Land of Enchantment and Chiles

Mid to Late April 2021

Our visit to New Mexico was a bit of a hodgepodge. We stayed in quite a few places, usually a couple of days in each. Camping is really big this year, and it’s challenging to make reservations for extended periods of time. We’re prepared to work our way around that circumstance and stay on the move. The highlights of hopscotching our way through New Mexico are below.

Our first stop in New Mexico was Oliver Lee Memorial State Park near Alamogordo.

New Mexico really clamped down on tourism during Covid. State parks just started reopening in March. We were pleased that we could finally make reservations, but were also surprised that only half of the parks where we stayed had reopened their showers. Great bath houses with nice facilities, but the shower doors were bolted shut. Luckily, we were able to rig up our outdoor shower right at our campsite. The shower has its own propane-fired hot water heater, privacy curtains, and a water supply sufficient for showers. So, other than giving our camping neighbors something interesting to talk about or freaking out an occasional visiting bunny, we managed pretty well.

During our time here, we visited White Sands National Park. This geological wonder is the largest gypsum dune field in the world. We kicked off our shoes and went for a hike. Even on a hot day, the sand stays cool underfoot. Eager tourists rent sleds to try their luck at sledding the dunes. Climbing the steeper hills is no small feat; the sand slips away and your feet plunge deeper with every step. It didn’t look as though many were enjoying much of a downhill reward for their efforts. The sand – really gypsum- isn’t so easy to slide on.

We drove through the park and walked the dune boardwalks. It is interesting to note that the entire park is surrounded by the White Sands Missile Base, which is still an active testing and training area. There are signs warning visitors not to pick up stray ordinances that may have been dropped inadvertently. No missile souvenirs, sorry.

When we parted ways back in Texas, our camping friends Mel and Terry had given us a short list of their favorite campgrounds, and Oliver Lee Memorial State Park was one. Based on friend’s recommendations, we’ve had some great experiences that we might have otherwise missed. While at Oliver Lee, we met Debi and Jerry, a couple from Albuquerque. During one chat, they told us about a hidden oasis just off one of the park’s trails.

We took the trail and followed their directions. Sure enough, tucked in the canyon beyond the established trail, a spring appeared. All sorts of leafy plants – ferns, columbine, desert marigolds, and shrubs – were thriving in the cooler spaces near the spring. Now we understood how this property’s original settlers were able to successfully grow crops and raise livestock in the middle of the desert. Debi and Jerry, being local, also helped us with some campground tips that came in handy later on.

After our stay at Oliver Lee, we drove to the Mesilla Valley, near Las Cruces, to spend the night at the Las Cruces Overlook rest area. We all know that there are all kinds of rest areas. This one came with a 4 star review from Campendium, our go-to website for camping info . So, we decided to give it a go. It’s a winner. There were covered picnic shelters, the bathrooms were tidy, and there was a security presence 24/7. Being an overlook on a rise, it was well off Route 10 and away from highway noise.

Best of all, was that this rest area came with art. The Roadrunner, a 20′ high by 40′ long sculpture of New Mexico’s state bird, stands guard at the overlook.

It was created by artist Ian Calk in 1993, with the intent of “calling attention to consumption, recycling, and just looking at stuff we throw away.”

A closer look reveals a clever design of recycled materials, including sneakers, electronics, crutches, golf clubs, and car parts.

You can see it from Route 10, where it overlooks the Mesilla Valley and the Organ Mountains, but it deserves a pull-off and look-see, even if you don’t plan to spend the night.

The next day, after a stop at the BLM office to pick up maps, we visited the Mesilla Plaza. This historic plaza hasn’t changed much over the years. There’s a courtyard, lovely old church, and soft pink adobe buildings. There are also cute and clever shops on the side streets.

Sadly, a lot of the tourist attention is focused on Billy the Kid, who was jailed here before being extradited to Lincoln, NM. (His story didn’t end so well…)

The pink building on the corner, which dates from before the Civil War, is now the Billy the Kid Gift Shop. We strolled the old town plaza, and then went for a leisurely lunch on the shady patio at the Hacienda de Mesilla.

We stayed at Leasburg Dam State Park, which was described, and shown in photos, as being on the banks of the Rio Grande. Well, there’s not much of a dam, and the Rio Grande was a dry gulch when we we there. What WAS grand was that the showers were back on in this park! The weather’s not their fault, so we’ll give them 4 stars for showers.

