Arizona/New Mexico – Spring 2024

A Day Almost Missed! The Very Large Array, Pie Town, and the Datil Well Recreation Area

April 5, 2024

It was a morning of indecision. It was cold and very windy when I woke at 6 a.m. at the Birders’ RV campsite so rather than cooking up my coffee and breakfast I drove the few miles to a McDonalds in Socorro. While there, I looked up the weather report – high winds were predicted for the day, as well as freezing night time temperatures at high elevations. Hmmm. My day’s plan had been to drive up into the high mountains west of Socorro, visit the Very Large Array and Pie Town, and camp at Datil Well Campground which sits at an elevation of 7414 feet! To be honest, I was getting tired of very cold nights and so, reluctantly, I decided to skip that part of my itinerary even though I have always wanted to see the Very Large Array.

I left Socorro and drove 30 minutes up I-25 en-route to visit the Salinas Pueblo Missions, but I kept glancing at those high mountains to the west and they were definitely calling to me. So, pulling off the I-25, I drove the 30 minutes back to Socorro to pursue my original plan and I am so glad that I did! I connected to Highway 60 West which quickly began to climb and curve its way up into the mountains and then, to my surprise, I was on the Plains of San Agustin, a large flat expanse of grassland dotted with sage that had once been the site of a large intermontane lake. This was the most scenic drive yet! It was the kind of road where I felt compelled to stop again and again for photographs. There were mountains ahead,

and mountains to the right of me,

and mountains to my left, blue in the far distance and topped with snow.

The plain stretched way ahead of me and after about an hour of fantastic driving I began to see the shapes of the telescopes of the Very Large Array in the distance. I stopped several times for photos but they were still very tiny! Here is one photo from a bit closer!

The Very Large Array collects faint cosmic radio waves from outer space to learn about objects in our universe, and I learned later that the array is located here in part because the surrounding mountains act as a barrier to radio interference from cities even hundreds of miles away.

I turned onto the access road to the Visitors Centre where there were closer views,

and then that road turned again and offered a different view. While I had moved from one stop to another, the radio telescopes had all shifted to point up! It was like a choreographed ballet! The telescopes can tilt up and down and spin around. They act in unison, and together they create the world’s most powerful radio astronomy telescope that has made more discoveries than any other telescope on Earth.

I reached the Visitors Centre where there were informative films to watch, interpretive exhibits, and a paved walk for closer viewing of the telescopes,

including the opportunity for a very up-close view! Each large dish measures 82 feet across and weighs over 200 metric tons.

There are twenty eight dishes, one of which is a spare, and they were all built onsite in a large facility called the Barn. The other twenty seven working telescopes are organized on three straight arms that radiate out from the centre, with nine telescopes on each arm. They move on rails and can be spaced closer together to cover a distance of about two thirds of a mile, or be arrayed far apart on each arm for a distance of up to 13 miles!

The Very Large Array makes detailed images of radio-emitting objects in deep space that are not visible to optical telescopes, and it can observe astronomical events likes the birth of stars and the growth of galaxies. The data collected by the Very Large Array is shared with astronomers all over the world. Here is an excellent film if you would like to learn more: https://public.nrao.edu/gallery/beyond-the-visible-vla/

After my inspiring and educational visit to the Very Large Array, I continued west on highway 60, through the small town of Datil, and then on to Pie Town, a teeny tiny stop on the road with three pie shops and a population of less than 200. Just before the first pie shop there was a property filled with someone’s wonderful collection of old windmills, vehicles, and machinery. (I recommend clicking on the photo of the truck for a larger view, it is really quite beautiful!)

Next, an old gas station and garage were terribly rundown, but also oddly beautiful! Then, what could be more American than a Chevy (I’m guessing here, let me know if I’m wrong!) paired with a Coca-Cola sign, and what could be more antique than a pay phone!

Ah, the first pie shop! (It’s a restaurant too.)

