2. Big Bend NP & a Deep Dive into New Mexico…March & April, 2022

Day 8 3.25
I left camp early heading out to find a new campsite for a couple of days.  Id read about Sunset Reef campground, free & with shaded picnic tables & bathrooms. Its small, with about 8 pull in's for RV's & 6 for tents.  But, there is always the side of campground people park at too. It was about a 5 minute drive from where I camped last night.  No signs mark the campground, but I had read directions from someone who shared them on a FB boondocking site.  I got there & there was one tent spot open, but then a few minutes later the spot on the end opened up & I quickly shuffled down there.  As I was setting up my tent, I heard someone say, “Hey Vicki!” & it was Annette.  I knew we might be on the same geographic path for a few days but this was great!  We laughed about the coincidence & chatted about our plans.  She had a cave tour scheduled this afternoon for Carlsbad Caverns.  I hadn’t planned on going to the cave, since I’d been there before.  But, we’d definitely see each other later.

I decided I wanted to do the McKittrick Canyon hike back down the road, back in Texas & in the northern side of Guadalupe Mountain National Park.  It was a really nice hike, with part of the trail crossing a beautiful clear water stream in the middle of the desert.

This old building looked like it had been a barn at one point.

Another cool old building on the property.  And, yes, this couple photobombed everyone’s pictures & they sat there forever.

The Grotto was really bizarre rock formations with just a bit of dripping water in the back.


This was called a Hunters Cabin & also the turn around point of the trail.

I really enjoyed this hike.  After I got back to the trailhead, I drove in to explore Carlsbad.  Its a pretty plain town, but I did manage to find the Guadalupe Brewery.  They had weird hours thoughclosing at 2 then opening back up at 5 in the evening.  I got there at 1:30 & ordered a BA stout…with rather low expectations (I’m a snob, what can I say?  Unless I’m in CA, CO, or OR—I’m always leary) but was so wrong!  It was really good!  The staff was super friendly too.  Asking where I was from & recommending a good place to get my first green chile cheeseburger.  I took my big stout out on the patio & about 1:50 one of the women came out, told me to take my time.  Whenever I was done, even if it was after 2, I could just head out through the outdoor gate.  She told me a lot of the businesses in Carlsbad have those hours, so the workers can go get their kids from school, have a bit of time, then come back to work in the evenings.  I thought that was the best reason for weird hours!  Also, before I left, they invited me to come back at 5 because at 6 there would be live music.  It was a really good experience & so was the beer!

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One of the places I’d read about & that the women recommended was called Yellowbrix.  They had a nice outdoor space & so I ordered my first green chile cheeseburger.  It was good but not as chile-e as I expected.

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I knew the Pecos river ran through town & I thought there’d be a riverwalk where I could spend part of the afternoon.  I followed some directions I’d found online, but ended up in more a city park.  The river here was all walled in with concrete.  There was a swimming area roped off & a short sidewalk that didn’t go very far.

I got back in the 4Runner & followed the river, hoping to find possibly a dirt path & a more wild part of the river.  But, no luck.

At 4:45 I found myself parked back at the brewery waiting for it to open.  I texted Annette to see if she wanted to join me for the live music.  When one of the same women I’d spoken to earlier came out to put a sign in front, she looked up at me & said, “hey you’re back!”.  That was nice!  Then more cars started to arrive.  By 5:00 when the doors opened, there were about a dozen other people there.  I was one of the first in line to order a beer, but when I got to the front the woman said, “quick, go grab a table or else they’ll all be gone!”….and so I did.  Leaving my bag to mark the table “chosen”.  Then when I went to get back in line, there were about 10 people ahead of me.  But, she waved me on up, & said, “You don’t have to wait in line again”.  Annette showed up about 30 minutes later & we had fun talking once again about travel & getting to know each other better.  The live music started & was really good.  Especially the Elton John song he sang!

