New Mexico – O-Solo-Meo.blog

Socorro, Truth or Consequences, Las Cruces, Deming, Silver City, New Mexico

February 3, 2019 by Rochelle F

Socorro

Socorro is only an hour drive from Albuquerque and the attraction for me was the Bosque de Apache. I stayed at the Escondida Lake Campground. This campground is owned by the County and had hookups and a nice view of the lake. It also had a welcoming committee of ducks and cats!

The Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge is located near Socorro. It was founded in 1939 and is administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. It is a favorite spot to watch the migration of the Sandhill cranes in the fall. There are many other species of birds and ducks too. Photographers flock (pun intended) to the Refuge to capture the magnificent sight of the birds flying in to the refuge at sunset and leaving at dawn. I chose sunset (no surprise there!). I sure looked like an amateur with my camera equipment compared to all the other photographers. I did the best I could. Here are a few of my best photos.

photogs — Photographers lining the shore waiting…

After the sun set I headed to the Owl Café for the best Green Chili Cheeseburger I had thus far. It was delicious! Yelp had it right again!

Truth or Consequences

The next stop was only about 60 miles south to Truth or Consequences (TorC). T or C, where the water is hot and the people are cool! The former name of this small town was Hot Springs. And, as you would guess, there are hot springs in the area. When I learned about them, I promptly made a reservation at Riverbend Hot Springs. Riverbend overlooks the Rio Grande River and offer group and private soaking tubs. I enjoyed my visit there very much. I also attended a play by the local theatre group. It was all about the small town of T or C. Hot Springs changed it’s name to Truth or Consequences because they thought if they did, the television show would film in their small town. However, the show was never filmed there.

I camped at Elephant Butte Lake State Park and attended the Christmas Luminaria. The Luminaria Beachwalk features 3000 luminaria lining paths on the beach leading to community-sponsored campsites with posole, chile, cocoa, cookies, s’mores, and music. I was able to hang out with a group of people that I met in Albuquerque and had wonderful time.

Las Cruces

My next stop was Las Cruces near the bottom of the state. Las Cruces is a small college town and was a good place to stay and visit White Sands National Monument. White Sands is about 40 miles east of Las Cruces and is in the northern Chihuahuan Desert. It’s known for its dramatic landscape of rare white gypsum sand dunes. It is the largest gypsum dune in the world. The sands of White Sands National Monument are formed from gypsum, a soft mineral often left behind when water bodies evaporate. Thick layers of gypsum settled onto an old sea floor. About 70 million years ago, the Rocky Mountains began to form, and a broad area—including the giant gypsum field—rose.

Trails through the dunes include the raised Interdune Boardwalk and the Dune Life Nature Trail, dotted with interpretive exhibits on wildlife and other features. I hiked both trails and had them mostly to myself. It was an awesome experience. Dunes Drive is a looped road from the White Sands Visitor Center to the dune field. Driving the Dunes Drive is like driving through snow.

White Sands was established as a national monument in 1933. Today, its location between several military bases means the monument is sometimes closed due to missile tests. You should check before making the trek.

SAMSUNG CAMERA PICTURES — White Sands NM

White Sands 2 — White Sand as far as you can see

White Sands — Amazing anything can grow.

Deming

It was short drive west to Deming where I only stayed a couple days in order to visit Rockhound State Park and Silver City. I stayed at an Escapee Park (Dream Catcher). Rockhound State Park is a great place to stay if you are a rock hound! It is named for the abundance of minerals in the area, and visitors can search for quartz crystals, geodes, jasper, perlite, and many other minerals right there in the park. I hiked one mile around the park and thinking my rock hound friend, Lynn should be here with me. It has a very nice campground with hookups and if I’m ever here in the future I will stay at this park.

Rockhouse State Park

I also drove 60 miles north to Silver City to check it out. It’s where cowboy meets hippie and a very cool little town. It’s at around 6000 feet so I didn’t think I’d want to bring the rig up and stay awhile because it would be too cold. But I changed my mind and moved to the Elks Lodge there. It had full hookups so I had electricity to run both my small electric heaters, 24 hours a day. Silver City was a good place from which to visit City of Rocks State Park and the Gila Cliff Dwellings.

