Camp Davis

02/17/2022

What a tribute to Camp Davis and our stewardship of this place: two lifelong campers, Barrow Reedy and Blakely Higgins, along with their dear friend Dusty Shryock, did yoeman’s work with chainsaws and strong backs to clear fallen trees from the huge windstorm so that campers and staff will be able to get around the property: these excellent individuals devoted five full days (came from DALLAS) to help us: priceless! The love for this place shows how important it has been to so many people over the last 83 years

file:///var/mobile/Library/SMS/Attachments/86/06/67855F24-4306-4F8E-9F37-FCF1FE7817CA/IMG_6959.heic

01/26/2022

‘bout time!

01/23/2022

Well troops, Bennett and I are pulling the trigger on our 2022 "Home Improvement/Feeding Frenzy Fest"! (AKA Camp Davis work/play weekend)

We have decided that Memorial Day weekend is the best choice this year, spanning Wed May 25 through Monday/Tuesday, whatever works best for anyone planning on coming. We decided that the weather will almost certainly be great at that time, and provides a little flexibility with the long weekend.

As far as projects go, we'll have the usual suspects : windows, raking pine needles, general handy-man stuff, kitchen/dining room cleanup. As most of you know, we have quite the mess up here following the massive windstorm (aka tornado per the locals) in December, so there will be some slash to be hauled by our younger conscripts: it's fun, really....

So, y'all check your calendars and hopefully we'll have a big group for our work/play session in May.

Looking forward to it--Bennett and Kelly

01/15/2022

Well, Cabin 6 at Camp Davis survived the removal of a large tree that has been hanging over it's roof since the windstorm of '21: thanks to helpful neighbors!

01/12/2022

Four weeks to the day, we have REAL electricity and water: ridiculous windstorm (top sustained winds 80 mph) 12/15 knocked out all of our electical poles, amazing that we have had phones for the duration. Three generators were required, with constant maintanence all day/night, thank heavens for generous neighbors and family to loan us their extras. As is typical of our region (Manana-land), it took time to get an electrician lined up and locate new meter boxes, etc, but as of yesterday he finished in good form and the IREA was out to hook up everything shortly after he was done. After a walkaround today, I counted at least 60 downed trees, either sheared off mid-trunk or blown over by the roots, many of them at least 150 years old, healthy, and several feet in diameter: quite impressive in a scary way. Local opinion is that we basically had a tornado or two funnel down into this end of the valley, the brunt of it was definitely in our immediate area.
Anyway, here are some photos from the property, tried to get the dogs in some of the picture to get a scale of the immensity of the root systems, many 14-16 feet across. Sidebar: miraculously, no buildings except for the rifle range shed which was crushed were damaged: one tree is leaning on Cabin 8 and one is dangling above Cabin 6 (don't worry, Beth Mims and Cheryl Haun!) but those will be taken care of) Lots of work to do, to say the least, but we'll get 'er done eventually.

06/09/2021

Thanks James Dennis for this sweet testimonial poem to the essence of Camp Davis, Rociada:

If you drive north from Sapello
or south from Mora,
follow Highway 94 through Rociada
and then take Route 105 until you see it:
three tin roofs rising
against the mountains.

In the summer,
a thick blanket of green pines envelops
the Sangre de Cristo mountains.
Your tires crunch along the dirt road
pocked with caliche.

As you settle in, you take your usual place
on the porch of the great hall,
like some Viking home from the pillage.
And you smell the blue corn tortillas
from the kitchen, as dusk descends around you.

In the wind, you might hear the distant
lament of La Llorona who weeps for the souls
of her children. Or, you notice the hoot of the tecolote
or see the foxes gather, and know that the brujas
are about. This is the land of enchantment, after all.

But in the cool of the morning, sitting
on the finest porch in all of North America,
the sun tumbles over the mountain. The steam
rises from your mug and you smell the piñon coffee.
And this place, this world, begins to heal your wounds.