Once back at camp, it was time to turn in.  I turned on my twinkly lights & read until late.  Another good day on the road!

Day 9 3.26
It was a super long slow drive to get to Sitting Bull Falls Recreation Site, but I kept reading that it shouldnt be missed.  So, that was the drive & the hike for today.

A couple of other little waterfalls you could…carefully…hike to on the side of the big one.


This was looking down to the pools before they go over the edge to create the waterfall.

This was supposed to be a loop trail, but it sort of petered out in some big rocks right after the spring.  But, heres the source of that pretty waterfall!

One thing that New Mexico seems to have a lot of are those little ice housesa place where you can stop 24 hours a day to get bulk ice & filtered water.  I think its because there are so many workers in the oil fields -- where its so hot  & they always need to  refill their big coolers & giant water jugs.  So, I stopped there on my way back to camp for ice.

I was hot today & when I arrived back at camp, hardly anyone was there.  I put on my swim trunks, peeled off my shirt down to my jog bra & took a heavenly shower! (Have I mentioned how my shower is so awesome?  Pretty sure I have!)  Then I washed out a few pieces of clothes & hung them out to dry in the hot sun.  I can’t imagine how hot it gets here in the summer!  Then I put up my hammock, got out a book & just relaxed…it was great!

Day 10 3.27
I was ready to move on this morning & up with the sun!  

I made coffee, organized Camper, visited with Annette for awhile, then said good bye.  

I headed north to the small town of Artesia.  It was fairly early on a quiet Sunday morning as I drove to their small downtown to photograph all the bronze sculptures & murals they have scattered around.  

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I’ve heard a lot about Cloudcroft & was excited to explore the highest altitude city in the state of New Mexico.  As the road climbed higher, the desert fell away & the road was lined with mountainous evergreen trees & still a good layer of snow layered thick on the forest floor.

I parked along the little shopping area on Burro Street & went in & out of a couple of the shops.


Then, because I’m so good at it, I found a brewery.  This is a really nice looking space…big outdoor area with a stage & a nice bar. I ordered their stout; they also have guest taps, but I wanted to try one of theirs.  I also ordered a wood fired pizza with Chorizo, chiles & jalapeños (I always regret ordering pizza…it’s just too much for one person & I don’t like it left over).  The bartender was so nice.  They got busier & busier, but she kept coming back & giving me suggestions of place to go see or to hike.


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Some of the trails & camping spots are closed up here because they’re either under snow or mud, but she suggested the Bridal Veil Falls trail (another name of whole bunch of falls all over the country) & so that’s where I drove to.  The road that leaves Cloudcroft to the trailhead is narrow & winds down through big open spaces…I wouldn’t want to drive this in winter weather.  And, as it happens, they are supposed to get new snow in two days (I’d be long gone by then!)


I finished my hike to the falls, then was planning on going the opposite direction on the trail to hike to a trestle bridge.  As I began the decent on the trail, I started hearing gun shots.  Lots of them.  I understand they could have been shooting at a snake, or into the river, or wherever.  But, I hate to hike around guns shooting.  If I can’t see who is shooting, I’m betting they can’t see who is hiking.  So, I turned around & went back to the car.  While it’s legal to shoot in many national forests, I really wish it wasn’t.  

I kept driving down the long road, taking in the views, & landed in Alamogordo.  I didn’t give this town too much of a look, but turned & headed up to Ruidoso, another town I’d been anxious to see. The drive takes you through one of the Reservations, which always, seem so run down, poor & sad.  This is also a casino town…something I didn’t realize before I came here.  And, I think they have a racetrack too.  

 I visited the brewery named Lost Hiker & had an IPA.  The main drag was mostly little t-shirt shops, some looked cool, but I just didn’t get a vibe that made me want to stay to look around too much.  There was free camping on the edge of town barely in the forest, so I drove to find a camping spot.  Going down this road, however, you pass through sort of a neighborhood with all kinds of cabins.  I made it the end of the road where the camping sign was posted by the Forest Service, along with a few deer walking nearby.  But, there was also a sign, I’m assuming from the neighborhood & it began…”Hey Idiots!…” & continued to rant on.  OK…that was a definite bad vibe!