Silver City

As suggested by its name, Silver City began as a mining town at the height of the prospecting boom in the 1800s and has survived a long Wild West history that hosted such notorious notables as Billy the Kid and “Dangerous Dan” Tucker. Evidence of its even earlier history can be seen at the nearby Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument, where ancient homes of the Mongollon Pueblo still stand.

Silver City is a collection of local art galleries, restaurants, shops, a museum and Big Ditch Park. Big Ditch Park was originally Main St., but a series of flash floods in the 1890’s and 1900’s dropped the street about 55 feet. This is not a river, but water runs in the Big Ditch all year round. They had to relocate Main Street on higher ground.

The 66 mile drive to the Gila Cliff Dwellings takes you through the beautiful scenery of the Gila National Forest. The Monument consists of 553 acres and contains the remains of a Mimbres Culture community in various locations, two of which are most prominent. The people made use of natural caves to build interlinked dwellings within five cliff alcoves above Cliff Dweller Canyon. The TJ Ruins are located on a bluff overlooking the Gila River. The Mogollon Peoples are believed to have inhabited the region from between 1275 and into the early 14th century. These cliff dwellings are unique in that you can climb up and walk through the alcoves. I had a private tour from a ranger and she was very informed on the dwellings and the people who called them home.

The selection of restaurants in Silver City was a real treat. There was even a local brewery. I had no problem spending a week in this interesting city. But alas, the weather was turning very cold so I headed to Benson, Arizona back to the Saguaro Escapees Park.

little toad creed beer — Local Brewery with Delicious Food

Till next time…

Albuquerque, New Mexico

January 6, 2019January 6, 2019 by Rochelle F

The Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta had been on my bucket list since I heard about it several years ago. I finally made it and I’m so happy I did.

After Mike flew home, Sandy and I went to the Balloon Fiesta and parked with the Escapee’s Boomers group in the RV parking area along with 50 other rigs. Jesse and Cheryl, and John and Darius, friends from Sacramento, also parked with the Boomers. The Boomers have attended the Fiesta for many years and they provide crew for the balloon pilots. I signed up to crew despite the fact it required getting up at 4:30 am for the morning flights.

My first chance to crew was for Albuquerque Aloft. This is an event the balloon pilots conduct for the elementary schools in Albuquerque. The pilots take their balloons to the school grounds and the children go up in the inflated, tethered to the ground, balloons. I have never seen so much joy in one place as I did that morning. The students also learn about the physics of ballooning. After the students all went up, the pilot asked me if I wanted to go and I said yes! After all, the balloon was tethered to the ground and I felt safe. It was a surprise to me that you don’t feel like you’re rising and you don’t feel any wind because you are moving with the wind. You don’t feel anything! It was pretty exciting. I was told that if you crew with a pilot, you do well and they like you, they often invite you to go up at some point.

School Sunrise — Catching Sunrise at Albuquerque

School Up and Away — Fun up in the balloon

School packing up — Packing 10 lbs of crap in a five lb bag!

I also crewed for Miss Bell, a special shape balloon. It was a GIANT Liberty Bell! The weather did not cooperate so Miss Bell never flew and I didn’t get a chance to fly either.

Miss Bell, too big to fly in weather conditions

One morning I didn’t crew and slept in a little only to be awakened loud sounds right over my rig. I recognized the sound of the giant propane burners, which meant there was a balloon right over my rig. I threw on some clothes and ran outside. The wind direction blew the balloons over the RV parking area and they were landing amongst the parked RVs! It was quite a site!

RLVA0992 — Balloons landing in the RV park

Baloon in RV park — What goes up, must come down…no matter where!

The Balloon Fiesta is a visual feast for the eyes. So many balloons and colors! Balloon pilots come from around the world to participate in the Fiesta. My favorites were the “glows” and the special shapes. A normal shaped balloon is like flying a eight story building. The special shapes are even bigger! Here’s a few photos to give you an idea of what I saw at the Fiesta.

