Ghost Towns in New Mexico

Seems there are quite a few ghost towns in the area so we are up to the challenge of finding them!

1st is Chloride.  During the 1880s, Chloride had 100 homes, 1,000-2,000 people, eight saloons, three general stores, restaurants, butcher shops, a candy store, a lawyer's office, a doctor, boarding houses, an assay office, a stage line, a Chinese laundry and a hotel.

It's a long and winding road . . .  

A nice little picnic area.

The Bank building is still standing.

and they are turning it into a cafe.

The hanging tree is still standing but no one was ever hung on it.  They did chain drunks to it overnight until they came to their senses.

The Saloon is now a gift shop with things made by local artisans.  The old Pioneer Store is still standing with most of its inventory intact.

 In 1923, the owners closed the store, boarding up the windows and doors, and left all the furnishings and merchandise inside. The store remained untouched and bats and rats made their home of it. The building was bought by the Edmunds in 1989 and they have painstakingly restored it along with its original contents.

The 2nd stone house built in town to protect the inhabitants from Hail which the builder believed would one day rain down on them from the wrath of God.

And it's nice to see they haven't lost their sense of humor 

The 2nd Ghost Town was Kelly - also a Mining Town

It was in the 70's but there was still snow on the mountains and in the shady northern exposure spots. 

Tucson really enjoyed the snow 

We even brought him back a snow cone. 

Till Later!

Meanwhile, we keep on Trek'n

Melissa, Gary & Tucson

Bosque Del Apache Wildlife Refuge

We our off today so we decide to drive to Bosque Del Apache Wildlife Reserve and Socorro, NM.

Thousands of Sand Hill Cranes and other waterfowl and birds winter here.  Unfortunately they had all started their migration north when we arrived.  There is a driving tour of the refuge which we took. 

Still some stragglers

The view is beautiful - note the snow covered mountains in the background.

Farmers grow crops on the refuge for wintering waterfowl and cranes. Farmers plant alfalfa and corn, harvesting the alfalfa and leaving the corn for wildlife. The refuge staff also grows corn, winter wheat, clover, and native plants as additional food. 

The turtles seem to like it here too.

There are observation decks and boardwalks throughout the refuge. 

A lone deer 

and we get to spot a Heron on the way out. 

If we pass back this way between November and February we'll be sure to stop in to see the Cranes.

We continue on to Socorro.  Socorro means "to give aid" and was a source of help to the first expedition of Spanish families traveling north from Mexico in 1598

Old San Miguel Mission was founded in 1598

This is a fragment from "Jumbo"  a huge steel container developed to contain the first nuclear explosion at Trinity on July 16, 1945.  It was 25 feet long 12 foot in diameter and 14" thick.

Till Later!

Meanwhile, we keep on Trek'n

Melissa, Gary & Tucson



Truth or Consequences, Riverbend Hotsprings

Riverbend Hotsprings our new home and place of employment for the next month.  We are working 3 days on 3 days off in exchange for our site and unlimited soaking.

The Office 

Front  desk and resident office cat, Minnow 

Picnic area outside the office.

Some of the 9 guest rooms 

The Hot Springs area 

There are two riverfront "public" tubs.

and the Minnow 1, 2 and 3, which used  to be the original tank for minnows when it was a bait  shop.  It was then turned into a youth hostel, with hot spring soaking.  They have since been renovating and improving, creating a more upscale public soaking environment.

It is the only hotsprings located directly on the banks of the Rio Grande.  There are 3 private tubs as well, all overlook the river.  The temperatures range from 98 degrees to 108 degrees.

A Swan has taken up residence on the River.  There are also Osprey and Herons that fly by from time to time.

Till Later!

Meanwhile, we keep on Trek'n

Melissa, Gary & Tucson

Deming to Truth or Consequences, New Mexico

It's a 2 day drive from Quartzsite to Truth or Consequences, so we stop for an overnight in Deming, NM at an Escapees Park.  We soon learn that there are some unusual modes of transportation here.

The high-rise bicycle . . .

and your basic Steer 

We hit the local history museum. 

The place is immense.  It has everything from Mimbres pottery collections (Indians from over 1000 years ago in the area), rock and mineral specimens, doll and quilt collections, an old town main street, antique cars and much more a large building and 2 floors.  If you pass thru it is a must see.

Later that day, we arrive safe and sound in Truth or Consequences, New Mexico.

We don't have any trouble following the signs to our destination.

Riverbend Hot Springs - our home for the next 4-6 weeks.  We will be working 3 days on / 3 days off in the office of the Hot Springs in exchange for a small full hook up site and free mineral hot springs soaks.  Here we will bide our time and get Tucson accustomed to being left alone for a few hours while we work, before we head to full-time jobs in Almont, CO.

Joshua Tree National Park

We stop at Joshua Tree National Park on our way out of Palm Springs.

We camp at BLM Land just outside the Park entrance.

The landscape is filled with amazing rock formations

and of course the Joshua Trees - which are really tree sized Yucca plants.

They can reach up to 40 feet tall. 

At times you feel like you are walking through a Dr. Seuss Book and expect to drive by Whoville and some Who's along the way

Or maybe the Grinch?

Rock climbing is popular in the Park and you can't see it in this picture but there is a tight rope wire between the 2 mountains.

I took this video of a guy crossing over.  You got to have guts!

The view from Keys view lookout.  Unfortunately there is smog but you can just make out the San Andreas Fault line. 

We didn't get to do any hikes in the Park as it has become very dog unfriendly so we opted to take the driving tours and stopped at the overlooks and picnic areas where Tucson was allowed to go.

With all the driving we needed to go find gas and headed down the Box Canyon Road to Salton Sea.

On the way back we encountered an RV stuck in the sand so we stopped to help.

Once we got them free we continued on and pulled over to do a hike with Tucson. 

We weren't sure where it went to but it had some nice views. 

A view of the Salton Sea in the distance.  We ran into a couple of women hiking and the trail lead to some cave but we didn't bring much water and turned back after about an hour.

Tomorrow we head to Quartzsite for a night and then press onward to New Mexico.

Till Later,

Meanwhile, we keep on Trek'n

Melissa, Gary & Tucson