I pulled out my atlas & started to find routes OUT of town.  The road north was called something like (I once again don’t have cell service to Google the appropriate name) Billy the Kid highway.  A two lane road that was a breathtaking drive!  This made up for the slight disappointment in Ruidoso (I’m sure on another day, I might find it a lovely place…just not today).  Wow…it was gorgeous!  I drove late in the day, with fingers crossed, to the Valley or Fires Recreation Area & found a campsite for $3.50.  It was super nice.  The place is called Valley of Fires because it’s surrounded by volcanic rock…big black boulders & a black gravel parking pad surrounded my site.  But, it was so private I was able to play some music & do some hooping without being seen or heard by far away neighbors.

The sunset was wonderful!

Sweet dreams! (this is how my bedtime looks…I love it!)

Day 11 3.28
I watched the sunrise, made coffee & headed south down to the Three Rivers Petroglyph area in Tularosa.  Its a short hike, but the place has over 21,000 documented petroglyphs.  There are 11 on the brochure you receive from the VC for your hike.  But, the cool thing is, you see way more than 11.  Just slow down enough & along the trail, you can spot many, many more.  It was a great stop & Id recommend it if youre ever in the area.  I just couldnt stop taking photographs!

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Then I kept heading south to White Sands National Park.  The last time I was here, it was still a Monument & allowed back country camping, which I did.  You hiked your tent out to a designated spot in between the dunes…you couldn’t see another person.  It was such a magical thing to do & a fantastic memory!  But, not this time.  The last time I was here, I hiked all the hikes (there aren’t that many) except the 5 mile Alkali Flat trail.  So, that was my objective today.  

I made a brief stop into the VC to get a map, but I also had one downloaded on my phone…there’s no cell service here.  I knew the trails out on the dunes were marked by posts…you needed to always be able to see a post in front of you or don’t leave the post behind you.  It’s a little bit eerie out there, but I knew it was a perfect day & no wind to speak of.  (The forecast was for big winds tomorrow…gusts up to 40mph.  Yikes!  Sand would be everywhere!)  But, the ranger at the VC didn’t think today was the perfect day to hike.  When I asked for a map, she said they were out (about every NP or NF is out of maps these days…I’m sure, very sure they will blame it on Covid).  I said OK, could she point to her map where the Alkali Flat trailhead was located in the park.  She huffily said, that I should NOT hike it today.  She said “I don’t feel like doing SARS”…then dropped her gaze to the condescending level & explained “Search & Rescue”.  When I didn’t say anything she said, “We don’t recommend hiking this trail when the temperature is above 85 degrees & it’s supposed to be 83 degrees today”.  OK…If ever I took a statement to be a challenge, it would be this one.  I kept my mouth shut & didn’t point out 83 is not 85, I don’t think it ever got above 70 degrees the whole time I hiked & I wonder what she tells visitors on days she does feel like doing SARS? 

And, so I got in my car & drove to the trailhead.  There were others on the trail to begin with, but as they slowed to chat, take a break or a photo, I passed them.  

The hardest part of hiking in dunes is going up them& there are a boatload to go up along the first half of this trail.

Soon it got to be me & one other solo female in front of me.  And when youre out there & can see nothing but white in every direction, it is a bit eerie.  I was always able to see the post in front of me, but the sky was bright, I couldn’t read my map easily, but it didn’t seem like I’d need it.  But, to be honest, I wanted to keep the hiker in front of me in my sights…so I did.  We both stopped to take photos about the same, but our paces were matched pretty good.  I couldn’t even see anyone behind me anymore.  We only passed one other group about 1/2 through the hike & they were going the opposite way.

Sand is not always the easiest to hike on.

