Last two days in Elephant Butte NM

On Sunday Kirk and I found the only Lutheran Church in T or C.  It was very small, about 30 people were there.  About half way through the first hymn the power went out so we had to sing acapella since all they had was a electronic keyboard.  It was just fine.  The pastor had an accent but we're not sure where he was from.  We left after communion so we didn't find out.  We had a pontoon reserved with our neighbors from Minnesota, Lonn and Theresa.  We had a beautiful afternoon, it was partly cloudy so not as hot as it could have been. Had a good time until our motor killed- we were just turning around to head back to the marina when it happened.  The rescue boat came and towed us back and we didn't have to pay for a thing.  Nice afternoon.  We then went to the local Mexican restaurant (La Cuchina).  My shrimp enchiladas were the hottest I've ever had- must have been the green chilies.   Had a great time visiting.

On Monday we had another gorgeous day. Kirk packed the outdoor things since we are leaving in the morning.  I did one load of laundry and then we went with Joe and Nancy to the Geronimo Springs museum downtown T or C.  It was three buildings and showcased a very extensive history of Sierra County. Great collections of native pottery and arrowheads and a real miner's log cabin.  Then we went to the River Bend hot springs.  It was more expensive than the Blackstone place, but we had our own pool overlooking the Rio Grande.  There was a cold shower over the pool so whenever you got too hot you could pull the chain and get cooled off.  Nice option!  One hour cost $30 for two. They didn't provide towels like Blackstone so we had to rent towels.  Very relaxing. Before we got back we stopped at the Ivory Tusk tavern across the street for a beer. Then we headed home to have shredded beef sandwiches that Joe made in the crock pot with fruit salad.  A nice day overall.  Getting anxious to head out Tuesday morning and continue our journey, although we have enjoyed Elephant Butte a lot.  The park is very neat and clean. The only complaint we had was the rotten internet service.

Fort Craig and El Camino Real Heritage Center

On Thursday Kirk and I took a drive north towards Socorro, not sure how far we would get or how much we would be able to see.  We got about 10 miles north of town and his tire pressure light went on.  We played it safe and drove back to Truth or Consequences to get the tire fixed. Turns out it had a nail so it's a good thing we went back.  We headed back north again and got off the highway to see Fort Craig, which is the ruins of a civil war era fort where a battle actually took place.  There was a good self-guided tour on the trail around the ruins.  The host told us to watch out for snakes- he had seen a rattler the day before so we were extra vigilant!  Do NOT need to see another one of those close up!  After the fort we went to the local truck stop/restaurant at the exit because we hadn't brought a lunch.  We had green chili cheeseburgers and iced tea which were pretty good.  I had not wanted to stop since it looked like a real dive, but the place was full so that's a good sign.   Then we went to the El Camino Real Int'l. Heritage Center, which is a museum in the middle of the desert that shows the history of the "royal road" between Mexico and New Mexico along the Rio Grande.  Very nice place, and good exhibits.  We spent about an hour there before heading back to Elephant Butte.  On Friday we did laundry and washed the dogs and I spent the rest of the afternoon reading my book in the sunshine until the guys decided to plan out the rest of our trip. We are going to head out on Tuesday and after a stop in Tucson to get our AC fixed (hopefully for good!) we will go back east to Roswell via Alamogordo, then to Carlsbad Caverns before leaving New Mexico and heading into Texas.  Time is getting short but I'm getting homesick for my own bed and the folks back home.  Can't wait to see everyone again!

Gila Cliff Dwellings

Catching up after taking a week off to go back to Madison to see the kids.  Before I left, Joe, Kirk and I went to the Gila Cliff Dwellings which are west of here. It took us almost 3 hours to get there- once we got into the Gila wilderness the roads were winding up the mountain roads-lots of switchbacks- it was gorgeous!  We went through Emory Pass which was about 8000 ft. elevation.

We got to the national park and ate our bag lunch before going into the cliff dwellings.  Nancy stayed back with the dogs because she can't handle much hiking with her new knee yet.  We crossed the Gila River and went through a lush canyon on our way up to the cliffs.  There were several volunteers at the top to answer questions about the dwellings, which were very interesting.  The people who used them lived there in the late 1200s and only stayed about 25 years before moving on. 

