, 2009.
  • Friday, December 24, 2010 - Leasburg Dam State Park, Radium Springs NM
    • . Image: Leasburg Dam, Leasburg Dam State Park, Radium Springs NM, January 22, 2009.
  • Thursday, December 23, 2010 - Leasburg Dam State Park, Radium Springs NM
    • Where have I gone? Nowhere - I'm still here at Leasburg Dam State Park on my favorite site. This site has no electric hookups and I've been struggling with power management. Image: Organ Mountains from Leasburg Dam State Park, Radium Springs NM, January 22, 2009.
  • Wednesday, December 22, 2010 - Leasburg Dam State Park, Radium Springs NM
    • Life can be a struggle out here in the desert. Those pesky creosotes, in taking over so much of the desert, haven't made life easy for the natives. Some don't survive. Others put up a valiant struggle against long odds and manage to barely hang in there. Like this Prickly Pear cactus. Image: Hanging in there, Prickly Pear Cactus, Leasburg Dam State Park, Radium Springs NM, January 23, 2009.
  • Tuesday, December 21, 2010 - Leasburg Dam State Park, Radium Springs NM
    • Spring is in the air by April in the Rio Grande valley. Here's a little wildflower I came across while looking through the pictures from my April 2008 stay at Leasburg Dam State Park. Image: Hint of Spring, Leasburg Dam State Park, Radium Springs NM, April 25, 2008.
  • Monday, December 20, 2010 - Leasburg Dam State Park, Radium Springs NM
    • Earlier this month I commented on the trickle flowing in the river. Today I ran across some pictures I took back in April 2008 with the am up at Elephant Butte open. The river was full and green was spreading across the landscape. Image: Leasburg Dam, Rio Grande River, Leasburg Dam State Park, Radium Springs NM, April 21, 2008.
  • Sunday, December 19, 2010 - Leasburg Dam State Park, Radium Springs NM
    • There were several skirmishes between the Apaches and the Army in Dog Canyon back in the day and they weren't particularly successful from the Army's point of view. I can see this would be an easy canyon to defend with its sheltered glade, perennial water supply and constricted points on the trail below. Image: Line Camp, Dog Canyon Trail, Oliver Lee Memorial State Park, Alamogordo NM, February 2, 2008.
  • Saturday, December 18, 2010 - Leasburg Dam State Park, Radium Springs NM
    • I don't know who built this stone cabin in Dog Canyon but whoever it was chose a beautiful spot in this glade, mid way along the trail up into the Sacramento Mountains. This canyon with it's perennial stream and springs has been used to get from the desert of the Tularosa Basin to forests of the Sacramento Mountains for thousands of years and this is an obvious place to take a break. Image: Bedtime, Line Cabin, Dog Canyon Trail, Oliver Lee Memorial State Park, Alamogordo NM, February 2, 2008.
  • Friday, December 17, 2010 - Leasburg Dam State Park, Radium Springs NM
    • The picture I posted yesterday was taken facing down out of Dog Canyon toward White Sands. This picture was taken at about the same spot on the Second Bench but facing up trail towards the line camp about 1/4 mile farther up the canyon. Image: Mile 2.75, Second Bench, Dog Canyon Trail, Oliver Lee Memorial State Park, Alamogordo NM, February 2, 2008.
  • Thursday, December 16, 2010 - Leasburg Dam State Park, Radium Springs NM
    • Looking through some old pictures I came upon a sequence of shots I took on my February 2, 2008 hike up the Dog Canyon Trail at Oliver Lee Memorial State Park south of Alamogordo NM and it dawned on me Photoshop might be able to stitch them into a decent panorama. Image: White Sands from the Second Bench, Dog Canyon Trail, Oliver Lee Memorial State Park, Alamogordo NM, February 2, 2008.
  • Wednesday, December 15, 2010 - Leasburg Dam State Park, Radium Springs NM
    • This is the view I have from here. Part of the view anyway. The part to the northwest overlooking the Rio Grande River and Leasburg Dam. That white streak in the picture is a huge geo-thermally heated greenhouse across the river from Radium Springs belonging to Masson Farms of New Mexico. There's a picture of it on their website; it's quite impressive. Image: Leasburg Dam, Leasburg Dam State Park, Radium Springs NM, January 22, 2009.
