Thanks for reading my trip report and taking the time to comment: Ronin, Frank, JWL, Vic, searching, and...
Stray Dog - Water Canyon not at all birdy this trip, but I've heard good things about the location
Smoke - yes, come explore NM it's very different from AZ (for the most part)
go - the light-weight ladder is to help set up my home made shade awning (and for emergencies.) The awing is a tarp I can suspend from the roof and tent poles. It can shade the upper portion of the camper sides, unlike permanently mounted designs that attach below the pop-up section.
