Entrance Gate at Bluewater Lake State Park

The volunteers do a lot of jobs here, and most of the jobs aren't difficult, but no park has enough money to pay personnel to do every job.  Hence, the need for Volunteers.

The last few days I've been learning the job of Gate attendant.  Our job is to answer questions, give directions, collect fees, and help individuals who have a problem.  Surprisingly, many people don't want to understand the simple rules! 

Entrance station

The entrance building is 4 ft wide and 8 ft long, no doors or windows, just a roof and sides.  The building does have an electrical outlet to run the cash register, so I guess it is pretty modern!

We have a statewide fire ban for wood and charcoal fires, and also an outdoor smoking ban.  Wildfires are an ever present danger in New Mexico.

Another large sign states that no fires are allowed, but many, many folks cut park trees and start fires anyway!  There is a yellow plastic strip on each fire ring which states "NO FIRES" .

 People take the tape off the fire ring and then start a fire with the illegal wood and THEN say that they didn't know that they couldn't have a fire!

Many of the public are resistant to the entrance fee of $5.00 per vehicle!
That fee allows boat launch, picnicking, fishing, and cooking over propane until the park closes at 9 p.m. Its a real bargain!

What is it.....?

I have two greyhounds, and I have two dog beds in the motorhome, and two dog beds in the yard.  I think that my dogs (my lovely babies) deserve to be comfortable and be treated really well.  Over the years, I've spent more money on dog beds than I've had to pay for my clothes!  My dogs like to dig at the bed both before, during and after settling down for sleep.  Their dog beds mostly get torn up before two months have gone by.  I have been buying the beds at Walmart, usually at about $39.99 each.  I think they should last at least longer than two months.  In January I was at a city which had a Sam's 
Club, and they had dog beds for $39.99 with the brand SERTA on them.  They claimed to be memory foam.  I bought two of them, and moved the worn ones to the yard.  These two beds have been a cut above the previous dog beds, and have needed resewing only once.  So, my question is .......WHY DO THE DOGS LIE IN THIS MANNER?

The bed is largely uninhabited!

Volunteer position at Bluewater Lake State Park, New Mexico

I arrived at Bluewater Lake State Park a couple of days ago.  The manager had told me to park behind the Visitor Center, so I set up my campsite, and then went to meet a friend.

Some of you have followed the blog Me and My Dog...and my RV.
Barbara had arrived at this park a few days ago.  She always picks a campsite that has a great view and this time was no exception.

Blue Water Lake State Park

The elevation here is 7600 ft, which means it is cooler than City of Rocks.
The habitat here is a mountainous pinyon juniper forest.  The trees are not very tall, but they are tall enough for shade on a hot day, but do not block the view over the area.

The skies are cloudy and we had one heavy rain!  Monsoon season will be arriving in a few weeks!

Female mountain bluebird

Female grackle