Pig — Inflation…Thanks C Snow for the great photo!

Van Gough getting inflated — Van Gogh getting inflated

Van Gough Final — Some people thought Van Gogh was Walter White from Breaking Bad. LOL!

The motto for the Boomers is, “Boomers just wanna have fun!”, and that’s exactly what we all did! I loved spending 12 days with old friends, new friends and the awesome experience the balloons provided. Getting up at o-dark-hundred every morning was totally worth it! If I ever find myself near Albuquerque in October, I will definitely attend again.

Boomers Group — Boomers just want to have fun…and they do!

Sandy and Me — We had a great time at the Fiesta. Photo taken at the Balloon Museum

After the Fiesta I moved the rig to the Albuquerque Elks Lodge. I wanted to see more of the city and be near an airport so I could conveniently fly to Oregon to visit friends and then to Norfolk, VA to be with family for Thanksgiving. The Lodge is only a couple miles from Sunport (ABQ). This made it very convenient to fly to Oregon and Virginia.

I flew to Medford, Oregon and visited Ralph, Malia and Mary Jo and Mike. It was beautiful Fall weather and the trees were bursting with color. Ralph relocated from Sacrament to Cave Junction, Oregon last year. He bought a house on a private lot in a very small town. Ralph had a nice surprise for me when I arrived. He prepared my favorite childhood meal of chicken, peas and mashed potatoes. It was great! Malia and I took in the Fall colors in Lithia Park in Ashland. Ashland is a favorite of mine. It is known for the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. It has a beautiful outdoor theatre in which to see Shakespeare plays. It also has a few other theatres that have a variety of non-Shakespeare plays. Ralph’s good friends Bill and Chris live in Eagle Point, just outside of Medford and came over for dinner. And of course there was a drive to the ocean on a beautiful, sunny day. I had a great visit!

Favorite childhood meal…chicken, peas and mashed potatoes

bill et el — Friends Bill and Chris on the deck for dinner

lithia park — Fall in Lithia Park in Ashland

malia — My favorite tree hugger, Malia Lane

me in cave — This is as far as you’ll see me go into a cave! Cave Junction, Oregon

ralph at ocean — Ralph contemplating rock hopping

ocean — A magnificent day on the Oregon Coast

After my return from Oregon I had a couple weeks before flying to Norfolk, VA for Thanksgiving with family. My nephew Kevin and his family moved from Yuma, AZ back to Yorktown, VA. I will surely miss them when I get back to the Southern Arizona desert.

Then it was time to fly to Norfolk for Thanksgiving. I flew in and most of the Florida contingent drove 12 hours from Port St. Lucie. We rented an AirBnB condo. My first AirBnB and is wasn’t a great experience. But it did let us spend quality time together over the holiday. It was all fun and games until I got the creeping crud from the kids. We all had a great time and I’m glad I went. Over the years I haven’t been able to spend many holidays with my family. Now that I’m semi-retired and have flexibility I can spend more time with the family.

kids at the park — The “kids” at the park

grandma theresa — Grandma Theresa and Ashtyn. I don’t think Ashtyn liked the cold!

you looking at me — You looking at me???

During the time between fly out trips I took in the sites around Albuquerque. I visited Old Town, the Bio Park, Nob Hill, the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center and the Dragon Lights Festival.

Old Town Albuquerque is reminiscent of town plazas in Mexico…duhh…oh yeah…it was Mexico. I picked up a new cowgirl hat and had a delicious lunch.

The Elks Lodge is on the border of the Nob Hill neighborhood and is the location of the University of New Mexico campus. Great restaurants, bars and shops with which to weil away the hours!

The Bio Park is located along the Rio Grande River near downtown Albuquerque. It consists of a Zoo, a Botanic Garden, Aquarium and Tingley Beach. I visited the Botanic Garden and the Aquarium.

Vineyard sign — Didn’t know this…did you?

