South Western New Mexico - The gift that keeps on giving

We are Leaving Las Vegas (wink) and heading to Santa Rosa to see a bit of Historic Route 66. The Santa Rosa Chamber of Commerce must have hired a Pulitzer Award winner to write their cities brochure. Slick and glossy as it was written didn’t change this town on life support. Many of the attractions listed have been closed down or exaggerated in Texas sized proportions. As a stop on the way it did give us everything we needed. Donnies was a very relaxed full hook up RV Park right on RT66. We traveled out of town to see the birthplace ruins (1541) of Santa Rosa. Then called Puerto de Luna (Gateway to the Moon) named by Coronado. A visit to the Big Blue Hole was impressive. It is a beautiful 81 foot deep spring fed sink hole water oasis in the desert. This is an incredibly clean and clear public swimming spot. At a 61 degree constant temperature we did not swim. We did visit the Route 66 Auto Museum. With little competition for travelers’ dollars it is a fine auto and memorabilia museum. We ate great burgers and green chili cheese fries at Josephs. What we got our kicks on was the great old signage for the romantic era of Route 66. The peeling faded paint and rust really added to the pleasure of seeing this place in hisory and imagining traveling this road in a Vette convertible. 

* Route 66 Auto Museum

 

*Could this be a metaphor to the Edsel for digging its own grave?

*We loved the RT66 signage

* Some were still great functioning joints

*If the Big Blue Hole had only been 20 degrees warmer

 

A one day trip was to go to Fort Sumner. Here is the Billy the Kidd museum. Perceived in the area as a Robin Hood figure he was still a bad guy. Several miles down the road you will find his grave site in it own jail cell. This is to protect his head stone from going missing as it has in the past or ,is it to keep this escape artist in place? Back to the museum, it is full of tons of old west items. It is just packed with stuff and for the little price of admission it is a fun stop. Not a fun stop, but very important is the Bosoque Redondo Memorial. It is near completion with its doors open. This memorial tells the story of the forced relocation of Mescalero Apache and Navajo Indians and their up to 450 mile foot march to this vacant lot to call home. This is very sad and information place but highlights the human ability to survive.

* The last known photo of BTK

*My love affair with unusual saddles continues

*Escape proof

* A very sad time in our history

 

* Yep, tacked up horse hanging at the side of the hwy

*Seriously - We know this is a cutout

 

We followed the magnetic pull to Roswell. We were surprised to be greeted by orchards of pecan trees and corn fields. This is quite a green farming district. Speaking of green; our first stop was to the UFO Museum. We learned about the UFO Crash on Foster Ranch 4 July 1947 and the government cover up. Fun displays, information of ancient and present day encounters, interspersed with news articles, timelines, and enough information for you to decide. Walking the streets of Roswell you get a strong positive feeling we are among friends. Don’t miss the opportunity to have a meal at the Lumber Barons. A family owned steak chain restaurant with a terrific salad bar and locally grown beef. You get a seasoned authentic rancher atmosphere, super wait staff and homemade food with right prices. Not many resturants like this exist anymore.

* Government attempt to make us think test dummies were in the alien wreckage

*Eyewitness diorama of the alien autopsy

*It is important to make friends whereever you go

*Throughout Roswell you can see how well the Aliens have assimulated into our culture

 

Carlsbad cavern is a nice day trip from Roswell. Artesia is a cute stop half way. The town is small but very active. There is a neat little park tucked between main street buildings. Large bronze western locally historic sculptures are scattered around. They have a main street vintage theater and yummy local brew at the Wellhead. This is a cute stretch your legs stop.

*"The Rustler" one of Artesias many statues 

* I love this truck hood negotiation statue

 

 

Carlsbad Cavern National Park or as the locals call it C-Bad, is probably the last cave we will visit for awhile. We do feel like we saved the best for last. There are several different tours you can take. We chose the basic tour (free with our pass) “The Big Room”. It is a self guided walking tour or you can rent and audio device. We took the elevator, though the walk in tour would have been pretty cool. The Big Room has a paved side walk. This space is estimated to be the size of 14 astrodomes and takes about 1 ½ hours to walk. Cave pictures are never good enough and there is no way to explain how big this feels. What makes this even better is the variety of formations, rivers and lakes. 