  • Tuesday, December 14, 2010 - Leasburg Dam State Park, Radium Springs NM
    • As you can see in this picture, Site 11, where I camped in January 2009, has a really nice view looking northwest out across the Rio Grande. That's my favorite site with hookups. Site 9, where I am now, is just off to the right of this picture and has an even better view. We like it here. Image: Camped at Site 11, Leasburg Dam State Park, Radium Springs NM, January 22, 2009.
  • Monday, December 13, 2010 - Leasburg Dam State Park, Radium Springs NM
    • Image: Site 3 $10, Leasburg Dam State Park, Radium Springs NM, January 22, 2009.
  • Sunday, December 12, 2010 - Leasburg Dam State Park, Radium Springs NM
    • Creosote has taken over vast areas of the desert out here in New Mexico. I understand it emits a chemical from its root system that is inhospitable to other plants. And to itself I guess - the creosote bushes seem to be spaced at regular intervals with generally bare soil between bushes. There is the occasional exception like this nice ocatillo. Image: Ocatillo, Leasburg Dam State Park, Radium Springs NM, January 22, 2009.
  • Saturday, December 11, 2010 - Leasburg Dam State Park, Radium Springs NM
    • I'm slowly getting used to living with the limited solar power I have available this time of year and I think I will stay here even if a good site with hookups becomes available. It's a good test of my winter boondocking skills with my imperfect setup. I should learn where I might focus power system improvement efforts in the future. Image: Century Plant, Leasburg Dam State Park, Radium Springs NM, January 22, 2009.
  • Friday, December 10, 2010 - Leasburg Dam State Park, Radium Springs NM
    • Here are some thoughts on winter boondocking and power consumption. I've been watching where my power consumption is going. Running off just the battery I can turn things on & off and read the ammeter and see what draws significant power and what does not. It surprised me to find my 15 inch MacBook Pro and the portable hard drive I keep my pictures on are by far the biggest power users in the rig. Image: Prickly Pear, Leasburg Dam State Park, Radium Springs NM, January 22, 2009.
  • Thursday, December 9, 2010 - Leasburg Dam State Park, Radium Springs NM
    • As you can see last January there was some flow in the Rio Grande River. Now it's almost completely dry, with most of what is flowing diverted into the irrigation canal at the dam. My guess is the dam at the large Elephant Butte Reservoir is closed. I saw a recent picture on the web of the Rio Grande taken upstream near Taos where the river is flowing full tilt. Image: Leasburg Dam, Leasburg Dam State Park, Radium Springs NM, January 11, 2010.
  • Wednesday, December 8, 2010 - Leasburg Dam State Park, Radium Springs NM
    • There are implications of a short day and a low winter sun in a boondocker's world. By noon yesterday it was clear the solar panels were not going to recharge my depleted batteries without some help. so I shut down every electrical drain I could find and ran the generator for a couple of hours. That helped but I was still no where near having full batteries by nightfall. No computer and internet for me tonight. How do you spell "withdrawal" anyway? I may be needing that word. Image: Dog Canyon Trail, Oliver Lee Memorial State Park, Alamogordo NM, December 5, 2010.
  • Tuesday, December 7, 2010 - Leasburg Dam State Park, Radium Springs NM
    • This winter boondocking routine is going to take some getting used to. I awoke this morning to seriously depleted batteries. I'm so used to firing up my inverter, laptop and wifi router and letting them run 24/7 when I'm parked that I forgot to shut them down last night. Image: Dog Canyon Trail, Oliver Lee Memorial State Park, Alamogordo NM, December 5, 2010.
  • Monday, December 6, 2010 - Leasburg Dam State Park, Radium Springs NM
    • Today I moved over to Leasburg Dam State Park in Radium Springs NM and found my favorite site 11 occupied. The park is quite full. I settled on Site 9 for the time being while I wait for a better site to open up. Site 9 offers no power hookup so I'll be boondocking; running off my solar system for electric and propane for heat. We'll see how it goes. Image: Tularosa Basin from Second Bench, Dog Canyon Trail, Oliver Lee Memorial State Park, Alamogordo NM, December 5, 2010.
  • Sunday, December 5, 2010 - Oliver Lee Memorial State Park, Alamogordo NM
    • Today was a beautiful, warm, mostly sunny, day and I got a hankering to hike the 3 miles up to the line cabin on the Dog Canyon Trail. It's a nice hike and it's been a couple years since I was last up there and I wanted to make the hike before I head over to Leasburg Dam State Park in Radium Springs NM for a while. Image: Tularosa Basin from Second Bench, Dog Canyon Trail, Oliver Lee Memorial State Park, Alamogordo NM, December 5, 2010.
