New Mexico
In an attempt to stay cool a little while longer, we have been hanging out in New Mexico. For the most part, cooler is a relative statement. Yes, we have needed to run the AC, but not much until noon. Here in Ruidoso this morning going outside felt much better in a sweat shirt and long pants. This afternoon is comfortably warm, the sweats are put away until at least tomorrow morning.
About wind. We could have ridden the winds east from Taos to Lake Chochiti to Corrizozo to Ruidoso, only hitting the gas to veer south or uphill. Camping in Corrizozo on a cliff overlooking the lava beds, Malipais to locals, yielded beautiful sunsets. But even the gusty winds could not keep the gnats from taking over a glass of wine. Russell quipped, "We have returned to fly country." The second night there, we watched sunset from the window as the winds were much worse. The same winds prevented us from having a charcoal fire anywhere in the state. The winds pretty well hindered our efforts to have a propane fire as well. We rose to the challenge of finding a wind block that would allow significant time to char a steak or two.
However, winds rock us to sleep-literally-and keep the temperatures down. The winds create music in the pines that is also restful. The winds of time have carved many of the dramatic vistas that New Mexico has to offer as well. They certainly have been at work at Chochiti Lake to create the "tent rocks" and slot canyon of Kasha-Katuwe. We waved to people who climbed to the top and related to the other geezers who turned around just past mid-way.
We spent yesterday afternoon at the horse races of Ruidoso Downs. Many of those horses were riding the wind, and then there were the ones we bet on. No, we did pick a few winners, but it seems we have a knack for picking the 4th horse to cross the line. Watching the horses as they are guided to the paddock and then on the track is a treat. Trying to bet on the best looking horse is a very tough call.
Tomorrow we head in to Texas for the next month. Our route is I-10 from El Paso to just east of San Antonio before veering north to East Texas. We will be staying at the Escapees Park near Livingston. We have been members of this group since 2008 and never visited before. They handle our mail and we talk to someone there most every week. It will be nice to see where we have officially lived for the last 3 years. After that we head back to central Texas for stops in Waco and Dallas.
Tentative plans have us cruising north to Chicago, Niagara Falls, Vermont, DC and then South Carolina, some of the places we had planned to see last summer. However, as with last summer, sometimes events occur to curtail the best laid plans. We can only plan and hope that all of this will really take place and know that if we are suppose to be some place else, then it is fortunate that we have the flexibility to do that.
Showing posts with label New Mexico. Show all posts
Showing posts with label New Mexico. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Friday, November 12, 2010
November
November 12, 2010
I just got back from a walk through the campground, what a beautiful time of year! The pecan grove across the street played a symphony, just for me! Imagine the wind and leaves cooperating in that way at that precise time! The trees have to be the right size and still have the correct number of leaves to play that tune at that time. It is a miracle!
We are in Waco, staying at Riverview RV, which is located south of town in the Brazos river valley. There is a rally in full swing this Friday evening, so many people are out and enjoying the rain-washed evening we've been given. Grills are tuning up to add just the right fragrance to the melody filling the area. Ours will join the fray shortly. Soon the clouds and sun will collaborate on a sunset. The stage will be complete for evening activities: a party, football game, cruisin', or just relaxing from a demanding day.
Other November highlights abound: we skidded down dunes at White Sands; marveled at the diversity of white, stages of dunes, blueness of the sky; we caught a glimpse of a test missile contrail. We were witness to the many definitions of the word, "DESERT." Our path from Taos, Santa Fe, Albuquerque, Corrizozo, Alamagordo, El Paso, Ft. Stockton, to San Angelo. We detected the terrain of Texas hill country and then the relative lushness of north central Texas and Waco. We sleep with the air conditioner and wake to dew, humidity and muddy soil. We are no longer in the cold dry sandy desert. Change is good.
In the SMALL WORLD Department! Walking through the park in Ft. Stockton, we noticed a familiar rig that was also a Monaco Diplomat. Could that be the folks we enjoyed in Phoenix last winter? Of course, and why not! We had a nice dinner at the campground restaurant, then a good night drink at their home. Isn't this part of the beauty of the RV lifestyle?
