Campsite Cleanup #18: Tijeras, NM, Where I Found A Creepy Trailcam
Good morning from somewhere that isn't New Mexico, it's me @otherbrandt again and I'm here to refute the preposterous claims of my rivals regarding my untimely demise from eating that trash I ate for lunch during my last Campsite Cleanup. I am quite alive and well, thank you very much, and would gladly repeat that action should opportunity arise. One does not simply turn up one's nose at free food out here in the wild simply because one finds it discarded in the dirt—a lesson my rivals could stand to learn, if they have any interest in long-term survival in this lifestyle, which frankly I hope they don't.
Anyway, recently me and my ably unstable and agelessly shady Subaru, Yolo McFukitol, were camping in the Manzanita Mountains near Tijeras, New Mexico up along 462 in one of the area's designated dispersed campsites. It was actually a double campsite, with not one but two firepits and camping areas adjacent to each other, and I was worried that some other annoying nomadic vagabond like me would have the balls to come wandering along and claim the site next door and actually be my neighbor. Fortunately such unwanted encounter did not occur. Several vehicles did in fact grumble by with the clear intention of stopping and camping but as soon as they saw me and YMF staggering around yelling at the sky surrounded by piles of empty 99 Brand shooters and STP octane boosters they left which is exactly what we wanted them to do. The hellish stench YMF emanates whenever he senses an intruder upon his territory might also have contributed to their rapid departure. I of course am unable to detect this stench so it works out very well for me in these sorts of circumstances.
This particular Cleanup was not particularly exciting as far as the litter itself goes. Mainly a few rolls' worth of used toilet paper and a couple dozen empty beer and booze bottles; I was so bored that I hardly remembered to take pictures. Of course the dull quality of our findings was more than made up for by a certain unwelcome surprise hanging in a tree nearby, which has already been given away in the title so I won't bother repeating here that it was a trailcam.
I am not sure that "a flavor frenzy" is something I would ever want to experience especially if it's delivered by the contents of a small plastic bottle from Kentucky with a pineapple on it. Unless the experience is literally turning into a Viking berserker and going on a rampage through the produce section at the local grocery store, in which case sign me up. Will need to do more research into this.
Looks like cotton, smells like cotton, screams like cotton when I stab it, but it isn't cotton. It doesn't feel quite right. It's got a tougher, more plasticky texture than any cotton I've ever caressed. 'Tis a mystery I guess, and one that I don't care enough about to solve.
Here is one single toilet paper exhibit to represent the dozens I could have overwhelmed you with but didn't.
Remnants of red onion. I feel like there's some sort of layered joke buried here just waiting to unwrap itself and land the kind of punch that brings tears to your eyes but I don't feel like wasting any more of my day peeling away at it.
Don't see anything out of the ordinary here. Nature is so beautiful. Moving along now.
Above please find pictured The Whole Haul from Campsite Cleanup #18. As a subtle tribute to its relative banality I opted to photograph it in extremely poor light and then not even bother to make any improvements in editing. Don't tell me what to do, I'm a Viking berserker and none can stop me from strewing this old linoleum floor with the corpses of grapes and tomatoes and blood oranges.
Dear Diary: Today while wandering around looking for trash to pick up like a completely normal person and feeling unfathomably lonely I discovered that in fact I was not alone at all, for a trailcam had been right here keeping me company and casting a watchful eye on my campsite the whole time. I can't begin to describe the waves of joy and relief that washed over me when I suddenly found myself staring face to face with a live video recorder in a place where I'd foolishly expected privacy and solitude. Will have to remember to return here if I'm ever feeling lonely again in the future.
Refuting shouldn't be necessary. I knew you'd be just fine. I thought it was commonly known that many packaged foods such as what you ate will always be edible, the way they are preserved like a chemical mummy.
Scaring away potential neighbours, beautiful! I could learn heaps of crap from you in that regard. That's one hideous trail cam. I don't imagine that tree feels the need to be tech dressed. I'm not sure what's worse, seeing this, that they are everywhere on trails, or seeing scarred trees. Both seem to bring up unmentionable urges in certain areas.
