Ruth, enjoying the view of the lake at Valle de Bravo, Mexico.
Where are Kevin and Ruth now? Valle de Bravo, Mexico.

Where are Kevin and Ruth going next? Cancun on December 17th!

Thursday, May 7, 2020

Hike to the highest point in Oklahoma... and another change of plans!

(Just getting caught up after a day without internet access. This is the second post today. You may have missed the one posted earlier at https://www.travelwithkevinandruth.com/2020/05/in-to-oklahoma.html)

We got up at sunrise around 7:00am Wednesday morning, and hit the Black Mesa trail a few minutes after 8:00am.

We are in the far northwest corner of Oklahoma, only a couple of miles from both Colorado and New Mexico. The trail leads up to the highest point in Oklahoma, which is located only a few hundred yards from the New Mexico border.

It was a 9 mile (14.5 km) hike on a beautiful blue sky day.



I was setting a fast pace!



Yep, they are still coming.


 Here they come. I was getting a fair bit ahead!


4,973' altitude.

It took us exactly an hour and a half to make one way to the marker, a distance of about 4 miles. But it was another half a mile or so to get to the views. It wasn't a difficult hike. Mostly flat, except for one short climb of about 600 feet.

Looking east.

Looking west.

Relaxing and enjoying the views.

Made it back to the motorhomes well before lunch.

The afternoon was relaxing... I had a nap and did some reading and we played a few games of backgammon.

At happy hour, we discussed onward travel plans. Long story short, we have completely changed our route to Montana. We are no longer going to Kansas. They are calling for high winds for at least the next week in that area. So instead, we are going the more scenic route west across the top of New Mexico and then north through the eastern part of Utah. Avoiding Colorado because the eastern part of Colorado is much like Kansas, and the mountainous western part is pretty much off limits to travelers due to the Covid 19. However the northern part of New Mexico is pretty sparsley populated so we won't have any problem finding overnight spots even though the state parks are closed. And the eastern part of Utah is beautiful and the Utah state parks are open.


Western Meadowlark.

Today (Thursday) we are riding our bikes over the the point where New Mexico, Colorado, and Oklahoma meet. Maybe we can try to be in all three states at the same time!

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18 comments:

  1. Sherman looks great! Have fun and enjoy!

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    1. Thanks Chris! He looks even better because of the nice scenery. :-)

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  2. Welcome back to NM! The far northeast corner of the state is getting hit pretty hard with CV19, rest of the northern tier of counties not much at all. Travel safely!

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    1. I think it's the NW corner ...
      https://cvprovider.nmhealth.org/public-dashboard.html

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    2. Thanks Creigh! When I look at the map it seems it is the far northwest corner of New Mexico that has been hit a little harder, in the San Juan County. Trust us, we are keeping a close eye on numbers and staying away from the areas with high numbers and have no plans on stopping in those areas. We will keep doing what we have been doing and that is staying away from populated areas except to do groceries and we keep that to a minimum as best as we can.

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  3. Great choice, going through NM and UT will be a visual delight.

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    Replies
    1. We think so too, Garth! And a lot more boondocking and hiking options as well. :-)

      We hope that you are doing well and staying healthy.

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  4. I'm from Utah ... know the area you'll be going through well ... you'll luv it!

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    1. We have been through this area before but it was always when we were traveling from Mexico up to Saskatchewan and on a timeline so we never really had the time to explore the area properly. We are really looking forward to seeing this part of Utah now that we have a little more time on our hands. :-)

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  5. Be careful around the Navajo Nation in northwest New Mexico. Some roads are sealed off and they are not allowing passage in order to isolate Covid19 in that area. Apparently that area is hard hit.

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    Replies
    1. Yes, we are already aware of that because Kevin was checking out a place to overnight in that area and there was a message left behind by someone saying that some roads are closed. We will definitely be keeping our eyes open on any news about the roads and then adjust our route if need be.

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  6. https://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2020/05/05/new-mexico-gallup-coronavirus

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  7. Nice area! I lived in OKC for four years but never went to that area. Flew all over the state in a small plane but missed that.

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    Replies
    1. It is a shame that you never got the opportunity to visit this part of Oklahoma, it really is pretty with lots of interesting scenery compared to many other parts of Oklahoma. Maybe one day in the future you can make a trip out here. :-)

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  8. Enjoy Utah! It’s one of my very fav states. You sure are getting a great tour of the roads less traveled! Stay well and safe.

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    Replies
    1. Utah is also one of our most favourite states. So much to see there.

      We always love to pick the road less travel and at this particular time, it is exactly where we want to be...away from people! :-)

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