An excellent travel day, some history, and beautiful views....

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

 

We woke this morning to a bit of a mist or a maybe drizzle, you could almost feel it but then doubted because you couldn't see any evidence of it. Know what I mean? 

 

Can you see the outline of the mountain off in that haze?

 

A quick breakfast, unhooked utilities outside, packed up inside,  and moved the Dogsled into the harness. We were at the dump station at our regular 8:30 am departure time. Took a while to do our business of course and finally we were on the road at 8:50 am. Not in a huge hurry, not going far today. A couple of hundred miles. 

 

The foothills are getting closer and closer, roads are empty.

 

The temps were warmish this morning, a light sweater was enough to ward off the slight dampness and chill. The wheels rolling westward on US380 found us enjoying the once again flat lands giving way to rolling hills and finally to mountains. The traffic was light as we rolled along. The country side more of the same desert like scrub land with what I think might be mesquite bushes dotting the landscape. The usual ranches/farms, a few houses and a town here and there along the route kept us craning our necks to see more. We managed to put in an hour or so before we stopped for a short break. Riley was busy snapping pics as we drove along the blacktop creeping ever closer to the mountains. 

 

Off in the haze the mountain is starting to get bigger

.

 

Our first sign of them was a blue haze in the distance. The outline slowly taking shape as we watched in amazement as layer after layer of hills and mountain appeared.  We've driven through the hills of Kentucky, Tennessee and West Virginia numerous times but those mountains are nothing at all like these mountains. These mountains have an allure about them, an invitation to come closer, to explore and to learn their history and share their secrets. Almost mystical in a different way than the Smokey's. Barren and stark, the colours vibrant in feel, but the landscape muted and harsh, unforgiving perhaps would be the best way to describe it. Truly awesome. 

 

Very pretty drive today.

 

We passed through the little village of Hondo, nestled in the foothills, cute and inviting. We moved on to Lincoln County, stopping before town to see the placard about  William H. Boney, known as Billy the Kid. He was a slight  player in the Lincoln County wars. Further along we stopped in the little hamlet of Lincoln that featured numerous historical markers telling about the town, the townspeople, etc. Alex McSween a lawyer and John Tunstall opened a store to be competition to the only other one in town. Both men died due to the Lincoln County War that raged. Two sides, each pitted against the other. Murder and mayhem were rampant during this time. Rutherford Hayes, the US president called Lincoln's main street the deadliest street in the US. On another trip through this area I'll be sure to set aside plenty of time to visit a number of these museums and monuments. Today was not the day. 

 

Lincoln County main street. Boardwalk along the store owned by Alex McSween and John Tunstall.

 

The beginning of this part of the drive was interesting. The road was terrible, washboards everywhere, the herky-jerky thump thump of a badly paved road was beginning to get to both of us, so we stopped often. However we managed to get through the short span of bad road and found that it  improved greatly a bit further along. The windy, hilly, twisty road required constant concentration with little time to look around. The road was narrow with no shoulder and I will admit that is not my favourite type of road. 

 

Looming out Riley's window.

 

Climbing these hills, no matter the grade the Dogsled just slipped along without any issues of any kind. He wasn't in the least bit winded or lagging, but humming right along like he was out for a Sunday stroll. A bit of a cross wind at times made him pull a little here and there but nothing serious. The down bound was no issue either, with both tow and the engine brake engaged we rolled down pretty easily. 

 

Lava Rocks from the Valley of Fire

 

The view was inspiring. Each time we topped the next rise we marveled at the beauty before us. In no hurry we stopped often and managed to find great views with each stop. 

 

The haze makes them look blue.

 

We merged onto I-25 southbound and let the Dogsled set an easy pace while the Igloo rolled smoothly along behind us. At times it was easy to forget that the Igloo was back there. We stopped at our first interstate rest stop in New Mexico. Impressed with the facilities, as the  numerous picnic sites have big tables, extra benches and even a grill in each one. The restrooms were clean and fresh, nothing fancy but well maintained. We were both impressed with the rest stop and the views!

 

Almost like a postcard.