Tile Flower Wall — Tile wall at Botanic Gardens

New Mexico is home to 19 Indian Pueblos. The Indian Pueblo Cultural Center was founded in 1976 by the 19 Pueblos to preserve the Pueblo cultures and educate visitors about the Pueblo way of life. Puebloans believe that from the beginning they were given knowledge that would guide their existence. This knowledge centered on core values of love, respect, faith, understanding, spirituality, balance, peace, and empathy. They believe they are given gifts from Mother Earth and Father Sky and they are the designated caretakers of these gifts. I absolutely love this! The Center if full of history, art, artifacts and painted murals. I was surprised to see contemporary art too. Here’s a couple of my favorites.

Once I returned to Albuquerque I attended the Dragon Lights Festival produced by a company from San Francisco. It is a display of large- than-life lantern displays. Each lantern is handcrafted by a team of artisans from Zigong, China. The lanterns are silk covered wire sculptures lit from within. They were beautiful!

In early December it was getting much too cold for me. One morning there was actually snow on the ground! Albuquerque is the same elevation as Denver. In fact, the lowest altitude in New Mexico is 2800 feet, with most of the state much higher. Therefore, it’s not the best place to be in the winter if you’re chasing 70 degrees like I’m supposed to be! I enjoyed my time in Albuquerque very much and it was time to go. So I packed up the wagon and headed south on I25!

And I now know how to spell Albuquerque!

Next stop Socorro, New Mexico.

Raton, Las Vegas and Santa Fe, New Mexico

December 22, 2018April 19, 2024 by Rochelle F

Raton

Raton was my first stop in New Mexico located at the top of Raton Pass on the border with Colorado. I stayed at the funky Summerlan RV Park for a few days over Labor Day week. My only outing was to the Capulin Volcano National Monument and it was well worth the 35 miles drive to get there. This area is where the southern tip of the Rocky Mountains and the Great Plains meet.

Capulin Volcano National Monument is a well-preserved, relatively young (58,000 to 62,000 years old), symmetrical cinder cone. It rises steeply from the surrounding grassland plains to an elevation of 8,182 feet above sea level. The irregular rim of the crater is about a mile in circumference and the crater about 400 feet deep.

Capulin Volcano

Capulin Volcano is one of the outstanding landmarks located in the northeast corner of New Mexico, where the rolling grasslands meet the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains (the southern part of the Rocky Mountains). Capulin Volcano’s highest point provides unobstructed, panoramic views of the volcanic field, distant snow-capped mountains, and portions of five states (New Mexico, Oklahoma, Kansas, Texas and Colorado).

You can hike down into the center of the cinder cone and you can hike along the upper ridge.

Well worth visiting.

Where the Southern Rockies end and the Great Plains begin

Las Vegas

Moving south on I-25, my next stop was Las Vegas (the original). Las Vegas is in an ecotone, an intersection the Southern Rocky Mountains and the Great Plains. The history is unique and diverse. There are over 900 buildings on the National Register of Historic Places, more than any other municipality in the USA. It is also a place for film! It is the original film center of the west. It started in 1913 with Romaine Fielding’s The Golden God and most recently the TV series Longmire. Others you may recognize are House of Cards, True Grit, Wild Hogs, No Country for Old Men, The Longest Yard, All the Pretty Horses and Easy Rider.

The film industry likes the area because Las Vegas offers the complete package of unique settings that cannot be found together anywhere else in the state. To the west are breathtaking mountains and to the east, grassy plains; two lakes within minutes of town; a castle sits in the hills; a historic drive-in theatre; and architecture that ranges from Queen Anne to Pueblo Revival.

Las Vegas Historical and Rough Rider Museum is a small museum downtown and is worth a visit to learn more about the area.

It’s been almost 40 years since I sat and watched a thunder and lightning show. I’ve had the opportunity to do it several times in Colorado and now New Mexico. Summer is monsoon season. Who knew? NOT ME! Everything is green and the wild flowers are still blooming. What a show these storms put on! And afterward one storm there was a full double-rainbow.

There are many interesting sites to visit from Las Vegas. I was able to fit in Fort Union, Pecos National Historical Park, and Victory Ranch Alpacas.