I just got back from a walk through the campground, what a beautiful time of year! The pecan grove across the street played a symphony, just for me! Imagine the wind and leaves cooperating in that way at that precise time! The trees have to be the right size and still have the correct number of leaves to play that tune at that time. It is a miracle!
We are in Waco, staying at Riverview RV, which is located south of town in the Brazos river valley. There is a rally in full swing this Friday evening, so many people are out and enjoying the rain-washed evening we've been given. Grills are tuning up to add just the right fragrance to the melody filling the area. Ours will join the fray shortly. Soon the clouds and sun will collaborate on a sunset. The stage will be complete for evening activities: a party, football game, cruisin', or just relaxing from a demanding day.
Other November highlights abound: we skidded down dunes at White Sands; marveled at the diversity of white, stages of dunes, blueness of the sky; we caught a glimpse of a test missile contrail. We were witness to the many definitions of the word, "DESERT." Our path from Taos, Santa Fe, Albuquerque, Corrizozo, Alamagordo, El Paso, Ft. Stockton, to San Angelo. We detected the terrain of Texas hill country and then the relative lushness of north central Texas and Waco. We sleep with the air conditioner and wake to dew, humidity and muddy soil. We are no longer in the cold dry sandy desert. Change is good.
In the SMALL WORLD Department! Walking through the park in Ft. Stockton, we noticed a familiar rig that was also a Monaco Diplomat. Could that be the folks we enjoyed in Phoenix last winter? Of course, and why not! We had a nice dinner at the campground restaurant, then a good night drink at their home. Isn't this part of the beauty of the RV lifestyle?
Thursday, November 4, 2010
More about New Mexico
November 4, 2010
We left Santa Fe with a pledge to return in spring to make our way north; there is so much more New Mexico to see! We got a surprise call from my cousins, Scott and Ginger, who were in Ruidoso, NM. Ginger was heading to Albuquerque, so we made a stop and completely enjoyed a few sunny days there. Trees along the Rio Grande were still vibrant due to milder temps at night.
We drove further south today, arriving in Alamogordo, NM this afternoon. What a nice drive! We took a back road out of Albuquerque through Isletta Indian Reservation to catch up with I-25 several miles south of town - thank goodness traffic forced us off of the original route straight down the interstates. The Rio Grande announced its path with a swathe of gold, yellow, umber, brilliant colors in a brown/grey landscape. The river and road played tag, both eventually heading to Texas, like us. We turned east at San Antonio toward Carrizozo. The mountains changed from ragged to a more sloping variety. We were skirting White Sands Missile Range to the south, a more flat desolate desert than we've been seeing.
Further east we drove through another section of the Malpais, the Valley of Fire. The lava is up to 165 ft deep in some places. It is a forbidding landscape, which probably explains why we didn't stop. I mentioned taking a short walk to see it up close, which met with comments about snakes and sprained ankles. It isn't like we were going to see exotic wildflowers or anything else for that matter a few feet in from the highway. It is a sea of black rock with hard chiseled faces.
At Carrizozo we turned left for the final leg to Alamogordo, driving along the eastern perimeter of White Sands Missile Range, complete with sound effects. I was surprised by the number of orchards; nuts, grapes, and who knows what else. Tularosa is a cool little town, as is Carrizozo. This part of New Mexico is called the Tularosa Valley and forms the western edge of the Lincoln Forest. From here east the only way to drive is up to arrive at the cities of Lincoln, Ruidoso, and Cloudcroft, all popular for cool summers and winter ski areas. Lincoln County is also known for Billy the Kid, Smokey the Bear and the Lincoln County Wars. Interesting place!
We are staying at Boot Hill RV Resort, a wonderful place to stay. Our front window framed a glorious sunset tonight behind a giant pistachio billboard, White Sands and the mountains. Perfect! We are on the northern reaches of town and will explore it tomorrow. But before I close, I have to mention how perfect the air is. Clean, Clear, Cool, Sunny, Fabulous!
