Aspen Glade National Forest Service Campground, Colorado

A spur of the moment trip to Aspen Glade Forest Service Campground in Southern Colorado is a highlight of this summer's camping experience. Aspen Glade is on Rt. 17 about 15 miles west of Antonito at US 285, just over the border from northern New Mexico.

A number of us met up there and all managed to find first come/first served spots right on the Conejos River. The Conejos is a trophy trout stream in a beautiful setting nestled in a narrow alpine covered canyon. The three days on the river included trying out our rusting abilities to fly fish. What a challenge! The brisk wind made it impossible to cast upstream or across the stream. But we tried and had great fun being out in this lovely place.

This is a dry camping site but there is water available. The campground closes this week but keep it in mind for next year with an aim to get the choicest sites -- either 20, 21, or 22.

Villanueva State Park, New Mexico

We packed up the View, settled the three dogs in, and headed east on I-25 out of Santa Fe towards Las Vegas, NM on our way to Villanueva State Park. The exit for the park is off I-25 at #323 and then south on Rt. 3 for 15 miles. This 15 mile stretch twists and turns and gets progressively narrow heading into the the Village of Villanueva and the State Park.

The State Park is in a narrow canyon with the Pecos River flowing through it hard up against a sheer canyon wall. We had followed the road in under a vibrant blue sky with big puffy white clouds. The Pecos River was running fast and clear. The fishing was said to be excellent. Within an hour we heard thunder and there followed winds up to 25-30 mph hour running fast through the canyon. The blue skies were gone. The clouds were charcoal. The rains came. Fishing was out. We hunkered down with a steak and wine and watched DVDs.

The next morning was clear but the Pecos ran opaque red (that is a picture of the Pecos River and our rig above) from the previous night's wash down the mountains. We hiked up the side of the mountain to a look out. The trail was narrow and rock strewn and I stopped near the top as I saw the trail get real skinny. Jules pressed onward to the top. Coming down was the hard part. I recommend hiking sticks. Once down we explored the nearly empty park while dodging the free ranch cattle lumbering around. There are a few full hook ups for RVs but we recommend site #17-B with no hookups if you want privacy and the excellent fishing in the Pecos River steps from your rig. The site has a sheltered picnic table, fire ring, and plenty of tree cover. Other sites, although most were on the Pecos River, were too close together for our taste. We were pleased that the bathroom facilities were so modern and well maintained. They have flush toilets and showsers. We highly recommend a stop at this State Park.New Mexico State Parks