 

We rolled along until we arrived at Exit 83, which we took. Up and down, round and round we finally found the little town of Elephant Butte, New Mexico. We didn't have much time to sight see as we were busy watching for the state park signs which we quickly found after a short drive through the town. Pulling into the state park we marveled at the view before us, even with the low water levels it's very pretty here. 

 

View from the rest stop on I-25

 

We've set up in Quail Run at sight number #28, a nice little pull through spot. We've decided we'll stay for at least 5 days, probably more as we've finally found the temps we've been looking for, the dry air is wonderful and we're going to spend some time looking around. The sand is soft, the quail are plentiful and I think I may have seen my first roadrunner earlier but I didn't get a good look. 

 

On a long and lonesome highway....

 

We arrived around 2 pm, we were set up by 3 pm and cooking by 4 pm. Lunch was late today. It was more like dinner really. We BBQ'd and enjoyed the view. Short pants, t-s, all the windows and vents open, we are truly ready to settle down for a while now. 

 

Elephant Butte, New Mexico

  

So there you have it, our day's travel. We enjoyed it immensely. We are both looking forward to just doing nothing tomorrow. Then we'll need to find some where to do laundry, and well take a few short tours around the area to check things out. I'd like to visit Truth or Consequences while we're just touring with the Dogsled. So as you can see, we have a bit of a 'like to see' list while we're here. We will get a couple of them marked off at least. 

 

This is our view from our picnic table.

 

Sorry no pics of lunch today as we were both hungry and it was late. Lunch was bbq'd dill potatoes, orange zest mixed veggies (asparagus, beans, mushrooms, corn, peppers, celery) and some turkey dogs. Along with a green salad of course. Good stuff. 

 

This view from just around the corner as the sun is sinking behind me.

 

We took a stroll after dinner and managed to snap a few pics of the sunset here. After wards I chatted with my dad as I do every evening when it's a travel day. He likes to know we're safe and settled for the night or a few days. He's enjoying the pictures in this blog, commented on Riley's new friend in Roswell and my visit with the little fella in the two holer. ~laugh~ Glad you're enjoying this Dad!

 

Pretty nice sunset...

 

Thanks for stopping by, hope you enjoyed your visit. Feel free to leave a comment. 

 

Almost gone...

 

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

Sunshine, sunset, and other things...

Our Location: Mid Way RV, Dexter, New Mexico

 

A bit cooler overnight with some gusty winds as well. It woke me up thru the wee hours as the tree beside us kept brushing against us in the wind. Not a squeaking or rubbing, but more like the pitter patter of tiny creature feet on the side or roof, until I was awake enough to realize it was the long soft ends of the branches (willow tree I think) brushing against us in the wind. 

 

Mid Way Rv Park, spot beside us.

 

Morning dawned with a crisp feel to the air, and a cloudy, foggy kind of morning. Three of the campers beside us pulled out this morning even in the fog. It was lifting rapidly as the clock was ticking along. We had a quick breakfast, decided on lunch, a quick clean up, held an executive meeting with Riley and I deciding where we're going tomorrow when we pull out. We're both looking forward to it. We think we will probably stay for a 4-5 days, or if we like it, maybe a few days longer. We'll see how it goes when we arrive.

 

So blue and so green, the earth and sky are so bright in this picture.

 

We climbed into the Dogsled heading back into Roswell for two errands. One to return a 30 pin charge cord that didn't work with Riley's Samsung Tablet. The second to go to Walmart and pick up some more Blue Def fluid. I noticed in Patsy's post yesterday (Chillin' with Patsy) that Bill  (On Our Way)  was getting some for the low price of $7.88 each. Excellent price and we're going to need more as I dumped my last jug in yesterday. So we picked up a couple of jugs today. Thanks for the tip Patsy. 

 

Street Lamps in Roswell, New Mexico

 

After our two errands were complete we decided to have a look around. As we drove along Main Street in Roswell again things started to catch our eye, we finally just pulled over, parked and started walking. 

 

Riley with Pat Garrett

 

Our first stop was behind the Courthouse which also houses the Juvenile Detention Centre. There behind the stately building we found the first of two statues. Pat Garrett who was a famous law man way back in the days of the wild west, and known as the man that killed Billy the Kid. There he was astride his trusty steed, coat tails flapping in the breeze. His trusty six shooter on his hip, his rifle in the boot under his leg. A big bushy mustache and a 10 gallon hat were also easy to see. 