We left Santa Fe with a pledge to return in spring to make our way north; there is so much more New Mexico to see! We got a surprise call from my cousins, Scott and Ginger, who were in Ruidoso, NM. Ginger was heading to Albuquerque, so we made a stop and completely enjoyed a few sunny days there. Trees along the Rio Grande were still vibrant due to milder temps at night.
We drove further south today, arriving in Alamogordo, NM this afternoon. What a nice drive! We took a back road out of Albuquerque through Isletta Indian Reservation to catch up with I-25 several miles south of town - thank goodness traffic forced us off of the original route straight down the interstates. The Rio Grande announced its path with a swathe of gold, yellow, umber, brilliant colors in a brown/grey landscape. The river and road played tag, both eventually heading to Texas, like us. We turned east at San Antonio toward Carrizozo. The mountains changed from ragged to a more sloping variety. We were skirting White Sands Missile Range to the south, a more flat desolate desert than we've been seeing.
Further east we drove through another section of the Malpais, the Valley of Fire. The lava is up to 165 ft deep in some places. It is a forbidding landscape, which probably explains why we didn't stop. I mentioned taking a short walk to see it up close, which met with comments about snakes and sprained ankles. It isn't like we were going to see exotic wildflowers or anything else for that matter a few feet in from the highway. It is a sea of black rock with hard chiseled faces.
At Carrizozo we turned left for the final leg to Alamogordo, driving along the eastern perimeter of White Sands Missile Range, complete with sound effects. I was surprised by the number of orchards; nuts, grapes, and who knows what else. Tularosa is a cool little town, as is Carrizozo. This part of New Mexico is called the Tularosa Valley and forms the western edge of the Lincoln Forest. From here east the only way to drive is up to arrive at the cities of Lincoln, Ruidoso, and Cloudcroft, all popular for cool summers and winter ski areas. Lincoln County is also known for Billy the Kid, Smokey the Bear and the Lincoln County Wars. Interesting place!
We are staying at Boot Hill RV Resort, a wonderful place to stay. Our front window framed a glorious sunset tonight behind a giant pistachio billboard, White Sands and the mountains. Perfect! We are on the northern reaches of town and will explore it tomorrow. But before I close, I have to mention how perfect the air is. Clean, Clear, Cool, Sunny, Fabulous!
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Highway Crosses
October 24, 2010
As we've driven across a fairly big section of the country I have noticed the far too many crosses that dot our highways. Some roadways are such that you anticipate their presence before seeing the crosses, others surprise you. I've often thought about the variety across the nation: some areas seen to limit their appearance to a simple, small, white cross; others are very elaborate personalized tributes. Whatever their form, all have the same meaning. A precious loved one has died. I hate to think how many of these lives were very short indeed. How many of these car accidents took the lives of children? Not really wanting to know the answer to that one.
Did the family erect the cross as a reminder of their love? as a warning to a dangerous intersection? as a plea for prayers to ease the pain? Each cross gets the same response from me, and I'm sure from many others. I offer a short, silent prayer to the family, to the many who traverse this way that they do so safely, that the people we love will never have such a plaintive marker on a roadway to tell of their passing.
Today at the Rio Grande Gorge parking area, where vendors sit at tables outside their cars, I was surprised by such a marker. So I took the picture to go with the blog I've often thought of writing, but hadn't. Until now.
Taos,NM
October 24, 2010
We have been in Santa Fe for several days, straying very little from the RV park. This has been by choice, it's a nice park and we have been relaxing, but also due to threatening weather. Looking at the weather, today seemed the best shot at a drive to Taos.
And it was a wonderful day to drive along the Rio Grande, up hill all the way! The trees are golden! They just shimmered in the breezes, flashing the sunrays to show off their brilliance. We enjoyed a stroll through the town, I even bought myself a very cute hat. We also stopped at the visitor center for the Gorge. We got a lot of info in addition to getting our bearings.
