A change in destination and plans....

Our Location: Socorro, NM

(2nd post today)
 

The day dawned with blue skies but cold temperatures. A heavy layer of frost on both the Dogsled and the Igloo was melting off by 8:30 am when we headed out. A couple of big rigs parked around us and a noisy engine was the back drop for last nights sleep. Oh well, we survived. 

 

The formations here at amazing.

 

Pulling out of Deming we headed north east on NM 26 to Hatch, the Chili Capital of the World. A very nice drive, good road, little traffic and wonderful views. A stop in Hatch at one of the little Chili Stores just to stretch and have a look. We chatted with the fellow there and he told us there was 6" of snow earlier in the day yesterday. We missed it by stopping in Deming. 

 

Blue skies and empty roads, what more can a person ask for?

 

At Hatch we hung a left onto I-26 North passing by Truth or Consequences, Elephant Butte and a few other little spots as well. We arrived at the town of Lemitar, NM and looked for the BLM land located here but couldn’t find it after looking for more than 40 minutes. I won’t go into the details but I’d like to give Garmin this GPS back with specific instructions oh how to UPDATE it and where they can put it after the update.

 

Riley noticed these guys in Hatch, NM.

We finally decided to do the logical thing and headed to the Walmart here in Socorro. We were greeted warmly and told we can stay for 3 to 4 days if we like. Thank you but 1 night is enough for us. We’ll move on tomorrow instead of spending the two days here we had planned had we found the BLM. 

 

If you've ever driven through Hatch, NM I'm sure you've noticed these fella's on the corner.

The day is sunny, and the skies are blue, blue, blue. The temps are reading about 56F/ 13.3 C with a slight breeze. A wee bit cool but still nice. We’ll take it and as many more as we can get. 

 

On both of our visits through Hatch we have stopped at this spot. Those are RED CHILI Peppers hanging there.

So that’s our day today. Thanks for stopping by, I hope you enjoyed your visit.
 

Scenic drive today. 

 

Until next time…. take care, be safe,

How can one not love these views?

 

Deb

(I realize in our last post from Las Cienegas I made an error in the time zone line, we lost only ONE HOUR crossing into New Mexico and will lose another when we cross into Texas. I inadvertently looked at the wrong  directions in our travels and was looking at our travel between NM and TX when I noticed the Time Zone Change but thought I was looking at Arizona to NM.)

Settled in City of Rocks State Park....

Our Location: City of Rocks State Park, Faywood, NM

Up this morning around 5:30 am MST (mountain standard time), read some blogs, made a few comments and enjoyed the quiet morning. No coyotes this morning, no birds shrilling and no dogs barking. The silent dogs was of course the best part. 

Along I-25 South between Elephant Butte and Hatch, NM

Cool this morning but the day promises to warm up according to the weather folks. Since today is moving day we won't be lazing around much when Riley starts making noise in her end of the Igloo. We have a few things to pack up outside, utilities to unhook, hook up, journey to the dump station and we'll be on our way. 

The Rio Grande River passing under I-25 South bound.

We noticed Patricia was gone when we went outside, I didn't hear her pack up so she must have left very early!

The wind farm between Hatch and Deming, NM

We were on the road about 9 am this morning after waiting at the dump station for about 10 minutes before we could dump. It wasn’t the waiting that bothered me IF the guy had of being using the dump station, but he was finished if he had even used it.  He was taking boxes from the back of his truck, walking them to a dumpster across the parking lot. Back and forth he must went at least 4 or 5 times. Honestly couldn’t he have just pulled out of the way up beside the dumpster? I finally asked him if there were two spots to dump. He said, no just two places to park. At that point he climbed back in his truck and left. I truly don’t mind waiting but to me waiting for him to walk his garbage to the dumpster wasn’t part of the dump station use. Sometimes people just amaze me at how unaware they can be. 

Those are chile peppers hanging there...