A life time highlight for me was to the see the evening bat flight. There is a nice amphitheater built at the cavern opening. Not a bad seat in the house. Before the bats show up the Cave Swallows (They look just like barn swallows) put on a nice pre show of swooping and diving for bugs. A Ranger has a little presentation and talks about birds, bats the area and protocol (no pictures and be quiet). As the theater began to fill up and the wait for the bats got longer babies and toddlers did start to get fussy. With some mystical power as the bats began to spiral out of the cave the babies shut up. So cool! It makes me want to have a magic bat in my purse for just such occasions. I digress. The Bat Flight was not the black cloud as I had imagined. What I did see was a constant lacy tornado of bats that fluttered out of the cave mouth for over 45 minutes. Occasionally one would fly over our head.  So happy we were able to see this centuries old evening flight. 

* By all cave standards - these are wierd

* The buds on a prickly pear cactus are called "Tuna" (humm)

* The bats and swalllows are crowd pleasers

 

It is time to pack up and move on down the road. We headed to Mountain Meadows RV Park in Tularosa. This park is one of those gems your get excited to find. It is slightly off the beaten path. Our backyard was acres of open land full of bunnies and jack rabbits. We had great mountain views and could see White Sands National park in the distance. The price was more then reasonable. Sunrises and sets were unblocked and the stars were bright. 

*We had an amazing Arroyo in our backard

*Woops - Somebody wasnt being a careful driver

*A dirty Brady is a Happy Brady

*Most days gave us rainbows

*And Spiritutal Sunsets

 

 

White Sands National Park is the only gypsum dune in the world. 275 miles of sand is produced from the filling and evaporation of Lake Lucero. The wind and the process of rolling chunks of gypsum break down and become soft dusty snow like sand. You do get a strong feeling of driving on a frozen day until you get out of your car. Sledding disks are available to buy with a sell back program.  There are some adaptable and resilient plants and animals on the dunes. This is a more entertaining and beautiful place then we thought it would be. We came back for a sunset tour. The ranger talked about the growth of the dune, plants and animals. Then we were able to find our own perfect spot to watch the sunset. 

*White Sands National Park

*Summer Sand Sledding

 

*The dune can shift out on to the highway

*A little varmint house

*Some plants build gypsum pots around their roots to protect themselves from the moving dune - This one seems to have developed it own personality

 

 

*Mr Sandman take me away

*There is a tree trunk under that gypsum

*Crazy Yucca looks like a Dr Seuss character to me

* The dunes at Sunset

Pistachios – I never gave a thought about them beyond the cellophane package they come in.Turns out the only two Pistachio farms in New Mexico are side by side in Alamagordo; Heart of the Desert aka Eagle Ranch and McGinns.Both are family owned and also have wineries. There are free tastings of wine and pistachios. Don’t miss the free farm tours. A quick 8 second tree shake drops the ready pistachios leaving the not ready for a shake at a later date. Tumblers peel the soft cover, they then get shelled.The shells are used as road cover, substandard nuts become bird feed. The best are hand checked, roasted and are delicious.Yes there is a novelty pistachio wine – fit for a free tasting.

* Not a real Pistachio

* Nuts are covered with a soft rubbery cover

 

Les and I have always enjoyed horse races and have made and lost a dime or two on them. A beautiful drive to the mountains to Ruidoso Downs gave us the chance to bet again. But this is a different type of horse race. Lighting fast Quarter Horses tackled the straight ¼ mile track. First off this is a super fun to watch. We quickly found out that all betting strategies went out the window. The track is too short for jockey or horse recovery. Even in talking to track regulars the basic plan is to cover the track and pray. Chalk it up to a fun new experience.

*These babies cruise

*They don't look like the fat 1/4s I am use to seeing

 

Les had made dinner reservation for us at the Flying J Ranch. The whole dinner experience is held in a cute closed set western town with shops, pony rides, roping lessons, gold panning and a fun shoot out on Main Street.Dinner was Cowboy Chuckwagon fare of BBQ chicken, brisket, apple sauce, biscuits and” the cheapest beans money can buy”.The evening ended with a western music show.Very fun and family focused.Many of the folks we talked to had been brought here by there parents and now they are brining their kids.This is one of the examples where a young couple had a business dream and followed it.