The one thing I wanted to see was the Rio Grande Gorge. And it was well worth the extra drive northwest of town. At the gorge, you are on table land with mountains in the distance. A bridge spans the gap created by the river. It reminded me of the canyons we've visited. Who knows what will develop under that quarter mile of bridge over the next millennium. For now, though, it is a monochromatic wonder. The rock, minimal vegetation, and water are all a deep turquoise, brownish-blue. I was afraid of dropping my phone while taking pictures, therefore, the photos don't tell the whole story. Driving back to Santa Fe, the river and valley met on a more equal footing. Gradually the rock cliffs yielded to wide fertile valleys that have sustained people for many generations and cultures.
About the photos. I took quite a few. Unfortunately most of them turned out to be videos. This learning new stuff is a drag!
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Santa Fe, NM
October 20, 2010
It has been quite a week! Watching the Rangers has commanded a large amount of our time, with good results! Yeah, they lost tonight, but we have high hopes for Friday. They have already done better than any previous year, so we're good!
After the game tonight we heard the weather forecast for this evening; Tijeras is in for hail tonight. Why is this important? We left this small town just east of Albuquerque yesterday. When we selected this destination, Passport America was all we knew, half price-yeah! Tijeras has more to offer, however. It is just off the Turquoise Trail, the back road to Santa Fe and the back of Sandia Peak. It seems that these mountains were once about 30,000 ft elevation with a large sea on the east side. These events created the mineral deposits so rich in this area: gold, silver, coal, and even turquoise. We also found an amazing pizza in Tijeras at the Trail Rider. We met Jerome at the Hidden Valley RV Park. Jerome is a retired veteran, along with many other interesting careers. His current occupation is to keep an outstanding library at the park. he is an excellent tour guide, and has all materials ready for you to take off and enjoy.
Another feature of Hidden Valley; no Internet! Again! This has become a real issue that we have tried to remedy. We have been with AT&T for years, but comparing their coverage to Verizon prompted more research and the decision to change carriers. Suddenly all the of Russell's efforts fell into place. We are getting much better reception for tethering to the computer, we can both connect through tethering a single phone, and the plan is much better to boot! The antenna that Russell installed really helps to support the network beautifully. So we have spent quite a bit of time getting to know our new Palm Pre phones, online tutorials and a lot of practice.
We are staying at The Trailer Ranch in Santa Fe for at least a week. The weather has been wonderful, sunny mild days, cool nights. Many trees are some shade of golden and just beautiful. We have gotten to the grocery store, the tire store -thank you Discount Tire for finding that nail-and the mall. All good places. If the weather clears tomorrow we will make our way to Old Town for the less mundane sights. We were here decades ago and look forward to revisiting the adobe buildings that are 400 years old.
For right now, we have rain and a chill to the air at 10:30, so it is time to sleep.
It has been quite a week! Watching the Rangers has commanded a large amount of our time, with good results! Yeah, they lost tonight, but we have high hopes for Friday. They have already done better than any previous year, so we're good!
After the game tonight we heard the weather forecast for this evening; Tijeras is in for hail tonight. Why is this important? We left this small town just east of Albuquerque yesterday. When we selected this destination, Passport America was all we knew, half price-yeah! Tijeras has more to offer, however. It is just off the Turquoise Trail, the back road to Santa Fe and the back of Sandia Peak. It seems that these mountains were once about 30,000 ft elevation with a large sea on the east side. These events created the mineral deposits so rich in this area: gold, silver, coal, and even turquoise. We also found an amazing pizza in Tijeras at the Trail Rider. We met Jerome at the Hidden Valley RV Park. Jerome is a retired veteran, along with many other interesting careers. His current occupation is to keep an outstanding library at the park. he is an excellent tour guide, and has all materials ready for you to take off and enjoy.
Another feature of Hidden Valley; no Internet! Again! This has become a real issue that we have tried to remedy. We have been with AT&T for years, but comparing their coverage to Verizon prompted more research and the decision to change carriers. Suddenly all the of Russell's efforts fell into place. We are getting much better reception for tethering to the computer, we can both connect through tethering a single phone, and the plan is much better to boot! The antenna that Russell installed really helps to support the network beautifully. So we have spent quite a bit of time getting to know our new Palm Pre phones, online tutorials and a lot of practice.