Anyway, enough of my venting. We were on the road after about 20 minutes once we managed to get to the pump out and rolled along to the edge of T or C in order to catch I-25 South. Since we had taken a jaunt down this way a few days ago we were familiar with the few things we were seeing. It was still nice with the mountains off in the distance. We weren’t on the Interstate very long, just about 30 - 40 minutes before we took the exit to Hatch, NM. What an interesting little place. It’s obviously known for it’s peppers.They were hanging in very, very long strings, almost thick enough to make a curtain. We stopped and went into one little place on what I think is the main street. There were some amazing items in this place, wooden benches (very fancy wooden benches), pottery, squash like things (the fella said they are used to make pumpkin pie but they didn’t look anything like a pumpkin to me). He had some gourds that are used as rattles or cleaned out and used to keep drinks cool. The peppers were mostly dark red with some lighter reds and yellows as well. There were peppers in the shape of a cross, a wreath, etc. It was amazing to see what can be done with some imagination. 

The fella said they use these for pumpkin pie.

Back on the road we continued along on this very interesting shortcut. We found ourselves driving past what must be a solar/wind  farm of some fashion. The solar panels went on and on in various fields, rows upon rows upon rows. Wind turbines were also present, turning very lazily in the almost non existent breeze. The backdrop of a mountain behind was truly a nice picture. I’m not sure Riley got a good one though, and I haven’t edited today’s pic just yet. In some places the drive was like being on a roller coaster, up and down, up and down, like bobbing on a boat. In other places it was flat for a very long way. The speed limit is much faster than my 55 mph. However we didn’t hold anyone up too long. 

We're heading that way. 

As I write this post tonight we still have not seen the little town of Deming but plan on heading in tomorrow. We have a number of things to do there. Pheobe our RV GPS has been very good to us lately, not taking us out of our way or anything, maybe when I threaten to back over top of her if she pulled any more crap might have scared her. ~laugh~ We can only hope so. 

A sentry plant at City of Rocks State Park. 

We reached our destination City of Rocks State Park in Faywood, NM (north of Deming) around the noon hour. It’s quite a site when you pop over the top of the hill and see these rocks below. Truly made my eyes pop wide open and maybe my mouth drop open too. It was unexpected to see it just there, even though we knew it was coming. For those that have been here you know what I mean, for those that haven’t, you have to come see it for yourself. It’s a beautiful park, with amazing rock formations that allow campers to park in among them, with picnic tables in among the rocks to shelter them and fire pits as well. Truly a very nice place to be. 

Interesting things made from chile peppers.

We pulled into the Ranger Station but were told to find our spot and they’d be around to see us. So we found our spot and chatted with the camp host, Bob,  who is behind us and the second camp host is beside them.  We got set up inside and outside. It was a bit busy for both of us and by the time we were finished I can tell you were both ready for some lunch. I made a green salad, added some fresh ingredients to some spaghetti sauce in a jar,  and made some cheese garlic bread. Then while the sauce was simmering and the pasta was cooking we enjoyed our salads. After which we enjoyed our Rotini with sauce, some freshly ground Parmesan cheese to top it off, and of course the cheesy garlic bread. I can tell you it was a good meal. I enjoyed it greatly. 

A small circle of rock formations near the top of observation point. 

After dishes and a quick tidy up we grabbed our walking sticks and headed out. First to the Ranger Station where we were told not to worry that we had no paper work on our vehicles. Since we reserved on line apparently we don’t need any. I found that odd but oh well, it’s their park. Then we were off along one of the hiking paths. It took us about 2 miles in a circle from the Visitor’s Center to Pegasus North Campground, and back to the Igloo. A very nice walk.

The view out our living room window. 

There are numerous boon docking sites here and the next time we come we will take advantage of them. Some great sites that we located on our short walk today and more up around the corner for us to explore another day. Riley seen a white board in the ranger's office that said the snakes are out so be careful. We were careful, tapping our walking sticks often during our walk. We will not be hiking without them while in this area. 

One of the boon docking spots here in C of R SP.

There is no cell service here in the park. We’ll have to drive toward the main road to get some or apparently spot 45 -46 has AT& T service. There is no park user internet either. Our Jet Pack Mifi plan is almost to the top but resets tomorrow so we’re good to go then. 