*Fun Family Shootout

*Good ol Grub

*Old time an original Western Music

 

Several miles beyond White Sands is Trinity Site; the testing location of the nuclear bomb. This spot now carries very low levels of radiation but tourist can only visit this spot once a year. We were able to visit White Sands Missile Base and museum. Displays discussed farm and ranching life in this area prior to militarization and government ideas to survive the atomic age. The most emotional and moving was a room dedicated to the Bataan Death March of WWII. Many of the soldiers tortured and imprisoned by the Japanese were NM National Guardsmen. Paintings, journals, and newspaper reporting remind us how strong the human spirit is and that there will always be brutal, cruel beasts in the world. 

 

* Security check - Civilians can visit the museum too - with legal picture ID

*Great lottery hunting oportunities for the Oryx at WSMR

 

* pretty nifty taxadermy

 

* I Love these regal dangerous Ocotillo

*Each branch looks like this under the fluffy leaves - Branches are commonly used for fence rows

*Ancient globe recover on site

* It was common for dogs to locate shrapnel for post firing analysis

*Artifacts from many days gone by

*From the Journal of Lester Lacy – WWII Prisoner held in Japan

Soldiers

We are the soldiers of America.

The fighters of our land.

We are here to do or die.

To make a fatal stand.

Now we don’t mind the hardships.

The weary or small pay.

All we mind are the unkind words some people have to say.

For they will never know the sorrows their thoughtless words will bring

to the soldiers of America.

These young and hardy men.

We are willing to fight for our country to keep our fair free land.

Now all we need is a little help and chattier word from thee.

So next time you see a soldier dressed in olive drab.

Please think of us as fighting men and not so very bad.

 *Here are the specs and answers to survival folks

 

In the park there is a great collection of innovation and strength, missiles, rockets, surveillance equipment, big bombs and cute little bombs. Strength keeps us free.

 

 

*Fat Bombs

 

*Tall bombs

 

*I believe a distraction to hide certain visits

 

*Cute little shiny bombs - We have it all

 

On our last day we drove up the Sacramento Mountains to the artist community of Cloudcroft. The views were beautiful and clear until we drove through the tunnel; Rain and clouds prevailed. So we drove though this lovely slushy creative town and headed down toward fresh hot apple pie and coffee. 

*No rain

*Rain

 

Tularosa / Alamogordooffered so much. We all felt quite at home and entertained.

Moving day took us to Deming NM to the semi remote working cattle ranch / RV resort ofHidden Valley www.hiddenvalleyranchrv.com (nothing to do with dressing or salad) but one more friendly family owned very accommodating park. This by far was the prettiest lot we have ever had and the wide open spaces gave lots of opportunities for good long walks, jackrabbit chases. We had beautiful mountain views and as a special surprise Indian petroglyphs.

*I stay amazed at the wild flowers in this climate

*My Handsome Explorere

* Indian petroglyphs in our own backyard

*This is really close to being in the middle of nowhere - love it!!

 

Deming is a cute small town with a world class free museum. Using the old armory volunteers have built inside a period main street and fully decorated home interiors. Individual rooms showcase locally recovered native pottery, woven materials and jewelry, antique toys, cowboy hats, military and on and on. A predominant reason they have such a huge variety of items is the amount of volunteers and Deming has been a great place to retire for well traveled folks. “Everybody knows our kids don’t want this stuff”. Because of this the museum prospers.

*Thank you for your service doesnt seem good enough - but it is a start

 

*Prettiest saddle stirup I have ever seen

*This is the same tea set I played with as a kiddo

*Heart of the cattle drive - The Chuckwagon

 New Mexico has been the prefect host. We are in love with the variety of landscapes, entertainment and surprises it gave us.  If I had to pick a word for New Mexico it would be “Choices”. 

New Mexico; we will see you in October for the balloon fest.

 

21 Aug 2014