Once you turn to head back on the loop towards the parking area for the second 1/2 of the hike, the fun part begins.  It seems a bit scary the first time or two though.  The trail just dumps right over the edge of the dunesomething you can’t see until youre way high up staring straight down.  My first few steps were hesitantit seems like a good place to fall head over heels & make a great tumble.  But, your feet sink so far down in the sand, you just slide a bit, then it becomes pretty fun going down.  Even the really big steep ones!

But the views are amazing.  You do feel like youre on another planet.


I was pretty tired for this only being 5 miles as I was nearing the end.  Before I got to the parking lot, the girl that had been in front of me stopped.  I casually said, thanks for being such a good navigator & confessed that Id kept her in my sights because it was so weird out there alone.  Then she told me shed look back from time to time, happy to always see me behind her for the same reason.  I didnt feel like such a wuss then.  But then she said, Wowdo you realize we did that in 1:40 minutes?  That I hadnt.  I didnt time it & was also surprised!  

I got back to the 4Runner, had a snack, shook the sand out of my shoes & washed it off my legs & feet.  White Sands is truly a special place.  I feel so lucky to have the time & opportunity to discover so many cool & beautiful places.

Then I headed to Las Crucesanother town Id heard good things about & it was great!  The drive to get there was windy& the wind would begin now & continue for awhile.  I drove to the Bosque Brewery, across the street from New Mexico State University.  It was late afternoon & the bartender wasnt too busy but super friendly.  I ordered a green chile cheeseburger (#2 if youre keeping track) & a scotch ale.  It was happy hour too.  The burger was super good & so was her company.  The sample beer you see in the photo on the left, is a pickle beer.  She warned me it tastes just like pickle juice & she was right.  ICK!

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Then it was time to find camping.  I got some coordinates off one of my apps & drove straight out from the brewery to the base of the Organ mountains.  Wow!  It was so cool.  It’s just a road that eventually goes down through a wash, with wide spots you can park in.  I went towards the back to find a private enough spot for camper, tucked in & got ready to sleep…hopefully.

Day 12 3.29
New Mexico sunrises & sunsets are pretty spectacular & I woke to see a new day begin.

The Dripping Springs Rec area was right up the road from me next to the mountains.  There is a big loop hike you can do.  You can start by going by an old resort that people used to come to in the late 1800’s.  

The old resort building.  Not kiddingthe back is pretty much about 5 feet from the mountain.  Funny story:  I walked up on this porch, snapped this photo & intended to go look in the windows.  But immediately after I took the picture, there was a big wind gust, I heard a loud bang from INSIDE the building & my phone rang (which promptly stopped because theres really no cell service out here).  I think I jumped a few feet when all of that happened, & without thinking, I found myself running down the steps & out into the open.  And then I laughed at myself.


I guess I forgot to include a photo of the Dripping Springs that the park is named after.  Drip is the key phrase here.

The hike backtracks until you can take another trail.  You just keep going & eventually can take the cutoff to the Canyon Trail…this one was my favorite of the whole system.

The little waterfall at the end of the Canyon Trail.  It was cool (& a lot more water than the Dripping Spring).

After you backtrack to the main trail, you begin to see a whole different look to this side of the park.  Huge rock formations above the trail.  This part of the trail is called “La Cueva”…are you learning your Spanish like me?  The Cave.

The history of the cave is about a “Famous Hermit” the brochure says.  That seems like an oxymoron, but whatever.  The trail had been really well marked to this point, but I began to see other trails off to the sides in random place.  Then I saw a sign that said trail with an arrow & here’s where things went wrong.  I found the trail & began following it up & up along the big rocks, thinking I was looking for La Cueva.  Then the trail got dicier & I began to think this was a rogue trail & very unlike the other trails I’d been following.  And, I bet most people wouldn’t have followed this erroneous trail as far as I did.  It got sketchy.  I finally turned around & SLOWLY hiked back down to main trail.  I just kept on going forward until I reached a big sign with a different arrow, pointing to the cave.