Our first sunset here in the park. 

The sunset was spectacular to see, the bright red looked like the sky was on fire. Truly wondrous. 

Pretty amazing isn't it?

Anyway, there you have it, our travel day. It was a great day, we enjoyed it immensely. While we are aware that the temps overnight will hover around the freezing mark, we’re fine with that as long as the days are warm. We have our heater, our furnace and I have no doubt we can stay warm. ~laugh~ In a few days time, Saturday in fact, we will be heading further south toward Benson, Arizona. However first we want to look around this area, see a few things, check out a few boon docking sites in the Gila National Forest (pronounced He - la) and the cliff dwellings as well. So we already have two of our 5 days here booked. ~laugh~ Doesn’t take long, does it? 

The sunset reflecting off the hood of the Dogsled as I make my way back to the Igloo after unsuccessfully trying to find a cell signal.

On that note, I’m going to be off. I want to hop in the Dogsled and find a cell signal to talk to my dad. Thanks for stopping by, hope you enjoyed your visit.


Until next time…be safe, take care…

P.S. No AT& T cell signal that I can find here in the park nor on the road out of the park. I”ll have to try further along tomorrow on our way into Deming.

Cold night, lazy day, and packing up.....

Our Location: Elephant Butte State Park, Elephant Butte, NM

A cold morning this morning. We turned the furnace on for a while as the temps in the Igloo hovered in the mid 40's even at 10 am. I did some research into places to visit and stay in Arizona around the area of Benson and also did a quick search of a few other places we'd like to see as well. That seemed to take up the entire morning. I'm not sure how I spent that much time doing research. 

The red earth of the Texas panhandle.

Since we had pancakes for breakfast this morning, we weren't hungry at lunch time and decided to have a 'fend for yourself' type of day. 

Sunset in Dexter, NM

We did get outside this afternoon to pack up most of the stuff, a few little things left for tomorrow morning, shouldn't take more than about 15 minutes to finish packing and hooking up.

Native dolls at the museum here in Elephant Butte.

Patricia came by this afternoon about 2 pm to give us her information so we can keep in touch. She's a very nice lady, unique and original. 

Palo Duro Canyon near Amarillo, Texas

After she left around 3:30 pm we kind of drifted off in our own direction for the rest of the day. Riley to her space and me to mine. It was a very nice relaxing day for our last day here in Elephant Butte. I didn't take any pics today so I'll post some from when we were travelling. 

Somewhere in Arkansas.

 

I'm tired of fighting with Blogger about spacing and location, so tonight's blog is just going to be however Blogger insists it's going to be tonight.

Thanks for stopping by, sorry it wasn't more exciting. 

Until next time..be safe, take care.......

Scenic drives, lost Engle, and more state parks.....

Our Location: Elephant Butte State Park, Elephant Butte, NM

Awake this morning at 4:30 am, no going back to sleep. Other days I've managed to turn over and get some more sleep but not today. The coyotes were having a yapping good time and continued off and on until about 5:30 am. They sound pretty close to the loop here in the park. 

Cactus grow everywhere here....much like dandelions back home.

I finished reading the blogs I follow about 6 am and was outside looking for pics of a sun rise, in a pair of heavy track pants and a fleece sweater. It was definitely chiller this morning than it has been so far here. A few pics but nothing spectacular in the sun rise department. 

A couple of house boats in the Rio Grande on the opposite side of the island as Elephant Butte State Park.

The temps only reached 62F/16.6C for a high and the low tonight is supposed to be 39F/3.8C. So much cooler than it has been. 

The water is muddy but the scene is inspiring.

Back inside I decided to do something quietly productive. I cleaned the inside of the windows in the main part of the Igloo, and washed the screens as well. That leaves three more windows and screens, along with 2 vents (all inside) that need to be washed  before I can say I'm finished. 

Elephant Butte Dam which is on the Rio Grande River.