  • Monday, January 11, 2010 - Leasburg Dam State Park, Radium Springs NM
    • I'm out of here today - off to find some Mobil 1 for an oil change and someone to do the job. Then I'll probably head over to Leasburg Dam State Park in Radium Springs NM for the night, with the goal of finding myself up at the private Bosque Bird Watchers RV Park in San Antonio NM for the January 14th and 15th NM employee furlough when the State Parks are closed. Image: "What" Will You Drink Next Year ???, Pancho Villa State Park, Columbus NM, January 10, 2010.
  • Sunday, December 27, 2009 - Ghost Ranch, Abiquiu NM
    • Brrrrr... 1:30AM and it's already 5 degrees below zero. Last winter, camped down at Leasburg Dam State Park, I met fellow fulltimer Jan, living in his Honda sports car, who observed that the temperature drops noticeably an hour or two before sunrise. Will tonight's low break LD's record 10 below set just last night? Image: Photo Shoot, Ghost Ranch, Abiquiu NM, December 22, 2009.
  • Tuesday, December 8, 2009 - Brantley Lake State Park, Carlsbad NM
    • I rolled out early this fog shrouded morning to breakfast at the Pecos River Cafe before heading across the street to Forrest Tire to see when they might have time to rebalance the front tires. Image: Remembering Site 37, Brantley Lake State Park, Carlsbad NM, December 7, 2009.
  • Tuesday, March 24, 2009 - Leasburg Dam State Park, Radium Springs NM
    • A sure sign of spring, Leasburg Dam is closed and the acequia flows. Image: Spring along the Acequia, Leasburg Dam State Park, Radium Springs NM, March 23, 2009.
  • Monday, March 23, 2009 - Leasburg Dam State Park, Radium Springs NM
    • Image: Water over the dam, Leasburg Dam State Park, Radium Springs NM, March 23, 2009.
  • Sunday, March 22, 2009 - Leasburg Dam State Park, Radium Springs NM
    • Today I broke camp at Site 12. I was low on supplies and my waste tanks were full (there is no dump station at City of Rocks State Park). Image: Site 12, City of Rocks State Park, Faywood NM, March 21, 2009.
  • Sunday, February 1, 2009 - Leasburg Dam State Park, Radium Springs NM
    • It's time to renew my New Mexico State Parks Annual Camping Permit which expired yesterday. Image: Morning along the trail, Leasburg Dam State Park, Radium Springs NM, January 26, 2009.
  • Saturday, January 31, 2009 - Leasburg Dam State Park, Radium Springs NM
    • Today's plan is to put in a couple of hours working on this website while I bake a nice big loaf of whole wheat bread. Image: Rio Grande bridge on an overcast morning, Leasburg Dam State Park, Radium Springs NM, January 23, 2009.
  • Friday, January 30, 2009 - Leasburg Dam State Park, Radium Springs NM
    • Living in an RV has certain disadvantages. The impulse to keep clutter minimized and the concomitant urge to take out the garbage can be costly. Image: Leasburg Dam, Leasburg Dam State Park, Radium Springs NM, January 25, 2009.
  • Thursday, January 29, 2009 - Leasburg Dam State Park, Radium Springs NM
    • The cactus are dying. Is this desert extraordinarily dry or is it something else? Image: Faith, Leasburg Dam State Park, Radium Springs NM, January 22, 2009.
  • Wednesday, January 28, 2009 - Leasburg Dam State Park, Radium Springs NM
    • The package with my anxiously awaited new modem and router arrived in good order yesterday from 3Gstore.com and I struggled most of the afternoon trying to get these user unfriendly devices up and running. Image: Green tailed yucca, Leasburg Dam State Park, Radium Springs NM, January 26, 2009.
  • Tuesday, January 27, 2009 - Leasburg Dam State Park, Radium Springs NM
    • A quiet day in the park waiting for FedEx to tell me my new modem and router have arrived in Las Cruces. Image: Pretty pink and prickly, Leasburg Dam State Park, Radium Springs NM, January 25, 2009.
  • Monday, January 26, 2009 - Leasburg Dam State Park, Radium Springs NM
    • This morning about dawn I stepped out of the rig to survey the new day and was greeted by an amazing sunrise. Image: Sunrise, Leasburg Dam State Park, Radium Springs NM, January 26, 2009.
