Spiders, Gnats, Snakes . . . and Bunnies.

October 19, 2014: Brantley Lake State Park, NM.

We leave this mosquito infested campground wondering what pesky critters await us at Brantley Lake State Park.  We hope for the best, but expect the worst.  We drive out the south end of the park on SH409 and then catch Highway 2 down into Artesia.  About 20 miles south of town on Highway 285 we turn left toward Brantley Lake which is located in the Chihuahuan Desert.  We select a site with a nice lake view in the distance.

Before pulling out the lounge chairs Jack grabs a stick and starts knocking down spider webs in the picnic table shelter.  It’s full of big, ugly grey spiders with white spots on their backs.  They create a good sized splat mark where he stomps them to death on the concrete pad at the picnic table.  They resemble black widow spiders in size and shape.  And yes, he also kills the black widows as he comes across them.  I hate spiders.  I hate them even more than I hate mosquitoes.

Spiders aside, we want to spend a few days at Brantley. 

Jack wants to check out the fishing in the lake and Pecos River.  We also want to make a day trip down to Carlsbad Cavern and check out the Living Desert south of here, so we're committed to staying here for a few days - pests or no pests. 

Out for a walk-about around the campground in the evening we are engulfed by gnats (midges as one older gentleman calls them). 

The gnats are so thick – thousands of them – they sound like a hive of bees.  Mouths closed, eyes covered, holding our breath we move quickly through each swarm of midges until we reach our campsite.  Back into the RV.  Only problem is no matter what we do, these blasted gnats can get inside.  We finally give up and live with the gnats in the Navion.  At least they don’t bite.   

Oh yeah.  Don’t forget the snakes.  I know it’s only a bull snake, but dang it anyway, I just need a little relief from all these varmints.

Invasion of the bunny rabbits.

Now here’s a critter invasion I can live with.  There are rabbits everywhere.  Man, these guys are breeding like – well, like rabbits.

Miss Kitty is totally enthralled with the bouncing bunnies.  She races from window to window watching them, the whole time making her little cat cackle sound.  Sometimes there are 3 or 4 rabbits in one area and she can hardly contain herself.  Perhaps she can’t get to the rabbits, but she does entertain herself chasing and eating the moths that manage to get inside during the evening.

I know what you’re thinking.  You think I don’t think the same thing you’re thinking?

 An overcast and rainy day at Brantley Lake.

Water.  Our last three campgrounds have been havens for “fishing enthusiasts”.   Look that up in the dictionary and you'll find Jack's smiling face next to the definition.  Oasis, Bottomless Lakes, and now Brantley Lake – I think there's an undeniable connection.  Hmm.  How am I going to tell him we need to move to dryer landscapes.  Perhaps it will occur naturally as we make our way south and west.  Life’s a balancing act.  Until next time – be safe.