By the time I was finishing the windows Riley was awake and heading off to the shower. I managed to get the screens back in and things cleaned up before she got out. 

The Rio Grande just past the EB Dam.

We then discussed lunch, and made a new weekly menu for the upcoming week, along with a grocery list for the upcoming week. We find it much easier to plan for the whole week. 

Our first tumbleweeds.

That accomplished we decided we'd head out for a drive and check out the east ridge we can see from our front drive. We've been seeing a sign that says Engle just past the cutoff for T or C and decided that was in the right direction to find this ridge and the views. So we turned left and off we went. We found a small park which allows dry camping and provides covered shelters for picnic tables, etc. It's right on a little river and has about a dozen sites. I would definitely park there but the turn seems to be a bit tight in my opinion, but I think we could make it work.  This area is called the Elephant Butte Dam Recreation Area and according to Patricia is part of the state park we are currently in.

Heading toward the town of Engle, or so the sign said.

A bit further on we took a different road with the same name as the one above and after a bit of a hair raising road we came to a restaurant, which over looked the Rio Grande River and at least a half dozen house boats. We could also see the marina from this vantage point. A small RV park is located off to the right of the parking lot, and while I'm sure the views are nice, the park itself is very small, hanging on the side of a mountain with a very steep drop should one take a wrong step. It had a dumpy, shabby feel to it and there appeared to be some permanent trailers at this location. There are numerous places with no guardrails of any kind and they make me very nervous. 

The mountains surrounded us at this point in our drive.

From this spot we ventured further around to find the Elephant Butte Dam. We managed to get some great pics of the area, except we missed taking a picture of where they've cleaned the rock slide off the roadway. You could see the marks on the pavement but everything was pushed to the side.

This cut away river bank beside the road we were taking to find the elusive Engle, NM.

We followed this road around, over, between and pretty much everything except under, a number of smaller hills, mounds, or very small mountains. Take your pick. ~laugh~  It was a very scenic route with steep guardless drops on the passenger side. We did note the many cactus, yucca, mesquite and other forms of growth up and down the sides of the roadway. Deep chasms and slashes in in the hillside made the few miles very interesting in deed. 

We were near Caballo State Park.

We reached the end of the snake like road and came to a long flat area on the valley floor. We followed it thinking it would take us to Engle. We found the road to the some trail heads, and a ranch but we never did find Engle. Not sure if it moved because it knew we were coming or if we managed to miss a sign but for whatever reason, we couldn't find it. We didn't get the GPS out to look for it either. Instead we opted to head back to T or C, or at least in the direction.

I think this is the same home made 5'er that George (Our Awesome Travels )might have seen. It's now in Caballo State Park.

We headed thru town, getting on I-25 at Williamsburg, which we both thought was T or C, but turns out it buttes right up against it. We journeyed south even though we are heading that way on Monday, we wanted to have a peek at a couple of parks a bit down the highway. 

I thought this was an odd shape, like the back end had been cut off and it was made smaller. It was at Percha Dam State Park.

We found Caballo State Park just off of the interstate and did a little tour of it. Great views but the sites have no privacy of any kind. Some sites had full hook ups, others just water and electric. The rates were $18 and $14 respectively. In what looked like a parking lot we noticed one older RV with solar panels set out, and I believe it would be a boon docking area. We chatted with a couple that were there and inquired about things to do at the park. The answer was fishing, boating or hiking. So we can at least enjoy some good hiking if we decide to go there. 

Heading home from Caballo State Park.

Next we toured Percha Dam State Park. I must say it is the first state park that I would consider to be shabby. It just looked unkempt. I can't really say why but it's the impression I had. The sites were fairly big and all pull thru but no privacy of any kind. They were quite literally one on top of the other, no space between entry and exit of each site. The entry and exit driveways literally touched the one next to it. They also had a boon docking area off a bit from the rest of the park. It was also shabby in appearance with only a few spots. Not our kind of park.

I believe that might be T or C in the distance.