 

Riley on the courthouse steps.

 

I managed to snap a picture of Riley as she's leaving the courthouse after paying her fine when she was caught flashing Mr. Garrett. ~laugh~ No, no, I'm only kidding, she was simply standing on the steps. 

 

Riley with John Chisum and a Texas Goat, no, no...Texas Longhorn.

 

From there we drove across the street to the front of the courthouse, found a public parking area and proceeded to park.(We had intended to go further but noticed some interesting things in the parkette so stopped there instead). Another statue in this public parking area/parkette across from the courthouse. This statue was of John Chisum (of the famed Chisum Trail, and Cattle King of the Pecos) roping a goat. ~laugh~ No, no wait, it's a Texas Longhorn. Once again Riley managed to get up close and almost personal with another famous historic figure. 

Some of the many, many murals in Roswell, NM.

A walk further along Main Street found us among the Alien population of Roswell, along with some charming New Mexican flavour. Since the famed 'UFO' landing here in  July 1947 in a farmer's field, and the government site known as Area 51 (off limits to everyone except government personnel and Aliens) this area has enjoyed it's fame and promoted the Alien theme throughout the town. They even have a UFO Museum and Research Centre. Most business have some form of 'Alien' in the window, on the side walk, in murals, etc or at least the businesses we walked by on Main Street. We even stopped into the Area 51 store where we could dine in an old fashioned diner with some 'regular' Alien customers, and for $3 ea we were able to pose with some Aliens in a couple of photo ops. You can tell by the pics we were extremely impressed. I even found myself a date!! ~laugh~ 

Beautiful hand painted tiles on this tree box

We found a quaint little courtyard with hand painted tiles on tree boxes and benches. It's very peaceful, inviting, crisp, and clean. There were various different tiles that included pictures, postcards, and just 'free hand' tiles as well. On the end wall of this little courtyard was a mural depicting Roswell, New Mexico around the year 1900. A beautiful street in a small quaint, quiet little town. The benches were also made of tiles with each longer tile having some name or words engraved in them, not one tile was empty. The colours were bright, enchanting and eye catching. I didn't see ANY broken, cracked or chipped tiles in this small courtyard. There was no graffiti, garbage or even piles of natural debris such as leaves, or grass. In fact Main Street is pretty clean with only dusty store fronts and a few 'construction' articles along the way. I didn't see any garbage, graffiti, or signs of neglect. I was truly impressed by the overall cleanliness of the short stretch of Main Street we walked, and drove. That isn't to say everything is pristine because it isn't but there were not any heaps of trash, junk cars, excess advertisement, old worn out and faded signs, etc from business that are aged, neglected, closed, or even still operating. The business lots are clear of debris, and garbage. There was no graffiti anywhere that I noticed. 

Each of the longer tiles has words/names engraved in to it. 

The town of Roswell has a large number of hand painted murals that you notice as you drive along. They are in a variety of places including front walls, side walls, and alleys. A few things that did catch my eye were pieces of old machinery in good condition that were displayed along a fence that boasted a wedding venue. Pieces of art (which we didn't get pictures of) such as small bicycles painted bright colours welded one over top of the other to the top of a 8 ft post, these kinds of art we spotted in couple of places. Even the parking lots in Roswell were very clean with no garbage lying about, blowing around, or stuck in corners. 

Another mural, love the bright orange along with the window atop the door. 

We finally made it home about 2 pm this afternoon, considering we left around 9:30 am and had only two errands to run, I think we used our time very well. ~laugh~ 

A few of the bench engravings.

Warm enough to leave the outer door open and enjoy the fresh air. Not warm enough to sit out due to the wind but still a big improvement for us. We're happy with it. 

Me and my date!

Lunch was Honey Pecan Chicken, mashed dill potatoes, and acorn squash, along with a nice green salad. It was very good, we both enjoyed it. I topped my meal off with an apple after we cleaned up.

Don't you just love these things?

A quick walk around the park enabled us to locate the dump station for tomorrow's use before departing. We found a thin leafed yucca plant (or at least I think it is), and we found the laundry room. We discovered a lot of things today all on a ten minute walk around the park. Imagine what we might have found had we gone  looking for something. ~laugh~ 

It was a two holer and I couldn't wait any longer. He didn't seem to mind the company.