We are staying at The Trailer Ranch in Santa Fe for at least a week. The weather has been wonderful, sunny mild days, cool nights. Many trees are some shade of golden and just beautiful. We have gotten to the grocery store, the tire store -thank you Discount Tire for finding that nail-and the mall. All good places. If the weather clears tomorrow we will make our way to Old Town for the less mundane sights. We were here decades ago and look forward to revisiting the adobe buildings that are 400 years old.
For right now, we have rain and a chill to the air at 10:30, so it is time to sleep.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Socorro, NM
October 14, 2010
First time to Socorro! We had a very good Mexican dinner, cruised town a bit, and we will be on our way in the a.m. This is a mail stop, we haven't been any place for very long recently, so we picked a place we thought we might be a week down the road. This decision got us off of I-40 and on to US -60. We have seen much new terrain today, mostly high desert, but some variety made the drive interesting. We cruised through towns like: Quemoda, Pie Town, Datil, and Magdaline. Each had a similar look only varying in size from small to extremely, did-we-miss-it, small. We did stop in Pie Town and had our first ever $5 slice of pie, a la mode will be $2.50 extra! They did have some interesting combinations, Peanut Butter Pecan almost tempted me, but we went for All American Apple and Triple Berry. Both were tasty.
We slowed down, but did not stop, as we passed the Very Large Array. This set of satellite dishes was built for the purpose of catching signals from outer space. In anticipation of arrival, we talked about documentaries we've seen on the topic and even the movie with Jodie Foster playing the lady who got the whole project underway. Titles on that one escaped the memory, but we had the gist. In fact, we knew enough to feel justified to keep on rolling. Point: it's pretty cool to see and I'm sure the info/visitor center has a lot to offer, like the title of the movie!
The last week did not go quite as planned. We spent a wonderful day and evening in Alpine with the Rutherford's and not only enjoyed that, Russell got bitten by the "real estate bug." The scenery is so beautiful in Alpine, though, I think most anyone would be stricken the same way. We went to Show Low to chase down one property and checked into the local state park for 1 night. That was on Tuesday, we actually left today, Thursday. The park is really nice! We were camped right next to the lake and enjoyed entertainment by ducks, geese, and kids. Sunsets were pretty cool too! The town has a lot to offer as well. Nice people and more real estate opportunities. But we are the proverbial "tire kickers" and left empty handed.
Tomorrow we head back to Albequerque, NM. We were there just over night last year. We will stay about a week this time. We even plan to check the weather to see if it is not too late for a trip to Sante Fe. We are definitely FAIR WEATHER FRIENDS! We want nothing to do with bad weather of any kind. We met people today who were caught in a hail storm near Mesa Verde, AZ. Their coach was really a mess with thousands of dollars of repairs to be done.
First time to Socorro! We had a very good Mexican dinner, cruised town a bit, and we will be on our way in the a.m. This is a mail stop, we haven't been any place for very long recently, so we picked a place we thought we might be a week down the road. This decision got us off of I-40 and on to US -60. We have seen much new terrain today, mostly high desert, but some variety made the drive interesting. We cruised through towns like: Quemoda, Pie Town, Datil, and Magdaline. Each had a similar look only varying in size from small to extremely, did-we-miss-it, small. We did stop in Pie Town and had our first ever $5 slice of pie, a la mode will be $2.50 extra! They did have some interesting combinations, Peanut Butter Pecan almost tempted me, but we went for All American Apple and Triple Berry. Both were tasty.
We slowed down, but did not stop, as we passed the Very Large Array. This set of satellite dishes was built for the purpose of catching signals from outer space. In anticipation of arrival, we talked about documentaries we've seen on the topic and even the movie with Jodie Foster playing the lady who got the whole project underway. Titles on that one escaped the memory, but we had the gist. In fact, we knew enough to feel justified to keep on rolling. Point: it's pretty cool to see and I'm sure the info/visitor center has a lot to offer, like the title of the movie!
