Date: Sept. 13, 2025
Location: Redondo Campground, Jemez Mountains, New Mexico
Mileage: 5,126
For our shakedown voyage, we had planned to go boondocking in an area where we cut down our Christmas trees in the Jemez Mountains. And then it rained and we discovered a leak in our new-to-us RV over the passenger seat between the cab and the camper. We hope this is fixable. After the “limp mode” issue and the broken bathroom window, we shrugged and hoped that this is No. 3 because it seems bad things in life always seem to come in threes and then you have some good times for a while. Time will tell.
We live in New Mexico where rain is rare, so we decided to go camping anyway. Except it was New Mexico State Fair weekend. It always rains during the state fair. This year did not disappoint. Looking at the forecast, we decided that boondocking was not wise, as the ground might be soggy and we need to get used to how our RV handles first. So we opted for some campgrounds we know in the Jemez Mountains.
Before leaving, we christened our RV the Roadrunner, which is the New Mexico state bird. During the pandemic, I worked outside on our front patio many days in the summer and fall. Our neighborhood roadrunner would come over most days and watch me, standing about two feet away and standing still for about 20 minutes or so before wandering away.
On the way up to the mountains, we listened to our new playlist with songs like Roam by the B52s, Stick Season by Noah Kahan and, of course, Roadrunner by Modern Love as the opener.
Jemez River Stop
We stopped for lunch along the Jemez River, rushing orange-red down the valley, and watched some red fire ants carry a speck of whole wheat tortilla to their anthill. We try to practice Leave No Trace, but in this instance, we let them have their prize. We realized that with our popup trailer, we tried to get to the campsite and then drive back to interesting things we passed. Now, we need to slow down and stop along the way.
Redondo Campground
We camped at Redondo Campground, which was virtually empty at around 1:30 on a Saturday. It has level, paved sites with fire rings and picnic tables. This campground has always seemed dark to me, but they must have done some tree thinning, as it seems just fine now. As I type this, I’m hearing the thunder reverberate through the Ponderosa pines, there are a few raindrops sprinkling on the awning and it is completely still.
Across the road from Redondo Campground is the San Diego Overlook. There’s a small parking area and toilets. A cross-country ski trail leaves from here. If you walk up the paved trail from the toilets, there’s a great spot to watch the sunset and Battleship Rock can be seen from here.
The trailer didn’t leak with the light rain! And the next day was sunny and calm. We found all three beds comfortable and the heater adequate for our morning coffee inside Roadrunner. And RV decadence was ice cream around the campfire! The “garage” fit all our stuff and then some. The water in the kitchen and bathroom worked just fine. Storage inside the RV was more than adequate for now. And the microwave helped me warm up my coffee. Overall, it was an uneventful, aka good, shakedown trip.
Until next time,
Heather
Check out our Trip Notes.
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