Saturday, July 22, 2006
Little Creel RV Park, Chama, NM - July 16-22
We originally planned this stop in order to meet up with friends Pat & Dennis Wood, but we now had a second, more urgent reason -- to fix our landing leg. The move to Chama was one of our most nerve-wracking, even though it was only 35 miles. When re-hooking we found that not only did the landing leg not fully retract, but would fall freely to the ground when the front was raised, meaning that it would drag on the road unless we somehow tied it up. Once we managed to tie it, there was barely 3 inches clearance between the bottom of the leg & the ground. After we started moving we stopped at every opportunity to make sure that the leg was still secure.
The campground itself was nothing special. It bills itself as a"resort" campground, and may well be by Chama standards. We actually stayed at Little Creel II, an old cg (formerly Sky Mountain) that Little Creel bought out and was in the process of expanding -- or may still be in the process of buying. While there were a few nice spots amid the trees near the river (for premium prices!), most of the cg was a bare dirt lot. But we didn't mind, since we had a good time with Pat & Dennis. As well as our usual daytime sightseeing, we played games or otherwise socialized each evening.
Chama is best known as the main terminus of the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad. Pulled by old coal-burning steam locomotives, the trains wind their way through the mountains, eventually winding up in Antonito, CO. The trains are THE major source of revenue for Chama, attracting both riders & photographers. We found the $60 fare a little on the steep side, so we fell into the latter category. After parking and watching the train go by, we pulled onto the highway and immediately recognized Fred & Linda Lanoue's truck. We pulled over & chatted, then went our separate ways, only to run into each other 10 miles down a dirt road at a NFS campground, where we had a picnic lunch together.
Bordering Chama to the northwest is the Sargent Wildlife Area. With Pat & Dennis we found a letterbox there, and then went on a pleasant hike, so much so that we invited Fred & Linda to go birding there with us later that week. We discovered that the area also had a lovely free camping area. We took Pat & Dennis to Los Ojos to see Tierra Wools, a worker-owner company selling hand-spun, naturally-dyed yarn and gorgeous hand-woven rugs (also quite expensive!). Although we didn't buy anything woolen, we did buy two door mats from a company that uses old tires to make various products. The mats are decorated with colorful beads and guaranteed never to wear out.
Meanwhile, the landing leg parts arrived on Monday, and Dave was able to remove the leg and take it back to his shop to work on it. Unfortunately, the gears were not the problem, which we didn't learn until late Wednesday. Thursday morning Doug called Atwood (who makes the legs), and Travel Supreme (who made our trailer) and found we could save $30 by ordering a new leg from Travel Supreme, but through a colossal misunderstanding, TS didn't get the leg ready to ship until Friday. Looking at our (and Dave's) schedule we decided that the only way to insure getting the leg on time was to 2nd Day it, which for a 40-pound landing leg meant an additional $60, all because we tried to save $30. Eventually (and after much arm-twisting) TS agreed to pay half of the difference, so it was a wash.# posted by Doug and Willie @ 12:45 PM 