From there we went back past Caballo (pronounced Cab-i-oh) State park along a back road toward T or C. We enjoyed this drive immensely with the spectacular views. It was a short drive to T or C, about 25 minutes. Since we hadn't used the GPS all day we decided we could find Walmart with out it. We did, eventually. ~laugh~ I can tell you we enjoyed seeing some beautiful homes in a variety of neighbourhoods in T or C. We knew the general direction we needed to go and proceeded to make the appropriate turns. Some streets dead ended, some were just too rough, and others appeared to go in the wrong direction but we finally found the street we were looking for and knew exactly where we were. Good for us. So after a quick stop at the Walmart to get some moisturizing cream and face wipes for Riley, a few groceries from our list and we were off home. 

Some views from the back road we took to T or C from Caballo.

Back home we managed to put the groceries away, prepare, cook and eat lunch by 3:15 pm. Lunch today was a green salad, beans-mushrooms & asparagus, and stuffing. I can tell you I haven't eaten a bite since. ~laugh~

This morning's sun rise.

A walk around the park after lunch brought us to Lions Beach where we managed to get invited to sit down and chat with a couple of ladies who had just recently arrived. I am so sorry but I can't recall their names, I think one was Julie but I don't recall the name of the lady from Texas. We discussed things to see and do in the southwest area, chatted about various places to visit, and so on. We chatted for about a half hour. Very nice ladies.

Some southwest flavour in this house...

Riley and I kept going on our walk, finishing the loop at Lions Beach and heading along the gravel road that leads across the park to the boon docking areas along the entry road. From there we turned on Sumac Road and came back home, checking out the dump station near by for our Monday departure.

Are you tired of seeing the mountains yet?

We were home about 4:45 pm, and I grabbed the camera , headed to the handicapped spot that is empty and proceeded to wait for the sunset. I knew it wouldn't be much since there wasn't a cloud in the sky anywhere. I called oldest daughter Courtney but she didn't answer, she did however call me right back. Seems she had just walked in the door and hadn't taken her phone. We chatted for about 20 minutes. Son in law Matt will be home from Switzerland on Nov 29, only a week and a half away. She is very excited as she came home in August. Courtney is working at upgrading her teaching certificate  as she's been away for a year and Matt has received a research grant from York University to continue his research in the neurology field.  So we are looking forward to seeing them both in the spring when we get back to Ontario. 

Cactus growing through a fence in one of the neighbourhoods we drove through today.

After that it was back to the Igloo and time to settle in, edit some pictures, write my blog and so on. So as you can see it was a full day for us. We enjoyed it greatly. 

What long ears you have......Mr. Rabbit.

Thanks for stopping by, feel free to leave a comment.

Until next time..be safe, take care....

Cleaner windows, lazy afternoon, and an almost univited visitor.......

Our Location: Elephant Butte State Park, Elephant Butte, NM

A nice night for sleeping things were a wee bit cool this morning inside the Igloo but it warmed up quickly as we opened the night shades allowing the sun shine to heat us thru the windows. With vents open last night we had a nice occasional breeze, as the night turned into morning the breeze felt more chilly than warm. ~laugh~ A shirt over our t-shirts and we were good to go.

Mr. Road Runner was hoping for an invitation to come inside.

This morning right after breakfast I headed outside to remove the BlueBoy from the ladder and to remove the step ladder as well. Have you guessed it yet? Yes I managed to clean the outside of the windows this morning. Of course it didn’t take long, after all how long can it take to clean 9 windows the size of a postage stamp? 

Next he checked out what I was cooking on the BBQ.

I then brought the big step ladder inside so I could clean the ceiling vents, the A/C filter and the ceiling lights. I will admit I didn’t clean the two vents in my end of the Igloo, my bedroom and bathroom vents will be left for another time but at least it’s a start. I will also clean the inside of the windows another day. By the time I had replaced the step ladder and BlueBoy to the Igloo’s ladder I was feeling as if I had accomplished enough for one day. The morning was passing quickly it was already pushing 11 am. Riley vacuumed our humble little Igloo and washed the kitchen floor, straightened up a bit and we both figured that was enough for one day. Don’t do everything today ‘cause then we’ll have nothing left for tomorrow. ~laugh~ 

The afternoon sun casts different shadows on the mountains in the east.

