Cochitti Lake COE Campground

When I left Lathrop State Park in Colorado yesterday morning, the forecast was for increasing winds throughout the day in Colorado. So I stopped to dump the tanks and pay for my Sunday night stay, and then was on the road by 8:30. The first 100 miles was smooth sailing except for the steep grades getting through Raton Pass (7,834') on the New Mexico border. Then, about 136 miles from Santa Fe, the winds hit with a vengeance! It was pretty much two handed driving the rest of the way. At times my hands went numb from gripping the steering wheel so hard.



I had decided to stop at a campground in Santa Fe with full hook-ups, laundry, and propane. This was probably the most expensive park I've ever stayed in. I couldn't believe how many people were staying there. The distance between sites was under ten feet...slide to slide. Not my kind of park, but I badly needed to do laundry and fill the propane tank. I was also very tired of driving. I did several loads of laundry, and got the propane filled on the way out this morning.



I drove a whopping 28 miles to get to Cochitti Lake Corps of Engineer campground. I have electric and water and the scenery of the New Mexico mountains and the lake in the distance is 1000 times better than looking out at pavement and my neighbor's rig. The water hook-up is interesting. It is over 50' from the rig and on a hill. There are 13 steps to get up to the picnic table and water hook-up. The water spigot is also about 5.5' in the air. I had to use a 50' and a 25' hose to reach it. I decided to just fill the fresh water tank and then roll up the hoses and store them. At this elevation, the temps at night may get low enough to freeze the hoses, so this seems a smarter idea to me than leaving so much hose out. A point of interest: I will be able to stay at this campground for five nights for less than the price I paid for one night yesterday.



By the time I got everything set up...including the DISH, filling the water tank, and erecting my trucker's internet antenna, a storm front began rolling in with determination. Since I go about these chores at a liesurely rate, I ran out of time to investigate the park or take any pictures before the rain began. I also tried a couple of times to register, but was unsuccessful. The rain is supposed to last through a good share of tomorrow also.



One of the blogs that I follow is written by a fulltiming couple that have been at this park for a good share of the last month as they wait for a closing on a sticks-n-bricks (townhouse) they are buying in the area. My plan is to meet them in person tomorrow and pick their brains about things to see in the area, and to find out where to go for groceries since we're pretty much out in the middle of no where here. Grocery shopping is a good chore for a rainy day. The sun is scheduled to return on Thursday through the weekend, so I've settled in for a six day stay.



Thanks for stopping by....talk to you later, Judy