I woke rested, despite slipping downhill a bit due to the slightly slanted spot I hastily selected for my camp.

I hit the road, enjoying the sunshine and the deep green grass all the rain had sprouted. Doesn’t really look like the New Mexico I had imagined!

I walked into the small hamlet of Cajillion where I saw a ranger station, and knew i would be able to find a map there. I walked up and immediately got excited for the soda machine in the lobby. I was helped by a young woman who showed me the route, a pretty straight forward walk into Chama, and helped me out with another dollar when the machine ate my $1 as I was trying to get a rootbeer. Wow, both sodas came out, so I had an extra sugar boost for the road walk.

The rest of the day was broken up by a few stops at gas stations along the way for microwaveable cheeseburgers and hot pockets.

The valleys I passed through were gorgeous…all lush and green, with snow capped mountains in the background. The same snow-capped mountains I would be in soon!

By 7pm I was exhausted, but couldn’t see anywhere I could legally camp for all the private property signs around. Finally almost delirious with fatigue, I climbed up a small hill on the side of the road and wedged myself between a tree and a fence, maybe 20′ off the highway. Oh well. I was so tired I didn’t care. I was high enough to be out of sight from passing cars, and was successfully not trespassing.

Sleep.