First view of the cliff dwellings from the trail

Notice the black soot on the ceilings

We were able to climb up into the dwellings to get a closer look.

On the way back to Elephant Butte we missed our turn and ended up going through Silver City.  There is a HUGE copper mine (Santa Rita mine) which has been in operation for over 100 years. I think it was at least 10 miles long.

My week with Anna was great- she is really growing up- and talking so much! She understands a lot of words and is very adamant about what she does and doesn't like.  We went to a kids expo in Madison which was lots of fun- crafts, petting zoo, kid entertainment, etc. I got to babysit for three days so we really had a chance to bond.  She kept me busy all day but I was happy that she also napped every afternoon! She's such a sweetie! The day I left Madison they got 6 inches of heavy wet snow.  Was very anxious to get back down south where it's been in the 70's and 80's!  We will be leaving here by the end of March and then heading east towards home with several stops planned on the way.

Rattlesnakes and peppers

On Wednesday Kirk and I went to the ranchland east of town (one of Ted Turner's ranches is on one side of the road) where we were told we could look for arrowheads.  It was really red dirt, with not very many cows and lots of open land.  We were walking around looking for rocks and Kirk heard a buzzing noise (like a June bug, he said).  He looked down and there was a rattlesnake at his feet!  Luckily it let him jump away and it slithered into a hole (after I had a chance to see it too).  It was about 2 feet long, not too thick. We've been told by the locals that it's still pretty early to see snakes and they are not too active yet.  This event cured Kirk's desire to walk in the desert.  We high tailed it out of there and didn't look back!  Since then we've been only walking on the trails in the state park early in the morning. It's so nice that they are just across the street from our campground.  We drove down a dirt road which was the old route from Mexico to New Mexico (El Camino Real)- got out to take a look, walked a short ways, and Lexie discovered a cow watering hole and immediately jumped in before we could stop her!  Luckily for us the park we are staying in has a dog wash which was so handy!!  She sure loves the water!

Path to Escarpment- just before Lexie took a swim

On Thursday we drove down to Las Cruces with Joe and Nancy- they wanted to go shopping for a new TV since the one that came with their camper was not that great.  We took the state roads down there and stopped in the little town of Hatch, which is the world's chili capital.  We stopped for lunch at a little café and had some awesome Mexican food.  It was so nice to see green fields again, this is in the Rio Grande valley. Besides chilies they grow onions, corn, hay and alfalfa (for dairy cows).  There are also acres of pecan trees.  They were bare- they harvest them in November/December.  We wanted to stop at a winery in Las Cruces but it wasn't open.  We bought some Hatch chili wine at Sam's Club (red and green varieties, both are pretty good). 

Gila Wilderness and NM Ghost Towns

On Monday we took a day trip to some ghost towns and the Gila National Forest/Wilderness.  First stop was Winston where they had a cute little general store with a wide variety of items you might need.  I thought the elk mount that still had velvet on its antlers was pretty cool.  Chloride is a little ghost town that is near an existing zeolite mine.  The zeolite has many uses and the mine here is the purest in the world.  There was a former WI couple in Chloride who are restoring some of the old buildings in the town.  The general store was cool- it had been closed up early in the 1900's with all of the merchandise still there, so it was a museum waiting to be discovered!  We drove up into the Gila National Forest to look for elk.  Saw some from a distance, as well as one antelope. We got up to the continental divide, at about 8000 feet.  Found a cute house for sale in a valley, only $320K with five bedrooms (nice hunting camp!)  I'm sure Kirk and Joe will come back here when Nancy and I are in WI next week.  Weather has been nice- in the high 60's, low 70's. 

 

Elk in velvet - Winston Store

Old cabin in Chloride NM



Sign says: Please Close Gate

Joe and Nancy in Chloride

Glassing for elk in Gila National Forest

Gila National Forest- beautiful!

