Papa Wes Adventures

for the 2026 Fall Colors Trip, Camille, Alex and I will start off at the 360 campsite. We will be camping the entire trip. A number of people are coming up October 1-5 for OHV trail riding.
Once they leave, we may break camp and head up to Creede for a few days, then move back down toward South Fork.

If you want to meet us to camp, call either Camille or Wes for specific locations. If you need information regarding OHV rules, we can help there as well.

Anyone planning on going on the 2026 Fall Colors trip September 28- October 17th. Camille is taking orders for T shirts, Hoodies, Vehicle and tumblers. If you want them for this trip, get the order in quick. 830-832-6183

A few years ago while camping at a high mountain lake, we hiked around the lake just to explore. Back into a canyon we discovered an area with Rocky Mountain Orchids mixed in with numerous other wildflowers.

51 and counting. Forecast for peak colors October 5.

Product review:

Since we go out in the back country to camp and ride our ATV's, there have been several instances where communication was needed and not readily available.

Over the past year, I have purchased some new options and learned more on some I already had.

The first one I already had was the iPhone satellite text. Available on iPhone X and above.
Plus - Came with the phone and works.
Negative - Takes practice to acquire satellite and hold it while texting and waiting for reply.
*** out of 5

The next one was a GMRS repeater. We use our GMRS radios on the ATV's and Jeep. I bought a repeater and then the antennae and the software. Total purchase around $500.00
Plus - When I get it all set up it will extend our range.
Negative - lot of money for it seems to always need just one more thing. So as of yet, it doesn't work as advertised.
** out of 5

Then the brainchild "WeBoost". $500.00 for the kit. 20 minute set up. Plug and play. I have tried it on long trips out in west Texas and New Mexico. All over on short trips. Used their testing procedure. Absolutely no difference with or without.
Plus - very easy to set up
Negative - waste of money (Unless I did not set something up right)
0 out of 5

Starlink !!!!!!! So far the best of all recent purchases. $200+ for the hardware. Super easy to set up. Four minutes from the box to linked up with devices. I am paying $55.00 a month for 100 Gigabytes. $50 is the plan fee. The extra $5 is for standby mode. If I am not going to use it for a whole month, I only pay $5 and keep my registration and login info. Without the $5, I could still stop payment but would have to re-register when I wanted to use it again.
I can just lay it out facing north on anything, I also have a house mount, car top mount and a pole mount for the yard or field.
On our Cloudcroft trip I set it up and within 4 minutes 6 devices were linked up with no speed reduction. I took it to my son's house last week and we downloaded and played games for over three hours. No glitches or slow down.
Can't say enough about my Starlink.
****** out of 5 (6 out of 5)

64 days and counting. 19+ days camping.

2026 Fall Colors Adventure coming soon.

Camping, off roading, exploring, hiking, star gazing, camp fires, outdoor grilling and cooking, ghost towns, waterfalls, lakes, fishing both lakes and streams, mountains full of Aspen and other deciduous trees, gold panning and views you cant forget.

Some of the group prefer to glamp or stay in cabins and then come out for day trips. Whichever suits your taste.

If you want more information, location, where we will be on a given day, leave a comment and I'll get in touch. We do not pre-list our camp for safety reasons.

Camille, Alex and I went to Cloudcroft, NM for the 250th Birthday celebration. Camped out for 6 days. Gail camped with us all 6 days before heading out on another adventure. Suzie and Danny came out for a couple of days.

Not quite as cool as we hoped for. Days were hi 70s and nights only got down to the 50s. Had some small showers every couple days. And then a threat of severe thunderstorms on Sunday and Monday convinced us to leave a day early.

Saw 25-30 Elk, mule deer, coyote, rabbits, a lot of butterflies. Alex got to talk to an owl one night. Heard an eagle but never saw it. We had a hummingbird that visited every day and may have had a nest close by. It buzzed Camille several time.

Went to Cloudcroft for their 4th of July parade. Really good parade through town. They still throw candy and beads. Alex got to grab a bunch. The last fire truck would spray water up in the air and cool everyone off. Alex ran out in front of the truck and dared them to spray him. They didn't and he was disappointed.

On the trip up my double axel trailer threw a bearing. We found JD's Wrecker and shop in Eunice, Texas. I got the trailer to them and in about an hour, they fixed us up and DID NOT overcharge!!!! Great people - very friendly and knew what they were doing.

While out on ATV trail, my ATV just died in the middle of a dirt road. I checked everything I could and decided the battery must be bad. This is a CF Moto with a unique battery. We had to go into town for ice and just as luck would have it, I checked with Cloudcroft Truck and Auto and they had the correct battery. Again, great service and super friendly people. (side note - it wasnt the battery. Died again 2 days later!!) Crush is headed to the ATV hospital.

Had some other adventures while camping. I'll write them up later.

When your 2 year old grandson is already cleaning gear after class.