Gooseberry Mesa

O.K., so you may be asking "what in the world is a 'mesa'? Or maybe you're a bit more 'mesa' savvy then this blogger. For those who are asking the question, the answer is: an isolated relatively flat-topped natural elevation usually more extensive than a butte and less extensive than a plateau ; also : a broad terrace with an abrupt slope on one side. Merriam Webster came up w/that definition. My definition. A piece of land, at times quite high, depending on the mesa, where you can see for miles, take fun jeep rides, camp along the ledge, make a fire and have abundant wood around because it is BLM land (Bureau of Land Management), and you don't want to leave. Shwooooh....Merriam Webster I'm NOT!! Our trip began on Friday afternoon w/my Trail Blazer loaded down w/supplies to last the weekend and a gal in the passenger seat who was just as 'giddy' as me to embark on the weekends adventure. The plan was to get up to the mesa, find a campsite (it's a popular place....this mesa), and get it set up before the 'hub' and my gal pals 'hub' arrived. Well........the hunt was on to find the perfect spot. After all, being the competitive person that I am I had to have a good spot. Just any spot wouldn't do. It had to meet my criteria and much to my delight, my pals as well. We were on the same page and we were determined. Now, around here there are many dirt roads that off shoot from the main dirt road and off shoots from the sub dirt roads as well.....and so on. So, it's a feeling you get when you see the road, actually, maybe it's just me, I'm afraid I will miss something if I don't drive down it. Sometimes, it's delightful, and over each rise in the road is gift for the eyes to see. Sometimes........you're wonderin' "WTW was I thinking?" We had our share of both. We took many roads, each time thinking we could find a better camp spot. My pal said a prayer "God help us find the perfect spot." He didn't answer right away, sometimes He's like that. But it made for humor as we continued to search, munch on choc. chip cookies, pot. chips while jumping out every now and then to survey the land. Actually, it got to be quite comical after an hour of searching as we wondered if we wouldn't meet the 'hubs' while driving around still looking for a campsite. Now keep in mind, as we are driving around other would be weekend campers are showing up in there big SUV's. My gas foot is gettin' a bit itchy. What if they were to find 'the spot' before we did. I couldn't have this!!! We had traveled to many dirt roads to have somebody show up, take the first right and 'WahLa' Abracadabra....they have found prime camping real estate. No...not gonna let that happen. The next road branches off to the right. I look @ my pal and say "Let's try this one." Being a good natured gal she smiles and says " o.k. let's give it a try." We bounce and weave down the road and our countenance falls as we see a camper ahead. We keep going taking a right @ their campsite and it appears we have run out of road. My pal jumps out while I keep the motor running. She runs back to the car and says "Tami, you have to see this." Well.......we hit the mother load of all campsites. So what if we parked on the bike trail. (we didn't realize this until we left Sunday....geesh). It was gorgeous. Look @ the pics. We set about getting the campsite ready. Now let me tell you about my pal. Seems she loves removing bushes with whatever tool is available. On this occasion, it was a hammer. (we found out later there was a small hatchet in the car). She worked feverishly, removing one sage brush after another until our campsite became a large living room w/a VIEW!!!! Because no one had camped there before (could have had something to do w/the bike trail :), we had to build a fire pit. After that we began to put up the tent. Not sure the last time this tent had been used. Maybe about 3 years ago when Tim and some friends headed up to Jim Thorpe in Pa. for a quick camping trip only to come home in the middle of the first night w/severe allergies....ahhhh....our Timba. Sorry I'm digressing. Let's just say it had dry rot and ripped from side to side. No bother.....we had duct tape. Like I said, we were DETERMINED!! We weren't going to let a small 5 FOOT rip get in our way. After using half of the roll and having it look like a bad jig saw puzzle, we stood back, looked at our handy work and laughed.....kind of like the 'Wicked Witch of the West'. No matter....we fought the tent and we won!! Not long after our campsite became a cozy haven complete w/the perfect fire and i tunes playing, the 'hubs' showed up and we began to 'show off' our prized site. I must say they were impressed by our find and "Calamity Jane" toughness. A toast was made to camping and we sat around the fire, roasting wienies, sharing stories, waiting for the stars to make their evening debut. Boy did they. Spectacular. The weekend was full of good friends, food, hikes, gathering small rocks and talking about where we would go next. Maybe I will write a Part II and share stories of brushing my teeth w/out toothpaste and stumbling around in the wilderness amongst cow paddies and pieces of bones looking for a place to 'potty'. However, not at the same time...that would be wierd.