Of the several campouts we enjoyed in New Mexico over the last month, our compact overnighter into the Sangre de Cristos Mountains in mid July was especially adorable, in that we enjoyed the company of the sweet and delightful Chick Pea, an elderly Chihuahua-Pugs.

We met Liz and John in the car park below Hartman Rocks, Colorado. The two of them were off to tackle one of the Gunnison routes on Bikepacking.com, while Sage, Emma, and I had just car camped for the night and were headed to the fabled Crested Butte.

Their colourful and ready-to-roll rigs, and our three overloaded bikes atop the Prot the Prius’ roof rack, were clear clues to our shared interests. But, had we not struck up a conversation, I might have missed the third member of their crew, Chick Pea the Chug, mellowing out in a small basket atop John’s front rack. Too diggity dang cute!

A fully loaded Prott in Hartman Rocks, Colorado.

Did I mention that when we car camp… we RC car camp too?

Liz, John, and Chick Pea, all set for their Coloradan adventure.

John and Liz live in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where Sage was born. We were headed the next so we swapped details. And, when Emma and I made it to town a week later, Liz was kind enough to offer us tickets to the wonderful Georgia O’Keefe Museum, where she works in digital experience.

The best way to get to know someone, I feel, is on a bike ride. Or better still, a bike campout. The five of us arranged to meet up at the Santa Fe Railyard after Liz’s work one Monday, from where we rode out to the bottom of Windsor trail, beginning a gentle singletrack climb into the high country.

Santa Fe’s Railyard district is spacious and bike friendly… as are the Railrunner trains!

As keen ‘dogpackers’ ourselves, it was especially fun to ride with other canine lovers. Chick Pea appeared remarkably chill, despite being jostled about in her basket at times. When we stopped to regroup or chat, John scooped her out with one hand so she could sniff and potter around. For the record, Chick Pea adds around 10lbs to their setup – this includes Chick Pea herself, the basket, and her food! Huesos, in contrast, weighs 42lb alone, and that’s without factoring in the Farfarer trailer or a big bag of kibble…

Celebrating Bastille Day. Too diggity dang cute.

The two and four legged gang.

Onwards we rode, ascending into the cool, subalpine forest of the Sangre de Cristos Mountains, pausing to inspect mushrooms along the way. Eventually we pulled over in a broad meadow near the base of Chamisa trail, a popular zone to hike, run, and ride. There, a particularly pleasing rock emanates from the earth. Not only is it a good spot to lean up a bike, but it’s a perfect backrest too. Plus, it provides a visual reference point in an idyllic meadow teeming with wild flowers. Pause for a moment and you can even hear the dulcet tones of Tesuque Creek flowing nearby. It’s idyllic, and a spot I’ve camped at before.

Just here for the views.

Three interpretations of how to bike camp… curly bars, big tyres, and full suspension too.

Emma never passes up a chance to make friends with a mushroom… and to collect any samples that might be fit for consumption, like these oysters.

Mushroompacking.

The Sweet Pea Mobile.

We’d also arranged to meet Jeremy there. He’d run all the way from town, carrying just a tiny backpack with a collection of minimal camping gear within.

As much as I always aspire to expansive and grand adventures, I’m a big fan of local overnighters too. They pack so much punch for their size, and I find them both restorative for the mind, and social in a gentle and unassuming way. There’s rarely a good excuse not to do them, given how neatly they slot within the day to day demands of life.

The outside world is Emma’s happy place.

A fine spot to lean up a bike. Can you tell Liz is an artist?

We chit-chatted around camp as we cooked up our dinners, or unravelled burritos, before eventually turning in for a night under the stars. John and Liz awoke early, to ensure they were back before museum opening times, though fleet-footed Jeremy was the first to roll away his tarp and trot off through the wet, dewy grass.

Off trots Jeremy shortly after sunrise.

Coffee o’clock for the rest of us.

Emma and I are in awe of Liz’s collapsable kettle… and John’s socks are a nice attention to detail too.

Not before coffee, of course, which we all enjoyed together, marvelling at the elegance of Liz’s foldaway kettle. Emma and I lingered around camp, as is our way, then we packed up, climbed Chamisa, and returned to town via the Dale Ball trail network, guiding us straight back into the heart of town.