The last week did not go quite as planned. We spent a wonderful day and evening in Alpine with the Rutherford's and not only enjoyed that, Russell got bitten by the "real estate bug." The scenery is so beautiful in Alpine, though, I think most anyone would be stricken the same way. We went to Show Low to chase down one property and checked into the local state park for 1 night. That was on Tuesday, we actually left today, Thursday. The park is really nice! We were camped right next to the lake and enjoyed entertainment by ducks, geese, and kids. Sunsets were pretty cool too! The town has a lot to offer as well. Nice people and more real estate opportunities. But we are the proverbial "tire kickers" and left empty handed.
Tomorrow we head back to Albequerque, NM. We were there just over night last year. We will stay about a week this time. We even plan to check the weather to see if it is not too late for a trip to Sante Fe. We are definitely FAIR WEATHER FRIENDS! We want nothing to do with bad weather of any kind. We met people today who were caught in a hail storm near Mesa Verde, AZ. Their coach was really a mess with thousands of dollars of repairs to be done.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Reserve, NM
October 5, 2010
Reserve CAN be found on a New Mexico map! Look way left, just before the AZ border, about midway between I-40 and I-10. A few facts: it is the county seat for Catron County, the least densely populated one of New Mexico, which I think is really saying something! Reserve has about 400 folks, a pretty fair grocery/general store, several restaurants, a filling station, bank, and a smattering of county and US government buildings. It sits in the Gila National Forest at about 6000 ft. elevation.
Why are we here? Visiting with some long-time friends who are "ranch sitting" for some of their friends and we were invited along for fun, mainly ours. We are sharing the beautiful landscape with 3 dogs, 3 chickens, a few cattle and horses, and a bunch of elk, bear, birds, and all the other creatures of the forest. it is quite serene! There is nothing quite like getting a free week just for knowing the right people!
We just went on our first ever ATV ride. Russell did an excellent job of driving the rugged mountain path and I held on for dear life. Since I had also never ridden a motorcycle, this was a really new experience for me. Russell loved the thrill of reliving his motorcycle days in college.
I'll play a little catch-up for a minute. We really enjoyed the scenic route on US 90, we even got an unexpected detour through Ft. Davis, one of our favorite places. We got to spend 3 days back at Las Cruces, and a special visit from nephew Michael and his family, Stephanie and Parker. We were really enjoying a mild Las Cruces evening until the mosquitoes attacked and drove us inside very quickly. There was a mad relay to bring in the food and then all was well again. Our next stop was Silver City, a very cool small city in the foothills.
The plan is to hang around this western New Mexico area, maybe even slip over the border to Arizona, and soak up as much enchantment as we can.
Reserve CAN be found on a New Mexico map! Look way left, just before the AZ border, about midway between I-40 and I-10. A few facts: it is the county seat for Catron County, the least densely populated one of New Mexico, which I think is really saying something! Reserve has about 400 folks, a pretty fair grocery/general store, several restaurants, a filling station, bank, and a smattering of county and US government buildings. It sits in the Gila National Forest at about 6000 ft. elevation.
Why are we here? Visiting with some long-time friends who are "ranch sitting" for some of their friends and we were invited along for fun, mainly ours. We are sharing the beautiful landscape with 3 dogs, 3 chickens, a few cattle and horses, and a bunch of elk, bear, birds, and all the other creatures of the forest. it is quite serene! There is nothing quite like getting a free week just for knowing the right people!
We just went on our first ever ATV ride. Russell did an excellent job of driving the rugged mountain path and I held on for dear life. Since I had also never ridden a motorcycle, this was a really new experience for me. Russell loved the thrill of reliving his motorcycle days in college.
I'll play a little catch-up for a minute. We really enjoyed the scenic route on US 90, we even got an unexpected detour through Ft. Davis, one of our favorite places. We got to spend 3 days back at Las Cruces, and a special visit from nephew Michael and his family, Stephanie and Parker. We were really enjoying a mild Las Cruces evening until the mosquitoes attacked and drove us inside very quickly. There was a mad relay to bring in the food and then all was well again. Our next stop was Silver City, a very cool small city in the foothills.
The plan is to hang around this western New Mexico area, maybe even slip over the border to Arizona, and soak up as much enchantment as we can.
