Giving Thanks in New Mexico

Friday, November 29, 2013


This evening finds us tucked into Elephant Butte Lake State Park near Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, or T 'r C. We're two spots over from where we stayed last winter. After adding two more days to our stay at Rockhound State Park, and having Thanksgiving there, we headed north this morning.
Rockhound was just what we needed after being snow hermits at Pancho Villa. I thrive best when I have a view and can also do some people watching. At Rockhound we were up on the side of of the Little Florida Mountains with a spectacular view of the Florida Mountains, the valley running south from Deming to the border, and the lights of Deming flickering like jewels all night below us.

Our campsite at Rockhound with the Florida Mountains in the background

Looking east at Spanish Stirrup pass between the Florida and Little Florida Mountains

Looking up the pediment of Little Florida Mountain at the mineral-bearing volcanic ash flows

We hiked the Thunderegg Trail up above and around the campground. Greg took some separate hikes to rock hunt. We saw lots of barrel cacti that were fruiting. It was still cold and windy, but all but one day we had sun. The temperatures are slowly rising, but are still below normal.

Kathleen posing with a Sotol plant

Cholla

Greg teasing a Fishhook Barrel Cactus

Fruits disappear as they get ripe, so many critters must be checking them regularly.

Rockhound's visitors center and museum

Giant Agave plant

Yucca

Yucca Stalk

We played “Chopped”, like the Food Network Channel, for Thanksgiving. We decided to see what we could make from the refrigerator and pantry. Greg became the grillmeister out in the wind, and we came up with a non-traditional, but really good dinner. We topped off the pork loin and veggies with Blue Teal wine from a Deming winery. Then we took a walk and enjoyed the glorious sunsets that New Mexico treats us to. So much to be thankful for!!!!

 

Rockhound Sunset

  
This morning as we packed up, Greg made a new friend. The elderly gentleman across the way came over to chat and give us the leveling blocks that he never uses. We sometimes need a few more than we have, so that was a nice gift to us. We actually needed them for the sloping site we wound up in today at Elephant Butte. If I was still preaching that would make a good sermon illustration about God meeting our needs!
 
Our neighbor has been full-timing in five different RV's over the years, for 32 years! He retired at 55, so we figured he is 87. He spends summers parked on his nephew's 500 acre farm in Ohio, where he's from. He was at Rockhound because he has a daughter with a house nearby. Greg said he was really spry, bending down to pull the blocks out of a lower outside bin. I've heard of people full-timing for 12, 15, 18 years, but 32 years must be a record!

We finally left and drove northeast out of Deming toward T 'r C. Our plan is to spend two nights here, and enjoy Elephant Butte Lake, and do laundry in town. Maria's is a great little Mexican restaurant we found last winter near the laundromat, so we'll stop there again. We were hoping to stop for lunch today at Sparky's in Hatch. We ate there last winter, our first experience with a green chili cheeseburger, and touted to be the second best in the state, on the Green Chili Cheeseburger Trail. The chilis are grown around Hatch, and aren't like the chilis you find elsewhere. There is a distinctive taste and heat that makes them unique. Well, Sparky's was closed. Greg looked crushed. Hmmm...how to redeem lunch? Then he remembered a great Green Chili Philly he had in T 'r C last winter at the Happy Belly Deli. We called to confirm it was open, and cruised down the main drag to the deli.

Large cattle feed lot. Lots of hay for the winter.

The road to Hatch

Peppers drying in the sun

The Rio Grande valley on the way to T 'r C

Broadway in T'R'C

Cool bike rack!

Happy Belly Deli!

 Greg enjoyed his Green Chili Philly, and I decided two green chili sandwiches in one week were enough, so I had soup. We walked around downtown a bit and drove out to Elephant Butte Lake State Park. We knew that we wanted to camp in the same area as before, so it didn't take us long to find a site and settle in. It also didn't take long for the Gambel's Quails to scoot by on the road, with their funny crested heads bent down and forward as they made their crazy “Whoop-whoop”, and “Ha-ah-ah-ah” sounds. We also saw two Desert Cottontail rabbits along our road. Our neighbor warned us that the coyotes come right behind our campsites at night.

This is the most popular state park in New Mexico, with an entrance to match

Today's vicious wildlife!

The lake looks lower than last winter even though the area had flooding last Fall when Colorado had their severe flooding. This time we will only stay a short time. The weather is forecasted to turn the middle of next week, and there is again the possibility of snow and cold temperatures. We've decided to head back to Big Bend National Park in southwest Texas and enjoy their warmer temperatures. We were surprised to discover last winter that we really enjoyed west Texas and Big Bend, so we're looking forward to more time to explore the area, and to warm up!

The state park marina floats so they can move it in or out as the lake falls or rises

View from our campsite