Introducing the Cactus Killer and Chirp. Ever since Papa died (and possibly b/c I had recently and Cara was soon to turn 40) we started to aggressively search and make moves on buying the toys that would take our family road trip adventures to the next level. After our 2020 summer in New Mexico of dispersed camping from our Mazda CX-5 we started to daydream about a 4WD vehicle and a camper trailer. We had also received a generous gift from Nana which allowed us to take our Craigslist searches a bit more seriously with the intent to buy. In January of 2022, we first found Cactus Killer aka CK (named by Parker during one of our first adventure trips in it), a 2004 Toyota Sequoia with about 260k miles. It was around the 4th truck we looked at and was the right fit for us. Later in June and July, we came across the posting for a 2020 Taxa Cricket camper trailer and said "What the heck, let's do it!" Sybil was the creative genius behind it's new name, Chirp.
After the cousins headed back to Houston, we decided the best way to break in the trailer and our new adventure system was to put it to the test with a 1,200+mile road trip to New Mexico and Colorado. Our plan was to meet our friends, John and Sheila and their two girls (Evie and Lorna), in their family home in Pagosa Springs, CO. Along the way we'd find a few dispersed camping sites in New Mexico to break up the drive and enjoy some nights out in the woods in our new to us trailer. There was no buyer's remorse from me, but Cara was a bit upset after the girls did not sleep any better in the trailer than they did in our tent during previous trips. Note: S&P have been sleeping better now that they've had more reps.
attached and ready to roll. Chirp is a 15' trailer so we are not too obnoxiously large out on the road. We gave ourselves a week to recover and prep after the cousins left before we hit the road on our first RV adventure.
ready for adventure!
Our first stop was at Hyde Memorial State Park just northeast of Santa Fe, NM. With an early start from home we were able to set up camp around dinner time and had time to settle in before our first night in Chirp together.
reading before bedtime, night 1.
We made it to Pagosa Springs the next day. Our first stop was to meet up with John, Sheila and the girls E&L at a local park to play and swim in the river.
The next day we drove up to Wolf Creek Pass for a hike. Along the way, we had a quick stop to check out Treasure Falls.
The following day we explored the Piedra River trail north and east of town. Cara and Sheila snuck away for a trail run while John and I splashed with the girls and the dogs down on the river.
This was my first time to explore Pagosa Springs and southern Colorado, and it left an impression on me. Hopefully, we'll have many more adventures in this area. We had such an awesome time with John and Sheila's family. Another highlight was the local Pagosa Spring Theatre company's Sponge Bog musical!
We took the scenic route home from PS and our first stop was a dispersed campsite along the Rio Chama just across the border in New Mexico. We got to test our all the new features and creature comforts for the first time.
After spending the afternoon swimming in the river, it was a luxury to be able to spray off using the outdoor shower attached to Chirp. Although we only had one night here, we could have comfortably stayed a few more as we had plenty of water and power.
The next day, we continued south to our favorite, the Carson National Forest, for our next stop. We found another dispersed spot and enjoyed some afternoon batting practice.
Further along on the way home, we hiked up to our first New Mexican hot springs and enjoyed a rejuvenating dip. We made it home without any issues and were already looking forward to our next CK/Chirp adventure.
Shortly after we returned we celebrated Cara's 40th birthday with a trip to Krause Springs. Our gift to her (and us) was time to make her own amazing birthday cake, which she got to use her baking blow torch to scorch the marshmallow frosting.
We love you Mama! That wraps up, summer 2022.
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