It’s Summer… Officially, it began Sunday, June 21, 2026. The temperatures were fairly warm as I was traveling as a full-time Nomad, spending my nights parked at various locations that allowed free overnight parking. I hadn’t spent any money for places to stay since I began this journey on May 15th.
It was becoming clear to me that I needed to evaluate my thought process heading into the Summer, with HOT weather approaching. The search for a different location every night, translated to more miles driven than I wanted each day, which translated to more gas burned, (the SUV, and my generator, that was being operated more hours of the day/evening to maintain a level of comfort.
There were a number of videos on YouTube that discussed several “State Park Pass’ programs that caught my attention. I did the calculations to see how it compared to how I was doing to this point with my original game plan, while projecting the impending HOT Summer temps.
After weighing all the pros and cons, and the cost comparisons, I decided to invest in a non-resident annual New Mexico State Parks Camping Pass. Even with the initial $600 for the pass, and the daily fee for electric / water connections, and reservation fee through ReserveAmerica.com I would come out spending less money that playing the ‘Hunt For Free Overnight Parking’ game, with less stress on my generator and tow vehicle, provided I spent the rest of the year at the various state parks in New Mexico.
That’s on paper.
How it will actually pan out will be determined over the next few months.
I had debated about pulling the trigger on this idea a few weeks, making numerous phone calls to several New Mexico State Parks, the State office in Albuquerque, and Reserve America. There were conflicting statements from a few of those contacts on how the system worked, the time frame from buying the pass and being able to start making reservations, and the requirements .
Since I was in Trinidad, Colorado, just north of the New Mexico State line when I had pretty much convinced myself this would be a good strategy, I made one more call. It was to the number listed for Caballo Lake State Park, near Truth or Consequences.
I learned that some of the information I had received from the other sources was actually incorrect. The concerns I had based on that information were erased. So I drove down the next day, met with that person on Sunday, July 12th, purchased my pass and she had me stay at one of the sites that night, and said the pass would be activated for use in Reserve America, by 9am the next morning, and I would be able to start making reservations.
That’s what happened. The previous contacts insisted I would have to wait for a pass to arrive in the mail before I could do that. Clearly, some people in the chain weren’t up to speed.
I enjoyed a peaceful, albeit hot seven days at Caballo, while reserving my next 7 days at nearby Percha Dam State Park, and the next seven days at Elephant Butte Lake State Park.
I’ll let you know how the rest of the Summer, then Fall, go… It’s been HOT… but as I’ve said before… It’s a dry heat…Sauna… not a steam bath…
