Elephant Butte State Park

Until now, I've never spent any time in the New Mexico state parks, but I plan to fix that this spring. My first stop was Elephant Butte SP, near Truth or Consequences, NM.

I think that's the Elephant, but I don't get it...

There was lots of cute wildlife in the area -

And an adorable bird. Anyone know what this is?

T or C has some really nice hot springs. We decided on Riverbend Hot Springs.

It's right along the Rio Grande River.

I loved the landscaping between the pools and the river.

We also had a great lunch in town -

And went to Sparky's in Hatch, a famous place for another delicious lunch.

So far, I'm really liking New Mexico!

Lots of Fun in Deming

I next spent a week at the LoW Hi Ranch RV Park in Deming, NM, and had a blast! Lots of room in the boondocking section, and it was only $6 a night with Passport America.

Do you think this guy has enough solar panels?

Every week, the LoWs (Loners on Wheels) go to The Pink Store just across the border in Mexico.

There's was rusty guy welcoming us - I was really excited!

And the front door shows that they really appreciate the business.

Our very long table from one end -

And the other.

One day we went hiking in nearby Rock Hound State Park.

I found ONE poppy! And I couldn't even get it in focus...

We also went over to see Spring Canyon State Park next door, but passed on this hike.

On Easter, the LoWs had a brunch with ham and lots other goodies. It was really yummy, and loads of fun. I've met so many new friends here!

On another note, I got another photo in the Escapees magazine Viewfinder page. This time the topic was Nature's Paintbrush, and I can't imagine a better example than the Wave. I've been there 4 times, but you have to win a lottery to get a permit, and that's become more and more difficult.

Good night!

Faywood Hot Springs and City of Rocks

After returning from my trip to Mexico, I moved east to spend some time in New Mexico. I first stayed at Faywood Hot Springs, which was really nice. Unfortunately, I took NO pictures! But City of Rocks State Park is right down the road, and I went over there several times.

My friend Karylee was parked there and she showed us all the sights.

Like Kissing Rock -

And one of the Kokopelli pictographs, which was hidden behind a rock.

When we removed the rock, this guy flew out. There was a lot of screaming involved...

This is the larger Kokopelli. They look a little too perfect to be very old...

There are also some petroglyphs there, and Karylee knew just where to find them.

She also knew where a mommy owl, "Owlive," was nesting. She was in a very high rock and I was zooming in a lot. She was asleep anyway...

On the weekend, they had a Medieval Festival.

It was weird to see the modern people and the medieval people wandering around among the rocks.

There was always something scary around the corner...

They also had a Medieval jam session going on.

And some very unique travel units.

I have not spent very much time in New Mexico until now, but I was very impressed with both Faywood Hot Springs and City of Rocks.

My Last Two Days in Mexico

On our last full day in Mexico, we started out visiting the Mennonite Museum after we descended from the highlands. Mennonites have been in Chihuahua for almost 100 years, and now number about 80,000!

I was excited, because right away, I saw rusty stuff!

I hope this isn't lunch...

There was more rusty stuff inside!

Our guide, on the right, was very interesting.

And lunch was fantastic! We were getting really tired of Mexican food, and this was a delightful change.

We spent the night in Nuevo Casas Grande, where we got a demonstration of how the Mata Ortiz pottery is painted. A few human hairs are used in their brushes. These pots are made without a pottery wheel.

We also saw how the pottery is fired.

The next morning, we went by the square, where we saw the typical town letters.

And then we went to he Paquime ruins, also known as "Casas Grandes."

At its peak, Paquime may have been linked to other villages from Mesa Verde in Colorado to Mexico City.

But in the late 14th century, the city began stagnating and evidence suggests that Paquime was razed by marauding tribes from the north.

We stopped for a potty break at a store that had lots of pinatas. I passed...

So what did I think of my tour? I certainly am glad I did it, but there were some disappointments and problems. I booked the tour through World Span Tours in Mesa, but the tour was actually run by A Closer Look Tours. World Span is just a travel agency.

One disappointment was that some things that were advertised as being included were not. The biggest one was the aerial tramway in Copper Canyon.

But the biggest problem was that our luggage was broken into in San Carlos, and apparently, our guide was not allowed to tell us about it! The stolen things were recovered, thanks to the hotel's cameras, but since we weren't told about it, we did not get our stuff back unless we made a claim. Fortunately, another passenger had told us about it, so I got my stuff back. I tried to spread the word, and hope I did.

Back to the US!

My Second Day in Copper Canyon

We had 2 nights in Copper Canyon, so the 2nd day we went on a couple walks and a couple excursions. I walked back up the rim again to get some other views. Copper Canyon is actually a network of 5 canyons. We're now at the top of Urique Canyon.

Down below, you could see the zipliners. Unfortunately, we didn't find out about it early enough to participate. Next time!

The cost of a ride on the aerial tramway was included in our tour, but unfortunately, it wasn't running on the second day...

Although I'm glad I went on this tour, there were some disappointments.

So I amused myself taking another picture of our "hotel on a cliff," with the sun shining on it.

The hotel room was pretty unique -

And I especially liked the ceiling.

My favorite cute little girl was outside the hotel again. This time she had her baby goat wrapped in a blanket. How cute!

The Tarahumara Indians are the second largest indigenous group in North America, after the Navajo.

Our group went on an excursion to a market and a swinging bridge over a side canyon.

We then went to visit a boarding school.

A lot of the kids here have to go to boarding school because their houses are spread out too far to walk to school every day. Our group made a donation to buy stuff for the school.

The kids gave us a demonstration of the games they play. The Tarahumara are famous for their long-distance running, and these kids had a lot of energy...

Back to the room for a great sunset!