Last post from Santa Rosa Lake Park

Blessed are the Flexible!

Well, just two days left here at Santa Rosa Lake State Park - and just in the nick of time. Groceries have nearly run out; I'm pretty much down to eggs, tortillas, cheese, two apples and one more potato to bake. On Sunday morning, I'm off to three weeks at friend Jesse’s place in Rio Rancho.Not a lot to write about about - the entire week has been pretty quiet here, even Independence day.

What is the Blue Hole?

The Blue Hole may be famous around here – the town of Santa Rosa is called the ‘Scuba Capital of the Great Southwest’ – but several readers asked for more info. Here’s what I found out: The Blue Hole is a bell-shaped artesian well. It’s surface is approximately 60 feet in diameter and its top-most cavern is nearly 80-ft. deep, with connecting caverns going down to a depth of more than 248-ft. The water temperature is a cool 62 degrees year round. The water is crystal clear.

This week’s ‘found’ items

-- A shiny dime to add to my DQ stash

-- Campfire coffee pot

-- A 3-inch long “model airplane” made from thin foam plastic

-- An orange Hot Wheels car – make/model? 

-- A toothbrush

-- And the usual cigarette butts, bottle caps, and other such trash left behind by inconsiderate people.

Baby Western Kingbirds update

The nest in the dead piñon tree has been showing activity this week – could see a couple of them perched on the side of the nest flapping but not flying. For two of the four babies, they didn’t learn fast enough to escape the hungry Red Racer snake. The couple in that site saw the snake coming down from the tree with one of the babies. So sad – the bird mom tried so hard to keep her babes sheltered.

Pronghorn (antelope)

A camper reported seeing a female pronghorn with a set of young twins. They were sighted on the other side of the dam.

Woke up to a red sun rising

Grabbed my camera and headed out to take photos. Sadly, the resulting photos did not show the intensity of the red color.

Another summer camping opportunity for teens

This group, Judaea Christian Campers, were here for one night. They were returning to their base in Texas after a 3-week adventure. They arrived after dark – a full-sized Greyhound-like bus and a large Ryder rental truck brought about 30 teens, 16 tents and all the required gear. Great kids, polite and left the campsite really clean!

Pondering

As I think about possible adventures, I re-read the “PLAN B” message I found in a Suzy Toronto greeting card:

PLAN B

Plan A is always my first choice. You know, the one where everything works out to be happily ever after.

But more often than not, I find myself dealing with the upside-down, inside-out version where nothing goes as it should.

It is at this point that the real test of my character comes in…do I sink or do I swim? Do I wallow in self-pity and play the victim or simply shift gears and make the best of the situation?

The choice is mine. After all … Life is all about how you handle plan B.

So you can be sure, no matter what I decide, I’ll land on my feet and find adventure.