It was difficult to get a proper photo of the cave & right in the middle of it were two obnoxious but informative signposts.  It’s about the size of a big living room … but pretty cool at the base of these mountains.  The story is there was this guy back in the late 1800’s that left Italy to roam the world & did, but ended up here, outside Las Cruces & stayed for 10 years…evidently retiring from roaming.  His neighbors (Hermits have neighbors?) got so worried about him, he agreed to light a fire in front of the cave once a week to show them he was ok.  Until one time he didn’t.  When they didn’t see the fire, they took off to see what was up.  He’d been murdured & the criminal was never caught.

All done with hiking for the day, I wanted to explore the historic town of Mesilla just next door to Las Cruces.  It was a pretty cool little town.  Tons of good places to eat but I went to the most famous…LaPosta.  When you walk in the front door, the first thing you notice is the funky decor & the huge parrots in gigantic cage.


The place doesn’t look that big from the outside, but it’s huge on the inside, but doesn’t feel it.  They have 12 dining rooms & can seat around 400 people when at full capacity.  The place was buzzing, but I was the lone person at the bar.  I was lucky enough to get another super friendly bartendera young girl that was so nice & fun to visit with.  I wanted to try new foods & she helped with some recommendations.  I had a cup of Posole (hominy soup) & an order of Compuesta & a wonderful jalapeño/cucumber margarita…which was rimmed with local honey, local chopped pecans (did you know NM grows more pecans than any other state?) mixed with green chile salt…wow!  That rim made the drink & the food was delicious!

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I walked all around Mesilla checking out the little shops & the plaza that New Mexico seems to have in every historical town.  I bought a couple of the salts the bartender showed me for my drinks I’ll make back at home.

Las Cruces has quite a few breweries & I wanted to stop at one more before heading back to camp.  Yes, it’s beginning to feel like I’m eating & drinking my way through the state, but I knew part of this trip is about their amazing food.

The Spotted Dog Brewery is just down the road from LaPosta so I stopped in to the rather plain, but lively brewery.  I was hoping to get a 5oz pour of something rather than a pint, but they didn’t offer that….so a full glass it would be.They had a barrel aged Wee Heavy that was good, but Danny would have loved it!  Most of my daily texts to him usually include the words…'I wish you were here'.  I do think he’d like to be here with me, but I know he’d love to be trying all these good beers!

The wind continued to blow harder all day & by the time I got back to camp it was crazy.  I found a spot across the wash, way down low & super private.  I thought I’d be more out of the wind, but I think it just funneled right through…it rocked my car.  The sky grew dark but the mountains were so amazing in contrast.


I was fortunate to have good cell service at camp but while I was talking to Danny, I rudely interrupted him & said, “OMG…the sunsetting on the opposite side of the mountains have turned them orange!  I have to take a photo of this….Hold ON!”

It was one of the coolest things I’ve seen & it lasted about 3 minutes…then was gone.  I apologized, he understood & we continued our nightly conversation.  Wow…that was super awesome!

Day 13 3.30
This morning I was hunting a slot canyon Id read about in Radium Springsa small town just north of Las Cruces.  Im glad I had the coordinates & watched a video, because there are no signs for this trail.  And there is a gate in front of the trail you have to climb over.  There also arent any Private Property signs, so I figured it was good.

The hike is a loopif you choose to do it that way.  The canyon comes up in about 1.5 miles (Im guessingits not far).  I chose to NOT to take the loop, but to hike the canyon both ways, then just backtrack to the trailhead.  The lighting is different just in the time it takes you to hike through the slot, & I always like to photograph it both ways. 



Most of the slots Ive hiked have been in Utah & they have rock walls.  These walls looked more like mud with small embedded rocks.

This was a super short hike, so I decided I do a walking tour of historic Las Cruces today to make up the miles.  Conveniently, theres a self guided tour on the internet, so I headed to where this town began.