I had thought that I would scope out all three shops before deciding where to buy a slice, but this first one had me at hello.

The inside was as fun as the outside with all kinds of signs, photos, antiques, and various bric a brac to look at, admire, and wonder at. The ladies running the shop were friendly, and there were about ten different and interesting kinds of pies on offer, including their signature apple pie which incorporates green hatch chilies in the recipe. The Lemon Blueberry Buttermilk pie sounded just right for me so I ordered a slice with a cup of coffee and then made my way to a comfortable booth in the back corner.

This was my view of the restaurant from my booth,

and this was my close-up view!

I enjoyed my pie and coffee and then happily began the return journey east on scenic highway 60 to arrive at the Datil Well Recreation Area Campground. What a great place! The cost was only $5 per night (!) for a exceptionally clean and well-maintained campground located in a forest of juniper and Ponderosa pine, with well-spaced sites, some with ramadas and three with electricity! As well, it had historic significance having been a resting and watering site for multiple cattle and sheep drives over the years, including in 1919 when over 21,000 cattle and 150,000 sheep stopped here, “accompanied by cowboys or sheep herders, chuckwagons, and saddle horses.”

I chose a site, walked around the campground and on one of the trails for some exercise, and then had a simple dinner of tuna on crackers and some canned peaches because I was still full of pie!

Later, as it drew close to about 6 p.m., I started to worry again about the rising wind and the cold night ahead so I checked the weather report. Now, there was also a wildfire warning posted because of the dry conditions and high winds, and also the potential for snow! Reluctantly, I decided to say goodbye to my lovely campsite (and my $5) and drive back down to Socorro for the night to camp stealth in town. I felt like quite the wimp actually, definitely not as tough as those hundreds of cowboys and sheep herders that had passed through here and slept out under the stars, in much rougher conditions, in days gone by.

But, it was the right decision to make and I was happy as I made the drive back, still stopping often for photos as the sun lowered in the western sky behind me and the road stretched ahead across the high plain.

It had been a great day in New Mexico, and I was very glad that I hadn’t missed it!

Arizona/New Mexico – Spring 2024

Southern New Mexico – White Sands National Park, Black Lava at the Valley of Fires Recreation Area, and Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge

April 3-4, 2024

I left the wonderful City of Rocks campground early, on a bright sunny morning, and headed southeast, first on quiet and scenic highway 180, and then on a fast stretch of I-10 into the city of Las Cruces where I crossed over the Rio Grande! The Rio Grande originates in the southern Rocky Mountains and flows for over 1800 miles before emptying into the Gulf of Mexico. It has been a source of water to peoples in the arid lands of New Mexico, Texas and Mexico for millennia, and has supported a rich diversity of plants and wildlife as well as human occupation, agriculture and settlement. Once a wild river with seasonal floods, the Rio Grande is now tamed by several dams to control and manage its flow. Here, in Las Cruces, the wide river flowed downstream beside a pleasant riverside park.

I spent a bit of time in downtown Las Cruces and then carried on to visit White Sands National Park to see its dazzling white dunes composed of pure gypsum crystals, the largest such dune field in the world.

The crystals originate from ancient lakebeds in the Tularosa Basin, and the wind blows them into ever-shifting patterns of dunes that cover roughly 275 square miles of Chihuahuan Desert. As I drove towards the park, I could see a leading edge of the dune field with stubborn plants trying to maintain a foothold on the shifting sands. I learned later that soaptree yucca plants in the dunes grow taller to keep new leaves above the sand. They can have as much as thirty feet of growth below the surface of the dune as they strive to survive.

I visited the excellent (and very busy) Visitors Centre, and then I began the somewhat other-worldly eight mile drive into the dunes.

I walked the two short nature trails, learning about the plants and animals that are adapated to live here. The adaptations were grouped under these headings: grow fast (sand verbena), change colour (bleached earless lizard and Apache pocket mouse), go out at night (kit fox), grow tall (yucca), and hold on (skunkbush sumac). My adaptations were sunglasses, a hat, sunscreen, and water as I chose one parking area near the end of the drive and set off to climb up into the dunes. It was very beautiful!