We went into Alamogordo for shopping, laundry, and a Super Cuts haircut for Sally. Haircuts on the road can be hit or miss. I call it Great Clips Roulette. You never know what you’re gonna get when you spin the wheel. This time the wheel spun in my favor and I got a really good cut, as well as a snapshot of local color from an enthusiastic, chatty stylist.

Following up on a suggestion from my friend Ronnie, we made a side trip to Deming, NM, to see the Deming Luna Mimbres Museum. Ronnie was right. This museum dedicated to showcasing everyday life is well worth visiting.

Housed in a building that was built as an armory, and used as a USO during WWII, the collections include everything from porcelain to a doctor’s surgery to a full size set up of a chuckwagon and antique cars – even a fire engine. It feels very personal, as many objects are from the area or were donated by local residents. It has some of the best Mimbres pottery we’ve seen. Deming is the county seat of Luna County, and it certainly has its own history. However, the museum seems the biggest tourist draw and it reflects a strong undercurrent of civic pride in the area. It’s free and run entirely by volunteers.

We made a stop in Hatch, NM, a village known as the “Chile Capital of the World.” We went into a roadside shop and were bowled over by the variety and quantity of chiles available.

We got some salsa, along with dried green and red chile. We had a great chat with the young man running the shop. He is a member of the Soto family which grows a lot of the chile in the area. He promised that we can order more, and that the store will ship to us anywhere. I’m sure we’ll be taking him up on that offer.

From Hatch, we continued north and went into the Gila National Forest, to see the Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument.

Mogollon nomadic tribes built these dwellings in the 1200s, and then moved on about 20 years later. Near the river, the tribes grew crops, made pottery, and raised their families. Although it was in their culture to be nomadic, no one is quite sure why they chose to move on when they did.

Our camping friends Debi and Jerry had recommended a nearby campground that had hot spring pools for soaking. We contacted Gila Hot Springs Campground and were able to make a reservation. The campground features three spring-fed pools of steamy spring water. These are sweet springs, which means there’s no sulphur odor. The campground is small, so we had a soaking pool all to ourselves. A nice ending to a day of trail walking to the cliff dwellings.

We spent a few days at the South Monticello Campground at Elephant Butte State Park near Truth or Consequences, NM.

The views here were stunning, but there’s not a lot else to do. Sadly, Truth or Consequences has seen better days. This was a place to take a break and catch up on some projects.

A few days later, we moved on to Villanueva State Park, near Las Vegas, NM.

We used this as a base for making day trips to Albuquerque, Santa Fe, and Las Vegas.

On the outskirts of Albuquerque, we hiked a trail in the Petroglyph National Monument.

The petroglyphs were carved into volcanic rock with hammer and chisel. The figures and their placement have meaning, but their true intent is still being researched. These aren’t as ancient as some other site’s petroglyphs, but it’s still fascinating to see and wonder what these people were trying to communicate hundreds of years ago.

We visited Albuquerque’s Old Town, a lush green square with flowers and beautifully maintained adobe buildings. Alleyways lead to inner courtyards of shops and galleries.

We did some window shopping and had fun visiting the Breaking Bad store. Imagine everything you can put a Breaking Bad photo on and they have it: Walter White tee shirts, mugs, placemats, hats, calendars, aprons, posters – even blueberry crystal candy that looks like Walter’s famous blue meth. We had to take advantage of the photo op. I won’t tell you the rest, or it will spoil your Christmas present surprise. Only kidding…

In Santa Fe, we were happy to connect with our friend Marietta Eaton. Marietta is an archaeologist who had a nearly 40 year career in public lands. With her vast experience with the Bureau of Land Management, her guidance in helping us navigate the BLM visitation waters has been invaluable. We got together for a wonderful lunch on the patio at The Shed. Thank you, Marietta, for all your advice! We look forward to having our paths cross again soon.

At Villanueva State Park, we again ran into the circumstance of bath house showers not being in service. It seemed that the further north we went in New Mexico, the slower things were getting back on track post-Covid. We made a few calls and learned that none of the other parks on our New Mexico itinerary had operating showers. After four days of outdoor showers at the van, we made the hard decision to pack up and and make a beeline for Arizona. New Mexico will be here for further exploring another time.

Next up: Arizona