This historic section is called the Mesquite District.  There was a mix of colorful homes & run down abandoned shacks.


The little neighborhood grocery store.

These three restaurants were right next door to each otherthe only ones in this historic district.  La Nueva Casita is the oldest & family owned.



This was a little park with tiled murals on the wall describing the history of Las Cruces.

I dont know why a photograph of this place is so widely popular on the internetI couldnt find the reason or the address & I spent about 20 minutes trying to find both.  But, as I was leaving this historic section, I just happened to see it in the next block.  So, heres my photo of a pink housebut Im not sure why.

I told myself I wasn’t going to eat out lunch or dinner today, so instead I was trying something super new to me…a green chile & pecan sundae.  Im not a big ice cream eater…but I’d read about how delicious this is so I was going for it.  Caliche’s Frozen Custard stands are sprinkled throughout Las Cruces.  A drive-up or walk-up old fashioned ice cream store, this was their signature item.  I got my choice of pecans…salted or unsalted.  I asked my server what she recommended…it was salted for sure.  And, I can tell you it was delicious!  The mix of salty, sweet & spicy was perfect.  I ate half, then stuck the remainder in my cooler.  Yum! Yum!

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There was a brewery I wanted to try before going back to camp called High Desert Brewing & their website posted they had a Russian Imperial Stout on tap…my mouth was watering.  The place didn’t look that cool from the outside & less nice from the inside.  I looked over their tap list, both the one on the wall & the sheet of paper on the bar.  No stout.  I asked the bartender about it.  She said yes, they’d had an Imperial IPA (OK…totally different beer…nothing about it is the same) but they were out.  No, I said the stout…the one on your website?  I asked for a sample of the Barleywine.  Maybe I’d gotten the wrong brewery…I’d been looking at all them multiple times.  I showed her my phone with the stout listed & asked, “is this your website?”.  Yes she replied, but we haven’t had that beer all year.  OK..the Barleywine was no good…in my opinion.  And I am beyond feeling obligated to drink bad beer just because I’ve occupied a space at the bar for 2 minutes while finding out that the beer I came for…the one advertised by them on their website…is NON-existent.  I smiled nicely & said, thanks anyway…I came for Imperial Stout.  Have a good day.  And left.  I can’t tell you how many breweries Danny & I go to specifically because THEY list a beer they have, & we get there & it’s not just that they’ve run out, they haven’t had it in a long time.  GRRRRR…first world problems.

So, the next attempt would be right down the street from my campsite at a fancy looking brewery called Pecan Grill & Brewery.  Their website said they had a chile beer.  I love chile beer!  And it’s so hard to find.  I once talked to a brewer that told me they don’t like to make it because customers usually only will have one…instead of 3 or 4 lagers, pilsners, or ales.  I lowered by expectations, but they had it!  And, they had green chile stew which they gave me a sample to try before I ordered it.  (Yes, I know I said I wouldn’t eat lunch or dinner out earlier, but I ignore myself a lot!)  And, so I had the beer & a cup of stew…so yummy!

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Then, I drove back out to camp & found my private spot down at the end of the road still available.  I parked, got on my pack & decided to hike the trail that was right by camp.  It would take me to the same part of the Dripping Springs Park, but I wasnt sure this late in the day, how far Id get.  The sky grew dark, then it began to sprinkle.  I turned around & headed back to the 4Runner.  Then it started to pour rain.  

And then I was a chicken.  I looked at my phone at the radar & tried to figure out how long it would rain & how much it would rain.  Remember, I am parked down literally 2’ above a wash…I have to drive through the wash to get to my campsite.  Every low spot, dip & wash in New Mexico seems to have a yellow caution sign preceding it saying ‘Watch for running water”.  I know from my times in Utah how a little rain can cause a flash flood.  All these things went through my mind as it continued to rain.  I finally quit arguing with myself, got in the front seat & pulled out, through the wash & up to the next highest part. I was above the wash area.  Immediately a van camper drove down & grabbed my spot on the other side of the wash.  Then it quit raining.  Then I started feeling more stupid & chicken than ever.  Was I being safe or stupid?  It didn’t matter at this point.  I knew I could go to sleep & not worry about any rain where I was camped, & I was glad someone was delighting in my old private site.