I like the gutted truck photo, looks like it's been there for a bit. Maybe that was a murder site?
The last two photos are cherry, love the water droplets with landscape through the windshield and the next with frost. I was wondering if those water droplets are the same ones that created the frost.
Right, but you just never know if any of the covids might have managed to burrow their way into them out there in the wild. There's always that risk you know.
I usually do a quick sweep of every campsite I stay at, looking for trailcams just in case. This one somehow escaped my detection for a couple days. What's insanely creepy about this one is it wasn't just aimed innocently across a trail/road to monitor traffic volume, it was pointed directly at the firepit, right where people might be doing things like taking a piss or making out or summoning demons up through the portal. Fucking disgusting if you ask me. I actually spent about an hour online trying to figure out if it would be illegal for me to steal/vandalize it, and concluded that it most likely would be. I was fucking pissed though, I probably should have just smashed it with my hammer and hit the road.
We can only imagine what events transpired resulting in an old pickup meeting its end way up some trail like that. I have no idea how they managed to get it there aside from flying it in by chopper. To drive it up to where I found it would have required world-class off-roading skills. I suppose I could do some internets research to try and solve this mystery but I don't feel like it right now. Maybe the Hardy Boys would like to take a shot at it.
I don't recall if the water droplets and frost were related in such a way. I'm leaning toward no, because I took the pics on two different days so the water probably would have evaporated and/or the frost melted off in between.
Anyway, !PIZZA :)
Let me introduce you to my risk annihilation formula. Create your own "world" by adding/removing at your will. In my world, whatever word that is you used above, does not exist in my dictionary or vocabulary, word not found, no known origin situation. Imagine what else I've created in my world (wicked laughter).
The fact that you have to do that every campsite creeps me right out. This one, omg, that's sickening.
Yes, but then, they'd probably replace it. I just had thoughts of a much more fun approach, but my evil twin is locked in the closet. Now if only there'd been one of those cams pointed to the area the truck is in, wouldn't that be fun? Maybe it originally had wings, then dropped like fallen angel metal.
Really love both those shots. I figured they were shot different days, since I stared at them for a while comparing to see, LOL.
Looking forward to the next trash camping adventure, hopefully no more of those kind of trail cams. 😁
I like it. I think I will apply this formula to death and taxes now.
Yeah. I've had enough of trailcams from now on. Next one I see is getting the hammer.
Excellent, go wide and wild, that's whole point of the sharp knifey, knifey game.
Bye bye future trailcams, may you never rest in peace, recover, or replicate.
@brandt, warning, that trail cam looks booby trapped.
Probably so. I will check for trip wires.
Why do I always think of flame throwers at times like these, I don't know. Throw @otherbrandt ahead of you, he'll burn up any trip wires on contact, LOL.
Did someone say flamethrowers? Here I am.
I love how promptly you fly up at the mention of flamethrowers. I seem to have a fascination with fire of late, lol.
PIZZA Holders sent $PIZZA tips in this post's comments:
otherbrandt tipped nineclaws (x1)
@otherbrandt(1/8) tipped @dandays (x1)
Please vote for pizza.witness!
I get the onion one and the toilet paper minus a dozen photos one but what's with Trailcam in the title?
Trailcam in the title is an inside joke about trailcams in titles.
I'd try to explain it to you but that would just ruin the whole thing.
!PIZZA and !BEER
!WHATEVER
😂
Something about New Mexico - not that you were in New Mexico, of course - gives me the creeps. I spent a couple weeks out there years ago. I guess as a person used to green and more green, it just feels sad and desolate and deathly. But the Bisti Badlands is what is coming to mind, and your area there looks greener than I recall my version of NM. But you had a trail cam to make your version of NM creepy, so I suppose we are on the same page.
I know some people in NM, and they find it enormously amusing that so many Americans think that New Mexico is actually a part of Mexico.
Despite the frost, it looks like you've found a much cozier location for the time being.