Between the dunes were shallow areas where moisture can accumulate and plants put down roots, at least for a time.

I walked up and down many dunes, some quite steep, until my parking area was lost to sight. On my return journey I worried for just a moment, thinking that I could possibly be lost, but my sense of direction was true and the parking area came into sight just a few minutes later.

Part of me wanted to say longer in this brilliant and somewhat hypnotic white expanse,

but it was time to move on. I had reached the southeastern extent of my travels on this road trip. Now, it was time to start heading back north and west towards, eventually, home!

Back on the road, I drove towards Alamogordo and watched as fighter jets from the nearby Holloman Airforce Base whizzed across the sky at incredible speeds. I left that city behind and headed north on quiet highway 54, with the tall snow-covered peaks of the Sacramento Mountains to my right, and the flat expanse of the Tularosa Basin to my left, edged in the distance by the San Andres and Oscura Mountains. As I neared the small town of Carrizozo, I began to see a darkness on the landscape. It was the Malpais/Carrizozo Lava Flow, created some 5000 years ago when Little Black Black Peak began a series of eruptions that sent lava flowing south down the Tularosa Basin for 44 miles. The resulting lava flow of is between 4 and 6 miles wide, and up to 160 feet thick in places.

The Valley of Fires Recreation Area protects this unique landscape and its plants and animals, and it also offers a great campsite which was unfortunately full when I arrived in the late afternoon. But, one kind couple occupying an extra-large site on top of a hill offered to let me share their space which was very kind of them. Relieved to be settled, I had time to walk the excellent one mile paved nature trail that described the lava flow, as well as the plants and animals that are making this unique place their home.

After my walk, there was time for dinner, a chat with the elderly couple, and then a session of sitting on my camp chair, with this view, while the sun lowered in the sky.

I wanted to stay out for another evening session of star-watching, but my near-constant companion, the wind, decided to turn chilly and sharp so I retreated to the protection of my Toyota and the delights of a good book.

The next morning I was off again early, loving the emptiness of Highway 380 and the blueness of the sky as I travelled due west towards the Rio Grande Valley and the Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge.

The Bosque del Apache Refuge protects almost 60,000 acres of desert, wetland, and bosque which is a forest habitat, often of cottonwoods, that is found along rivers, streams, and floodplains. It is an important refuge and breeding ground for migratory birds including song birds, raptors, waterfowl, and shore birds, and it is famous for its very large numbers of overwintering sandhill cranes and snow geese.

As I exited my car at the Visitor’s Centre, I heard, “Hello! Christine!” And there was Klaus, a German traveller that I had met on that snowy morning at Chiricahua. He had already spent the previous day birding at the bosque, and he was excited to show me where to see vermillion fly catchers in a stand of tall cottonwoods near one of the viewing decks in the refuge. That’s Klaus below, in silhouette, and we did indeed spot several of the beautiful and striking red birds, perched in the tree tops and in flight catching insects. It was very exciting to see them!

Klaus was heading to one of the north ponds where he had seen ibis, snowy egrets, and avocets the previous day while I went off to walk several trails in the southern half of the Refuge’s 14 mile loop drive. I loved the boardwalk nature trail with its charming signage done in the style of a naturalist’s diary, and though the reeds were brown and the cottonwoods were gray and leafless, it was still very beautiful, and there were little sparks of green to be found.