Then the skies turned blue, right before they went dark.  The joke was on me.

Day 14 3.31
I was running out of hikes to do but the list of places to eat & drink was long! Exactly the opposite of whats good for meso I decided to day Id move on.  

friend of mine had requested I go photo & visit the huge recycled Roadrunner sculpture & I was game for that!

I took the old highway north to the town of Hatch. I drove by thousands of Pecan trees & tons of farms.

Hatch is famous for its Chile festival….which was not happening now.  The town was pretty quiet this morning. I was tempted to eat at Sparkys…famous for the green chile cheeseburger & their crazy big statues. But it was only 10am & I’d heard they were good but really greasy burgers.so I passed on the opportunity.

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I wanted to visit the town of Truth or Consequences.  Id been here once before, making a stop at the hot springs, then leaving.  The downtown isnt much & most of the places were closed.  They have a big gear store so I went into just kill time & look around.  The staff was friendly (I was the only one in there).  I asked about a place for lunch & they suggested one place that was closed & another called the Pacific Grill.  After I left there I walked the street to check it out.  


I popped into a Mexican restaurant, but while it was busy, it didn’t look inviting.  After I turned & left I was just standing outside when a local asked me if it was too busy for me.  I said no.  He suggested I eat at the Pacific Grill.  And, so I got back in my car & drove a couple of blocks to the recommended place.  It was seafood & chinese food.  I should have looked at the menu before I sat down, because now, with water in front of me, I did feel obligated to eat.  And, call me crazy, but I don’t eat seafood except when I’m on the coasts…where it’s fresh.  So, I ordered fried rice.  It was fine in the end & I took 1/2 of it ‘home’ with me for later.  

I’d been waiting for the Truth or Consequences brewery to open, so that was my next stop & it was a hopping place (sometimes because there’s nothing else to do in a town).  I had a good stout & a fun conversation with a local man & a wanna-be-local divorcee…it was interesting.  Love this kind of stuff.

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But what I was really waiting for, was my reservation for a hot spring soak at the Riverbend Hot Springs.  The same place I’d soaked at last time here only it was less than 1/2 the price it is now & now reservations are required.  But I knew it was super clean & the main draw is that it’s right  above the Rio Grande river…a beautiful place to soak & it felt great.  They are insistent that you come clean from your home or hotel or you can use their showers but you must soap up & get really clean.  I got behind this rule quickly!  Happy to follow directions!  I came 30 minutes early so I could soap, shampoo, shave & delight in my first non-camp shower since I left 2 weeks ago.  I was their #1 rule follower!  And it felt great.  And after my soak?  I did it all again! (No photos because you’re not supposed to take hot spring photos when others are around…see?  I’m can follow some rules!)

Heres a pic of the Rio Grande right next to the hot springs. Fuller & bigger than Ive seen it so far on this trip.

Time to find camping.  I had coordinates for dispersed camping on BLM about 10 miles away.  But, I couldn’t find it.  I drove all the way out there, but could find nothing.  I found lots of empty land, but a lot had fencing, which doesn’t say “public” lands to me.  Because it was getting near dark & I was at least an hour or more from any forest camping, I paid $10 bucks for a BLM parking lot spot above Elephant Butte State Park Dam.  It was fine…not too bad of a view, but still…$10 for a parking lot? 

Today contained my first regrets of this trip: 1.  I didn’t hike at all today; 2.  I don’t really want Chinese food when I’m in New Mexico (it didn’t even have green chiles in it!) 3. Paid camping for a crappy site.

Oh well…tomorrows another day to make different choices.

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