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
New Mexico
November 3, 2009
We headed northeast out of Phoenix toward I-40 and northern New Mexico, the thermometer dropping the entire way. Except for a short stretch of alpine in
Arizona, it was desert the whole way. The varying hues of red, orange, yellow changed with time of day and elevation, each vista beautiful and far reaching. We have driven this part of I-40 before, but I didn’t remember the large lava fields. El Malpais is the Spanish term for these badlands of roughed terrain. But our destination of Albuquerque lay further east.
We had allowed one day to Albuquerque, surely not enough. We elected to visit Old Town first to soak up culture, history and Mexican food. The bonus was the wonderful day of shopping. We had a beautiful sunny day to get our Christmas shopping complete with no hassles of the mall. We both enjoyed the hunt in this laid back adobe setting.
NEXT TIME: the lava fields, Albuquerque museums
We headed northeast out of Phoenix toward I-40 and northern New Mexico, the thermometer dropping the entire way. Except for a short stretch of alpine in
Arizona, it was desert the whole way. The varying hues of red, orange, yellow changed with time of day and elevation, each vista beautiful and far reaching. We have driven this part of I-40 before, but I didn’t remember the large lava fields. El Malpais is the Spanish term for these badlands of roughed terrain. But our destination of Albuquerque lay further east.
We had allowed one day to Albuquerque, surely not enough. We elected to visit Old Town first to soak up culture, history and Mexican food. The bonus was the wonderful day of shopping. We had a beautiful sunny day to get our Christmas shopping complete with no hassles of the mall. We both enjoyed the hunt in this laid back adobe setting.
NEXT TIME: the lava fields, Albuquerque museums
Friday, October 2, 2009
West Texas, Southern New Mexico
February, 2009
Our RV-on the road- adventures began in earnest on February 26, 2009. We headed to Van Horn, TX. Cruising down the road through vast deserted desert is really a great way to start. The next day-more desert as we drove through El Paso to Las Cruces.
We spent 2 weeks at a wonderful resort, Hacienda RV, just off I-10. Highlights included a visit to Ft. Bliss to visit our nephew and his family, hikes in the desert, the Organ Mts., markets, Mexican food, Cloudcroft, relaxing. Lowlights – adjusting to altitude and toilette repair.
We had a great time at Michael’s home in El Paso with his wife and son. He took us on a behind-the-scenes tour of Ft. Bliss. It was neat to hear him talk about his job and hear the pride he feels to be in the Army. We ruined his day, however, when we beat them at a trivia game back at home. He began with the confidence of youth and lost with the grace of a gentleman.
Las Cruces was the start of our Mexican Food Tasting Tour. Russell fell in love with marinated peppers and was determined to replicate the recipe. He sampled peppers through several states, never finding any as good as the ones in La Mesilla. Certainly the ones we tried to make from the same ingredients were no match.
We really enjoyed our low-key visit in a city that is large enough to provide services without the drag of heavy traffic and confusing freeways.
Our RV-on the road- adventures began in earnest on February 26, 2009. We headed to Van Horn, TX. Cruising down the road through vast deserted desert is really a great way to start. The next day-more desert as we drove through El Paso to Las Cruces.
We spent 2 weeks at a wonderful resort, Hacienda RV, just off I-10. Highlights included a visit to Ft. Bliss to visit our nephew and his family, hikes in the desert, the Organ Mts., markets, Mexican food, Cloudcroft, relaxing. Lowlights – adjusting to altitude and toilette repair.
We had a great time at Michael’s home in El Paso with his wife and son. He took us on a behind-the-scenes tour of Ft. Bliss. It was neat to hear him talk about his job and hear the pride he feels to be in the Army. We ruined his day, however, when we beat them at a trivia game back at home. He began with the confidence of youth and lost with the grace of a gentleman.
Las Cruces was the start of our Mexican Food Tasting Tour. Russell fell in love with marinated peppers and was determined to replicate the recipe. He sampled peppers through several states, never finding any as good as the ones in La Mesilla. Certainly the ones we tried to make from the same ingredients were no match.
We really enjoyed our low-key visit in a city that is large enough to provide services without the drag of heavy traffic and confusing freeways.
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