After my walks, I drove to rejoin Klaus who was set up on his camp chair at one of the north ponds where there was an exciting variety of species of birds all in one area. I set up my chair as well, pulled out my binoculars, and saw beautiful snowy egrets, and elegant stilts, avocets and ibis. Wonderful! There were also shovelers, dowitchers and other shore birds, and a killdeer which flew by noisily with its distinctive call. At one point, a harrier hawk flew low over the pond and set all of the birds aflight, but they soon resettled so that we could continue to watch as they fed, each in their own particular way, in the shallow waters of the pond. Sadly, I didn’t have my zoom lens with me for close up photos of the egrets, stilts, and avocets,

but Klaus kindly sent me several photos that he had taken, including this gorgeous photo of a white-faced ibis,

and this one of a snowy egret.

We sat for a long time watching the birds and chatting and then we visited the lovely small botanical garden and arboretum. Handsome red-winged blackbird bachelors ate at feeders and drank at a fountain while Gambel’s quail scurried from one hiding place to another.

Then, Klaus and I chatted some more in the Visitor’s Centre, about travel and famous adventurers, books and birds. By late afternoon it was time for Klaus to continue on his travels east to Texas, en route to view the solar eclipse, and I settled in at the nearby, rather uninspiring but safe and peaceful Birdwatcher’s RV Park (the closest campsite to the Bosque), to make a simple dinner and go to bed early. I felt ready for sleep by about 6 p.m.! A product, I think, of several weeks of non-stop travel, and of all the sun the day before at White Sands, and on this day sitting by the ponds. Before closing myself in to my Toyota though, I ended my day with the lucky sighting of a roadrunner, truly a symbol of the Southwest.

Arizona/New Mexico – Spring 2024

Starting Somewhere in the Middle – Heading into New Mexico: Silver City, Gila Cliff Dwellings, and City of Rocks State Park

April 2-3, 2024

Hello everyone. I have been on the road for over two weeks now, first down into southern Arizona and then on to New Mexico, a place that I have long wished to visit. I’ve been camping and have had little opportunity (time and wifi) to write any blog posts, but I’ve had two nights in an airbnb in Albuquerque and am finally making a start! I really prefer to start chronicling a journey at its beginning, but here we go, from somewhere in the middle, about to head into New Mexico…

In southeastern Arizona, camped at Chiricahua National Monument, I went to sleep in my Toyota to the sound of heavy rain and woke up very early, in the cold darkness of morning, to the surprise of white all around. Brrrr!

I drove to the parking area for Faraway Ranch, cooked up a breakfast of coffee and toast, and watched the half moon rise over a snow-dusted mountain before me.

Then I was off, driving north out of the park but I didn’t get very far before having to stop and look back at the new snow covering the Chiricahua Mountains.

Ahead of me, the road was clear and the sky was moody, shifting often from dark clouds and splashes of rain to clear blue sky with sun and bright white clouds.

I joined Interstate 10 East, with Elvis’ Greatest Hits playing on the stereo, and passed from Arizona into New Mexico, singing happily along. Then, highway 90 from Lordsburg was a dream of a road, newly paved and scenic as it began to climb up to Silver City. However, shortly after crossing the Continental Divide at an elevation of 6355 feet, that still-moody sky darkened and snow began to fall in great big flakes that swirled about every which way in suddenly strong winds. Yikes! Stereo off as I negotiated mountain curves with limited visibility, and then traffic increased as I neared Silver City, with locals in trucks seemingly not at all concerned about slowing down for the conditions. I stopped, with relief, at a McDonalds, pushed my way through the wind and cold wet flakes to get inside, and by the time I’d finished my order of fries the snow had stopped and the sky was blue!

So I drove back down the highway to visit Silver City’s historic old town. Founded in 1870, shortly after the discovery of rich deposits of silver ore in the area, the town’s historic centre features grand buildings built in the late 1800s.

Side roads off of the Main Street featured many brightly coloured art galleries, gift shops and tiled murals.

One of my favourite street art pieces was a low wall tiled with a collage of car emblems, hub caps, little toy carts, glass marbles, and other fun and colourful objects. It was very creative!

The clouds swept back in, with light drops of rain, so I found refuge in the wonderful Tranquille Buzz coffee shop, decorated with many beautiful instruments. It was definitely the right place to be to recharge for the rest of the mountain drive ahead.