I’m keeping well hydrated but still felt a bit off this morning even before I was outside cleaning the windows. My sugar was fine and so I wonder if it has something to do with the increase in medication. I’ll have to keep an eye on that.  

See the various shadows? 

After reading for about an hour I headed inside to start prepping lunch. Again we have our green salad but today we added a squirt of orange zest/juice to it, just a bit. Gave it a wonderful hint of something tantalizing sweet. Of course our salads vary from day to day with ingredients. We enjoy trying new things in our salads as it keeps them from being boring. We’ve changed from green onions to sweet white onions and that also gives it a nice change of flavour. 

My Weber and the wind block.

Once again we had mixed veggies on the side. Mushrooms, green beans, spaghetti squash, carrots, celery, asparagus, red and yellow peppers, along with a hint of orange. We enjoy these mixed veggies and often times change them up as well. Adding different spices and different vegetables too. We toss the packet on the Weber on low for about 25 minutes or until it’s soft (depends on the type of veggie you put in there) and then just enjoy!!

My green salad.  I added home made Thousand Island's dressing on top of this.

Today we also added some turkey dogs to the menu. We don’t use regular bread buns, we use wraps instead. I find there is too much ‘bun’ for me to enjoy. Of course I like to load up my wrap from time with tomatoes, cheese, onions, relish, etc. However today was a plain jane type day so it was a simple almost naked turkey dog, a little cheese, relish, and mustard. ~laugh~ I made two but couldn’t eat the second one, however Riley enjoyed it. ~laugh~ 

Could only eat one of those turkey dogs. 

I’m glad I was able to make a wind breaker for the Weber. It works great the few times we’ve used it. I used all recycled material for it, except the paint. ~laugh~ The rack from a big bbq, a small piece of sheet metal, and a couple pieces of wood for the feet. Add a string of fine wire to hold the metal to the rack and there you have it. The feet come off, the metal comes off and I have three flat pieces of things to store.  Dad laughed at my invention but it works and that’s all I care about. ~laugh~ The wind has picked up steadily from this morning and the gusts are now big enough to rock the Igloo a bit but due to the angle it doesn’t seem to be bothering the toppers on the slides. 

A different set of shadows on the mountain now.

We opted to stay home this afternoon instead of taking our walk. We both think perhaps a day of rest is a good thing.

The beginning of our sunset tonight.

We had a visitor again today. Mr. Road Runner was at the bottom of the step waiting for someone to open the door and invite him in. ~laugh~ He was just waiting there as I was at the picnic table bbq’ing lunch. He seemed put out that I dared to take his picture. He hopped up on the wall near the BBQ and gave me the ‘eye’ before he strolled off into the bushes. He’s a brave little guy!!

Then things turned almost a rust colour.

Enjoyed my book for a while this afternoon, put some tent pegs into the ground to hold the outer edges of the carpet in this wind, even managed to do a little tidy up in the outside cubbie. 

And then they started showing some yellow again.

I wrote a bit this afternoon, edited some pictures and basically just goofed off until it was time to catch the sunset. Not much of a show today but it was still pretty to see first hand. The pictures just don't pick up the intensity of the colours. 

At the end it was dark reds that took over.

The campground loop is full tonight, only the two handicapped spots are empty. It's an amazing collection of 'campers', a small red car, a truck camper, a couple of vans,  numerous motorhomes, travel trailers and 5th wheels of all different sizes, shapes and vintages. A huge diesel pusher pulled in a few hours ago to take up what I think is the last spot. 

One more glimpse of the different shadows.

We're enjoying the weather here, it reached 81F/27.2 C this afternoon. It was hot in the sun but nice in the shade. So I alternated from one to the other occasionally. 

A somewhat productive morning, a bit of a lazy afternoon but that's how we like it. Thanks for stopping by. Feel free to leave a comment.

Until next time...be safe, take care....