Back home we had to fix the day/night shade at the dining table as it seems to pull faster on one side than the other and ends up being crooked. We then have to take it down, fix it and rehang it. It's a pain in the ..... 

Stopped for a drink while ET tended bar. 

The visiting Tabby was back again, he didn't stay as long this visit as HRH Miss Kitty was quick to tell him off with no doubt that she wasn't happy he was in her space. Even if it was outside the Igloo door. ~laugh~ 

Riley hanging out with a new buddy.

Editing today's pictures and writing my blog has taken up the rest of my afternoon and the early part of my evening. I managed to catch our first sunset of any interest tonight as well. 

 

Dinner was yummy!!

 

Chatted with my best friend Linda for a half hour tonight. She's back in chilly Sudbury, Ontario. Always enjoy chatting with Linda, she's a wonderful lady!!

Pretty colours, didn't enhance this photo in any way.

So there you  have it, our last day in Roswell, New Mexico on our journey westward. Nothing earth shattering or news worthy but a good day all the same. We enjoyed some sights, some laughs, and some new experiences. Thanks for stopping by. Feel free to leave a comment.

Beautiful sky over the park here in Dexter, NM.

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

Warmer weather.......

Our Location: Mid Way Rv, Dexter, NM

 

We woke this morning to clear blue skies and frosty temps but we weren't complaining. At one point I had to go back inside and get my gloves to try to at least warm my hands a bit so I could continue to pack up and hitch up. 

 

This train had 5 engines, three on the front and two on the back.

 

As I was hooking up the gentleman from Elberta, Alabama came by, (I think he's bored) asking if we enjoyed the canyon yesterday. They too went there and loved it. They spent pretty much the whole day there, not leaving until dusk. As we were chatting a fella a few doors down from the Igloo stopped his pickup at the end of the driveway asking me if I had a repair man over a few days ago. I answered yes, he asked if I liked him, was he good, what had he worked on, etc. This guy was having furnace issues too. Inside I went to grab Matt Curry's phone number for the man. I told him I was sure he would be most satisfied with the service of Red Rover RV Repair, wished him luck and continued to finish up the last little things before heading out. 

 

Wind turbines stretching off into the haze.

 

With these slight delays we were on the road by 8:50 am this morning. Which is fine, we didn't have far to go anyway, a couple of hundred miles and we called it a day. 

 

Shiny silo's with what I'm sure is planted trees to help protect from the wind. Reflection on the glass makes the pic look more hazy than it actually was.

 

The roads were pretty good, pretty empty too. We have opted to head southerly while going west instead of just straight west. We're hoping to find some warmer weather. So we headed mostly south for a while but then veered westerly as well. Passing little Texas towns and numerous stockyards or cattle yards with literally thousands of cattle in them, waiting for the end of their time. The area around whatever kind of slaughter house it happened to be was crawling with cattle. Thousands of them thickly packed into holding pens. There were so many cattle that you couldn't see the land, just a moving dark mass that stretched around these industrial buildings. The smell was horrible. Truly, utterly disgusting. We passed one Beef Packaging plant that made me want to leave any food I'd consumed behind and believe me I wasn't interested in any food for a while.

 

A very patriotic Texas farmer.

 

The landscape was more of the same flat land, scrub land, with the horizon hazy and no definition between sky and land. The sky is huge out here and at times brilliantly blue, not the sparkly blue of Ontario, Canada but so bright it hurts your eyes to look at it too long. Due to the land being so flat I think it makes the sky look bigger as there is nothing to disrupt the skyline. Farms/ranches often have some fancy iron scroll work at the gate, and almost every side road along US 60 had cattle guards instead of gates. Numerous industrial factories/plants dotted the landscape, not all were named but they just seemed to appear in the haze. 

 

Cattle in the stockyards, all of that black stuff is cows. It goes on and on.

 

The small towns were cute, the divided highway would become 'undivided' in town, therefore allowing the driver to cross to the other side of the street without any difficulties. Then it would divide again after leaving the town.  Speed limits in Texas are 75 mph with some slow downs in the smaller towns to 45 mph but anything with a population less than 2000 didn't warranty less than 45 mph. 