I left Silver City and began the mountain drive up to the Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument on a series of S-curves that recrossed back over the Continental Divide and then rose to a pass at an elevation of 7440 feet (where light snow flakes were falling out of a blue sky!), before descending in more S-curves along the side of another mountain to a high-elevation valley cut by the Gila River. There are several free campsites near and at the monument but they were all empty and lonely-looking, all except for the horse camp that had several large trailers, pickup trucks, corralled horses, and one lovely mule! I found a spot there, despite my horseless state, and settled in for another night of below freezing temperatures.

The following morning it was so cold! I cooked up my breakfast, all bundled up, but at least the sky was clear, the sun was shining, and there was little wind so I was very happy as I crossed over the Gila River on this pedestrian bridge to begin the climb on a trail up a narrow protected canyon to reach the cliff dwellings.

Interpretive panels on the way up described the local plant and animal resources used by the Mongollon people who built the dwellings and lived here in the late 1200s. I learned that they crafted feather blankets made from a mat of yucca fibres interwoven with feathers and down from wild turkeys. After several very cold nights in my Toyota (it is early April, not even winter!) I was very interested to learn this fact! The Mongollon also created clothing and blankets from furs, often of rabbit which was the second-most hunted animal after deer. Here is my first view, half-way up the trail, of the cliff dwellings ahead.

The cliff dwellings were built in naturally-occurring, south-facing and connected caves, with three large “picture-window” openings that provided views up and down the canyon. Mortared stone walls, roofed with local ponderosa pine logs and planks, divided the caves into various rooms for individual families, storage and work areas, and a large communal space. A park ranger was stationed at the dwellings and he answered my many questions about the people who had lived in this remote and high place.

At the last cave, a somewhat daunting ladder led down out of the cave to the path below.

I descended the trail and stopped for this view down to the pedestrian bridge, parking area, and ranger station. The pale gray line of tall bare cottonwoods marks the path of the Gila River.

After my excellent visit to the cliff dwellings I went to see several small cave dwellings in the valley as well as several pictographs that were created with pigments made from crushed red hematite.

I progressed to the Visitors Center where I watched an excellent film and then viewed artefacts and information panels about the life and culture of the Mongollon cliff dwellers. I was so glad that I had made the effort to visit the Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument, and as I left to renegotiate the many steep ascents, descents, and endless S-curves of the mountain road, my spirits were high and my heart was full.

Off of the mountain, I headed south on Highway 61. The sky, again, was unsure of what to do with itself – bright and sunny, or dark and ominous?

It was a great drive, with almost no traffic and lots of opportunity to glance all around at the ever-changing scenery. I arrived, early in the afternoon, to the fabulous City of Rocks State park where camping was only $12 per night, hot showers included! (New Mexico campgrounds are the best-priced that I have ever come across!) The campsites are arranged among and amidst giant boulders, many in private little coves of rock, but I chose one on the edge of the campground with views out to a beautiful expanse of Chihuahuan desert and distant mountains.

I enjoyed walking around the entire large campground and on the many small trails that weave between the boulders. By the time I got back to camp, rain was threatening in the distance and there was a rumble of thunder.

Thankfully, the rain clouds were swept away by the wind and by the time my dinner was over, and the sun was beginning to lower in the sky, I was ready for another walk, this time on the Hydra trail out onto the flat expanse of desert.

The sun was setting just as I returned from my walk, and I was welcomed back tocamp by the warm orange glow that decorated the grasses, boulders, and even trees. I watched the sun set, and then braved a rising cold wind to sit on my camp chair for a while looking up at the stars as they slowly revealed themselves in a giant dark night sky. It had been a fabulous first and second day in the great state of New Mexico.

Thank you for reading.

This post is dedicated to my dear brother-in-law, the late Richard H., who loved the outdoors.

With love, from Christine and family.