Moving on to New Mexico

On Friday March 6 we left Tucson for Elephant Butte, New Mexico.  It took us about 5 hours across Hwys. 10 and 25 and we arrived about 3:00 p.m.  The high temp for the day was 62 but it was sunny with an easterly wind which contributed to lousy gas mileage.  We checked into Elephant Butte Lake RV Park- Joe and Nancy were about 1/2 hour behind us as they stopped to visit with a friend along the way.  We went through a cool town called Hatch which is the chili capital of the US (I think that's what the sign said- there were chili stands all over with those long strands of chili peppers for sale).  We'll have to go back and check it out.
Elephant Butte is a small town just north of Truth or Consequences. It is located on a reservoir that is about 15 miles long and is the largest lake in NM.  In the summer they get over 100,000 people in this little town!  Our park is very nice- spacious neat sites. There aren't that many people here- obviously winter is their low season.  They have a nice indoor pool and hot tub, pickleball court, nice laundry and fire pits! The main thing is that it's QUIET here!  Across the street is a lodge with a restaurant and spa.  Kirk and I had a fish fry there Friday night, we also went there for Sunday breakfast buffet. Reasonable prices and good food.  The property adjoins a state park so walking the dogs on marked paths is just across the street- what a change from having to drive 20 minutes like we did in Tucson.  There aren't as many cacti here, just a lot of scrubby bushes like creosote and we think pinon.
Saturday was spent driving around the state park and town checking everything out. On Sunday afternoon we all went to the Blackstone Hot Springs (one of 10 in town).  It is in a very old motel.  For $45 the four of us got to use the "wet room" for an hour. This included a large soaking tub and another enclosed steam room with a waterfall you can sit under. We alternated between the tub, steam room and a cold shower. It was very relaxing!  Afterwards we were driving around town and Joe crossed the Rio Grande river in his truck- it was that shallow, about 20 yards across.  There were people fishing in the river, I guess they catch catfish.  Sunday night we had hamburgers on the grill and actually sat outside to eat. 

Happy Birthday Kirk!

Today the old guy turns 64. He looks pretty good for his age!!  It's been an uneventful day so far.  Did my laundry and got ready to move tomorrow.  We also went to the store and stocked up on groceries since we're not sure how close we'll be to a store in Elephant Butte NM.  Joe and Nancy have been busy putting things away in their new fifth wheel. We helped them move the stuff from their old one yesterday.  We found out that the office goofed up on which day we were leaving and they rented out our site for tonite.  So...we had to pack up and move our camper to the temporary spot by the clubhouse.  Pretty busy here with all the people walking and driving by.  At least we will be set to go in the morning.  Tonight we'll have dinner at the clubhouse, and then play bingo one last time.  We're hoping we can win at least one game!!  It's been fun here and we've met a lot of nice people. Next year we'll be ready with "business" cards of our own to give out.  We hope to see our new friends Fred and Marilyn from Kenai, AK, Gil and Barb from Cody, WY, Bill and Jane from Pagosa, CO again. Hopefully we will have just as good a time in New Mexico.  It will be cooler there for sure.

Titan II Missile Museum

Yesterday Kirk and I visited the last Titan II Missile site which is about 20 miles south of Tucson.  It is the only site remaining of the 54 that used to be in the US in the 60's (18 in this area, 18 in Little Rock, AR and 18 in Kansas).  The missile is still there but of course it is not active.  (there is a clear cover over half of the silo cover so that the "enemy" can see from the air that it is not armed). We took the tour which included a very good movie describing the 104 foot tall nuclear missile and the safety precautions that were taken while it was "ready to launch".  Very interesting!  Kirk was the volunteer crew member- he became "Major" Kirk and got to simulate turning the key that started the launch.  It would take two officers with different keys (that open the padlocks on the red box that contains two more keys) and when the order came to launch they got a code that had to be decoded before they could use the keys.  Four people were in the command center at a time, on 24 hour shifts.  Since the door to the underground center was left open they had to make sure to clear out any rattlesnakes that may have found their way down the first set of steps before they could descend to the next door!  If  a Titan II ICBM was launched it would go 6000 miles in 21 minutes.  The whole thing was very humbling. If you want to know more, visit titanmissilemuseum.org.

Technology sure has changed!! He's pointing to the speaker that the command to fire would come out of.

Kind of looks like a Star Trek set. Red box has the keys needed to launch.

Simulated launch sequence started- cannot be undone

Silo cover

Top of the missile