Fort Union

When the Mexican-American War ended, the US acquired the New Mexico Territory. Fort Union was established to guard American interests in the Southwest. Positioned where the Santa Fe Trail’s two main branches met, Fort Union protected the trail and its travelers, supplied the US Army, and aided in subduing American Indians who fought the Anglos for invading THEIR homeland.

Fort Union was the biggest fort west of the Mississippi River. The fort was also used to defend the US during the Civil War. The Confederates came west with the mission to acquire gold in Colorado and California. In 1861 the Confederates marched into the New Mexico Territory and claimed all land south of the 34^th parallel for the Confederacy. Then they claimed Albuquerque. The Union forces defeated the Confederate troops at the battle of Glorieta Pass near Santa Fe, ending the Confederate invasion of New Mexico. I toured the ruins of Fort Union, sat quietly to take in the past, and try to understand what life was like when the fort was in full swing.

While driving along the road to Fort Union, you can see tracks and ruts from the Santa Fe Trail. The Santa Fe Trail was a 19^th century transportation route through central North American that connected Independence, Missouri with Santa Fe, New Mexico. It was a vital commercial “highway” until the introduction of the Railroad to Santa Fe in 1880. Santa Fe was near the end of the El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro, the trade route from Mexico City. It followed the original Indian trading routes. The road route is commemorated today by the National Park Service as the Santa Fe National Historic Trail. The trail runs the entire length of Kansas, the southeast corner of Colorado and northern New Mexico.

Santa Fe Trail Ruts — Ruts from Old Santa Fe Trail

Map-of-Santa-Fe-Trail — Old Santa Fe Trail

Pecos National Historical Park

Pecos National Historical Park was originally a state monument established in 1935, then it was made Pecos National Monument in 1965, and greatly enlarged and renamed in 1990. The park encompasses thousands of acres of landscape with historical elements from prehistoric archaeological ruins to 19th-century ranches, to a battlefield of the American Civil War. Its largest single feature is Pecos Pueblo, a Native American community abandoned in historic times. There is an easy trail that winds through the pueblo. Nice short walk and interesting history.

Victory Ranch Alpacas

Victory Ranch Alpacas and Store is nestled on 1,000 acres in the lush Mora Valley not far from Las Vegas. The Weisner family, from Chicago, started the ranch in 1991 and were pioneers in the alpaca world, traveling the country and winning numerous awards for fleece, conformation, and performance. They offer tours and you can feed the alpacas. The animals are a little intimidating to me due to their size. They were looking me straight in the eyes! This was the second time I’d been around alpacas and I got spit on both times! It’s startling, but doesn’t cause much damage. You just have to brush yourself off after it dries. They had many beautiful and expense alpaca wool items for sale. I have little need for cold weather clothing so I didn’t purchase anything.

Santa Fe

My next stop was Santa Fe and the Los Suenos de Santa Fe RV park. This RV park is located on the south side of Santa Fe and is close to everything! I’ve been to Santa Fe a couple of times, but just for the day. I call these “drive-bys”. You cannot get a real feel for a place until you spend some time there. I was in Santa Fe for nearly three weeks and this time soaked up this wonderful place.

Santa Fe is all about art, culture and food. There is the Railyards Art District, Canyon Road and hundreds of art galleries and public art. If you look on Trip Advisor, under Things to Do in Santa Fe, it is overwhelming. I started there and made a long list of things I wanted to do in the three weeks. Needless to say, it was a very busy three weeks. My Michigan/Florida friends Mike and Sandy joined me the last week in Santa Fe and Sandy joined me at the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta.

There is a wonderful Farmer’s Market on Saturday mornings located in the Railyard District. I availed myself of many items, including mustard, fresh quiche and bread, and fresh roasted green chilies. The Boxcar Restaurant is in the area and has great food and my all-time favorite, a frozen Jack Daniel and Coke.