(copyright James Dennis)

06/05/2021

The 2021 edition of the Camp Davis Work/Play-athon is in the books and was a great success! No overwhelmingly large projects, just a bunch of things that needed to be done to get Camp ready to open later this month. Everybody had good attitudes and good fellowship, and it was a very enjoyable Memorial Day weekend.
Participants this year were:
Diane Mims, Julie/Frank/Barrow Reedy, Barrow's buddy Dusty, James and Tiffany Wieker, Melanie Andress with her two sons Hank and Matt, and happily Matt' brand-new fiancee Becky, as well as Bennett and myself. Virtual participants were perennials Jennifer and Ed Junker, who sadly were unable to come but were kind enough to donate some lovely bath linens.
Our merry band's list of accomplishments includes but is not limited to:
Spiffing up the windows and window frames at the Rec Hall, dining hall, and cabins
Landscaping including pruning bushes and getting a vegetable garden going
Raking up TONS of pine needles in the cabin area for fire abatement
Top-to-bottom cleaning and dishwashing in the dining hall/kitchen
Various furniture-moving projects
Everybody put their heart into the work and also the Happy Hours!
We thank all of these kind people who donated their time and effort to volunteer to help us at Camp Davis!
(I will try to post some pictures via my phone, I haven't been able to access them for posting on FB )

01/27/2021

Dear Campers, Friends and Family,

As Bennett and I sit here watching the beginnings of a much-anticipated snowstorm, we are also thinking about Summer ’21 at Camp Davis. We are thankful to have many of our perennial bookings in place, and hope that many more will fill out the season. As always, we will be working through the Spring to get things up to speed on the property and in the buildings, always a challenge but also very rewarding when we get to share this beautiful place with our guests.

We sincerely hope that all of you had joyous holidays: we were lucky to have Patrick and Erin (New Orleans) as well as KC , Justin and their boys Gabe and Cameron (Austin) with us at Camp. The tree, which we cut near the picnic ground, was an epic 12-footer: we just finished taking it down this weekend! In addition to the “inside” tree, we had two decorated with lights out in the back yard, which made for cheery evenings, especially when they were flocked with snow. Mom-Betty spent Christmas with Scott, Kris, Drew, and John and Beth along with their little girl Ellie---she was definitely the center of attention!

As a family, we have been fortunate not to have had any long-term problems with Covid: although Billl and Irma Davis became quite ill in the fall, they have since recovered nicely, while our Patrick and Erin had mild cases before Christmas. We certainly hope that none of you have had serious cases among your family and friends. A happy note for the holidays: Angela Rittenberry was married to Steve Lucas on January 2 in a beautiful ceremony: see her FB page for gorgeous photos!

On a sad note, our sweet Thibodaux (2003-2020) joined Maggie, Lucy and John D. in the pasture under the pines where they all have lovely view of the mountain and down the valley: he went peacefully but we are still heartbroken. A lot of kids (and adults) got attached to him over our years here: he was the greatest “Camp Dog” ever!

We have not had a great deal of snow so far this winter, but did have a substantial storm last week and are expecting another 6-8” starting today, so keep your fingers crossed that we catch up to our annual average (120”) in the interest of a green summer and full creeks!

Re this summer’s CD happenings, we will be updating the content on the website—www.campdavisnm.com—in the next week or so, so check it out for rates, dates, and general policies for 2021. A couple of things to keep in mind: our rates will not change this year (they have remained stable since 2011), and our “family camp” season will be from mid-June through the end of July.

We have been a bit remiss through the Fall in not touching base with our campers, especially, and for that we apologize: We hope that a bunch of you will consider coming to Camp for some R&R this summer: we are open for business and planning on providing the relaxing atmosphere and great food that you have come to expect. Take care and have an excellent Spring!
Fondly, Bennett and Kelly

01/24/2021

Perfect combo: football and good snow

01/20/2021

Signs of the Season at Camp Davis! We had a wonderful snow last night to build up our snowpack and beautify the property. Not quite giving up on the Christmas spirit yet 🙏⛄️

12/01/2020

12/01/2020

Gascon Ranch Christmas tree arriving at the main branch of Southwest Capitol Bank in Las Vegas, NM