 

I wonder if this is sagebrush along the road way?

 

We crossed into New Mexico rather suddenly and we weren't expecting it at the time but we turned the corner and the sign said "Welcome to New Mexico" so we figured we'd managed to make all the right turns to that point. ~laugh~  We crossed into Mountain Time (at the state line) around 11 am Texas time, which made it 10 am in the new time zone. So now we are officially 2 hours different than back in Ontario. I'll have to be careful calling there or I'll be getting told off. ~laugh~ We crossed from Farwell, Texas  into Texico, NM at that little street corner. I'm not sure but I think I may have missed a weigh station on that corner, but no one came after me, so I guess we're okay. The signs are all kind of jumbled together and it's hard to read long signs, watch traffic and make turns all at the same time. The sign (which I seen two more later in the day) said ALL trucks, tow dollies, tow bars, rentals, etc. so I think that would include me but I"m not sure. I didn't see anything about 5th wheels or travel trailers either. I'll have to ask someone. 

It just goes on and on and on....

As we continued into New Mexico we noticed the landscape gently changing from long flats stretching as far as the eye could see to a slight, gentle roll in the distance. The roads are straight and you can see for a long way but as we drove further in we found that the rolling of the hills was becoming more obvious out the window. 

The roads are long and straight, you can see the rolling hills now.

We stopped twice today on our travels. Once at a Walmart for a leg stretch and to pick up a couple of little things and once at a road side rest area. Along this particular stretch of road the signs aren't spaced far enough from whatever they are advertising and one must be right on top of things if they want to stop. Two road side picnic tables, complete with a covered roof and tons of graffiti add a couple of rubbish containers pretty much covered the little area. However it was a great little stop.

A little New Mexico fixer upper, slap a couple windows in, a door, some shingles, it's good to go.

We bypassed Roswell on our way to Dexter. We'll go back into Roswell over the next couple of days. I'm hoping to get an oil change and a fuel filter changed while we're here over the next few days. I want to get them done before they NEED to be done and we're getting close enough for me to feel it's time. Also need to dump more Blue Def into the Big Dog again. This about the 3rd jug on this journey westward so far. I've started carrying a spare one just in case. 

Not the big signs as seen on the Interstates.

We arrived at Mid Way RV park in Dexter, NM around 1:30 pm Mountain time. Checked in at the office and opted for a pull thru without sewer as the back in's with sewer were really, reeeally tight. We would have fit but we would also be looking into the neighbours window without leaving the table. The slides would have made it extremely close quarters in the two back in spots he offered. We instead chose site #22 in a more spacious row. 

This old building is in the tiny NM town of Texico just across the state line from Texas.

We've paid for 3 days but may stay an extra one to get the Big Dog serviced. I called a local guy that the office man recommended but he didn't answer so I'm not sure what I'll do now. I'll give it some thought over the next day or so. 

Large square bales of hay stacked in a field.

The Mid Way park is not fancy, it's close to the road way and a dairy farm with ill winds blowing from it today. There are about 15-20 units here, some full time, some visitors like us. The sites are fairly level or at least ours is, it's pretty clean looking, but has no amenities which suits us fine. We don't use them anyway. 

Becoming more desert like, I think.

After setting up, we payed up, then made some lunch. We debated about BBQ'ing but opted instead for an inside cooking experience. Today's menu was mashed potatoes, Italian steamed veggies (celery, asparagus, mushrooms, peppers, and beans), and Hawaiian BBQ Chicken. Add to that a mixed green salad and we were pretty full by the end but we managed to nibble on some oatmeal cookies as well. 

Flags still at half mast for the victims of the Texas Church shooting.

Tidied up, began editing pics and writing my blog. It's 5:10 pm and already pretty much dark now. We've found warmer weather and we're enjoying it immensely. Still too cold to sit outside due to the wind but tomorrow promises to be better as do the days ahead. 

 

This post office was literally on the side of the road, not near a town or even a cluster of house. Just all by itself.

So there you have it, our day. Nothing too exciting but it was fun, entertaining, educational, and warmer. It was a win all the way around. Thanks for stopping by, I hope you enjoyed your visit. 

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