Santa Fe has the Margarita Trail and I hopped right on board with that one. It wasn’t the usual trail I find myself enjoying. This trail takes you to many restaurants and bars where you sample margaritas, all freshly make and unique. I’ve never been a fan of the typical margarita. I have to say, this trail has changed my mind. It was a good way to visit several great restaurants and bars around town. I sampled the delicious margaritas at the Cowgirl BBQ, the Ortiz bar at the historic Hilton Hotel, the Santa Fe Bar and Grill, the Shed and the La Fonda hotel. Five margaritas and you get a t-shirt! I claimed mine at the Visitor Information Center.

The Santa Fe Plaza is the center of the downtown area with many stores and galleries. Very near the plaza is the San Miguel Chapel, the Loreto Chapel and St Francis of Assisi Church, all very beautiful, old churches built when the Spanish “invaded” the area.

The Museums

I visited the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum first. The museum opened in 1997. The collection is the largest permanent collection of O’Keeffe’s work in the world. Subjects range from the artist’s innovative abstractions to her iconic large-format flower, skull, and landscape paintings to paintings of architectural forms and rocks, shells, and trees. Georgia was known as the mother of American Modernism. She spent her golden years in Abiquiú, about 53 miles north of Santa Fe. Georgia was a woman ahead of her time and her story is interesting and too long for this blog post. If you want to learn more about Georgia, click here.

The New Mexico Museum of Art is located on the Plaza and is worth a visit. I attended a talk on Native American Textiles and learned their textiles are produced as the weavers are praying and offering gratitude for the bounties the earth provides them. Many of their prayers are for water. They also talked about the “politics” of native textiles. Very educational.

New Mexico Museum of Art Courtyard2 — New Mexico Museum of Art Courtyard

Museum Hill is an area where several museums and the Botanical Garden is located. I visited the Museum of International Folk Art, Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian, and the Museum of Spanish Colonial Art.

Bead art 2 — Museum of International Folk Art

Bead art — Museum of International Folk Art

Wheelwright Art — Wheelwright Museum of American Indian

Bandelier National Monument

My friends, Mike and Sandy, from Michigan/Florida flew to join me in Santa Fe for a week. We enjoyed a few museums, restaurants, and just hanging out at the campground. We also drove up to Bandelier National Monument. Bandelier is located near Los Alamos, New Mexico. The monument preserves the homes and territory of the Ancestral Puebloans of a later era in the Southwest. Most of the pueblo structures date to two eras, dating between 1150 and 1600 AD. Bandelier is unique in that you can actually walk in the ruin and even climb into some of the caves. Mike and I walked the trail and on the way back, Mike accidently fell and drove a small stick into the palm of his hand. We ended up in the Emergency Clinic to have the stick was removed. He was so lucky there was no nerve or muscle damage. Mike flew back to Michigan and Sandy stayed to attend the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta with me.

Bandelier 2 — Bandelier National Monument

Bandelier 1 — Bandelier National Monument

The Round House

Santa Fe is the state capital of New Mexico and is called the “Roundhouse”, because it is indeed a round building. I have visited many state capitals and none have looked like the Roundhouse. It is a fairly modern capital building and an art museum. There is no charge to enter and you can wander around the building freely. I squeezed in a visit the last day I was in Santa Fe and I’m happy I did. Here’s a small sample.

Inside the Round House — Capital Roundhouse

Capital Fiber Art — Fabric Art at the Capital

Dale Ball Trail System

I was able to get a little hiking in before heading to Albuquerque. The Dale Ball Trail system is a 22 mile network of trails in the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Located a short distance from downtown Santa Fe, it is the quickest way to get from the city into the mountains. It offers great opportunities for beginners and advanced hikers alike, along with great views of both the surrounding wilderness and back towards the city. The trail features a unique numbered sign system at each trail junction to provide easy navigation, as well as connecting to other local trails. It was a great trail system where you couldn’t get lost even if you tried!

Dale Ball Train View — View of Santa Fe from the Dale Ball Trail

I absolutely loved Santa Fe and it is another place where I found myself saying, “I could live here!”

Next stop Albuquerque for a bucket list item – the International Balloon Fiesta!