  • Sunday, January 25, 2009 - Leasburg Dam State Park, Radium Springs NM
    • Go figger! I've had a stable Verizon BroadbandAceess connection all day. Image: Ladies and Gents, Leasburg Dam State Park, Radium Springs NM, January 25, 2009.
  • Saturday, January 24, 2009 - Leasburg Dam State Park, Radium Springs NM
    • LD gets a new sewer hose storage tube. Image: Chomp, Leasburg Dam State Park, Radium Springs NM, January 23, 2009.
  • Friday, January 23, 2009 - Leasburg Dam State Park, Radium Springs NM
    • John bites the bullet. Image: On the trail, Leasburg Dam State Park, Radium Springs NM, January 23, 2009.
  • Thursday, January 22, 2009 - Leasburg Dam State Park, Radium Springs NM
    • Aaarg... 4 bars and I still have no broadband access. What the...? Image: LD and cell tower, Leasburg Dam State Park, Radium Springs NM, January 22, 2009.
  • Wednesday, January 21, 2009 - Leasburg Dam State Park, Radium Springs NM
    • On my way over to Radium Springs I stopped and spent a few hours at the Home Depot in Alamogordo fixing the leaky fresh water inlet hose. Image: Acequia and Rio Grande River, Leasburg Dam State Park, Radium Springs NM, January 21, 2008.
  • Tuesday, January 20, 2009 - Oliver Lee Memorial State Park, Alamogordo NM
    • I'm thinking of heading out tomorrow, over to one of the parks in the Rio Grande Valley above Las Cruces. Image: Indian wells, Oliver Lee Memorial State Park, Alamogordo NM, January 20, 2009.
  • Friday, April 25, 2008 - Leasburg Dam State Park, Radium Springs NM
    • I'm camped at Leasburg Dam State Park, Radium Springs - north of Las Cruces NM, with friends for a few days. Image: Feather, Leasburg Dam State Park, Radium Springs NM, January 25, 2008.
  • Thursday, April 24, 2008 - Leasburg Dam State Park, Radium Springs NM
    • I'm camped at Leasburg Dam State Park, Radium Springs - north of Las Cruces NM, with friends for a few days. Image: Agave, Leasburg Dam State Park, Radium Springs NM, January 24, 2008.
  • Wednesday, April 23, 2008 - Leasburg Dam State Park, Radium Springs NM
    • I'm camped at Leasburg Dam State Park, Radium Springs - north of Las Cruces NM, with friends for a few days. Image: Rio Grande River from Leasburg Dam State Park, Radium Springs NM, January 21, 2008.
  • Tuesday, April 22, 2008 - Leasburg Dam State Park, Radium Springs NM
    • I'm camped at Leasburg Dam State Park, Radium Springs - north of Las Cruces NM, with friends for a few days. Image: Lost in thought, Leasburg Dam State Park, Radium Springs NM, April 22, 2008.
  • Monday, April 21, 2008 - Leasburg Dam State Park, Radium Springs NM
    • I'm camped at Leasburg Dam State Park, Radium Springs - north of Las Cruces NM, with friends for a few days. Image: Leasburg Dam, Leasburg Dam State Park, Radium Springs NM, April 21, 2008.
  • Sunday, April 20, 2008 - Leasburg Dam State Park, Radium Springs NM
    • I'm camped at Leasburg Dam State Park, Radium Springs - north of Las Cruces NM. Today I moved across the way to Site 11 for its water and electric hook-ups. Image: Creosote, Leasburg Dam State Park, Radium Springs NM, April 19, 2008.
  • Saturday, April 19, 2008 - Leasburg Dam State Park, Radium Springs NM
    • I'm camped at Leasburg Dam State Park, Radium Springs - north of Las Cruces NM, with friends for a few days. Image: Agave sunset, Leasburg Dam State Park, Radium Springs NM, April 19, 2008.
  • Friday, April 18, 2008 - Leasburg Dam State Park, Radium Springs NM
    • I'm camped at Leasburg Dam State Park in Radium Springs NM (north of Las Cruces) with friends for a few days. Image: Sunset, Leasburg Dam State Park, Radium Springs NM, April 19, 2008.
  • Winter Boondocking
    • I have some thoughts on winter boondocking and power consumption after my experience living without hookups for most of the month of December 2010 in southern New Mexico.

Normal Damage

Personally, I've never been normal. But what I've only recently discovered is how much damage being made to feel I should be has done over the years. This is a revelation of the highest order and unspeakably liberating, once you've processed the accumulated side-effects.

from a Grack column by John H Farr, August 25, 2003

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