A Little Stretch of Road

State Road 325, near Capulin Volcano National Monument, New Mexico

State Road 325 isn't very long, but it's awful pretty.

State Road 325, near Capulin Volcano National Monument, New Mexico

 
A couple of structures have personality.

State Road 325, near Capulin Volcano National Monument, New Mexico

State Road 325, near Capulin Volcano National Monument, New Mexico

But let's see that house one more time ...

State Road 325, near Capulin Volcano National Monument, New Mexico

And some flowers.

State Road 325, near Capulin Volcano National Monument, New Mexico

Las Cruces: West Picacho Boulevard, Part 2: Trans-itional, -itory, -ient, -formational?

W. Picacho, Las Cruces, New Mexico

Las Cruces' overall vibe is a little, well, bland. There are pockets of attitude, though, and West Picacho is one of those.

W. Picacho, Las Cruces, New Mexico

You'd think the lane below was in the country, but no, it's on W. Picacho. 

W. Picacho, Las Cruces, New Mexico

You can tell Picacho has had its ups and its downs over the decades, most recently downs. I'm thinking an uptick is around the corner.

W. Picacho, Las Cruces, New Mexico

As escapees from Phoenix and Los Angeles search for fresh fields to plunder, West Picacho with its Route 66 cred, is ripe for a rebirth.

W. Picacho, Las Cruces, New Mexico

There are a lot of walkers along this part of the road. They appear to be less out for a stroll and more about walking to a destination because they have no wheels.

W. Picacho, Las Cruces, New Mexico

Along this stretch, there's a mix of retro motels, a couple of restaurants, auto repair or machine shops, and some low-cost housing.

W. Picacho, Las Cruces, New Mexico

W. Picacho, Las Cruces, New Mexico

 

I was attracted to this decrepit window unit, as you can see. 

W. Picacho, Las Cruces, New Mexico

The well-kept and pretty, small-town yard below is attached to a seen-better-days motel.

W. Picacho, Las Cruces, New Mexico

With the surfeit of motels along this Motel Way, one wonders if there were ever a time when they all prospered. Could there have been that much road traffic through Las Cruces back in the day?

W. Picacho, Las Cruces, New Mexico

W. Picacho, Las Cruces, New Mexico

I forgot to mention the used car lot. 

W. Picacho, Las Cruces, New Mexico

W. Picacho, Las Cruces, New Mexico

A couple of guys gave us a friendly wave as I snapped the photo, but then one got a little grumpy, so we made a prudent retreat. What's the story of this place? A motel undergoing a face lift? I don't know.

W. Picacho, Las Cruces, New Mexico

A transmission place has a playful side.

W. Picacho, Las Cruces, New Mexico

W. Picacho, Las Cruces, New Mexico

There was a bus stop shelter.

W. Picacho, Las Cruces, New Mexico

All that coiled cable drew my attention. 

W. Picacho, Las Cruces, New Mexico

Some day, buildings like the one below will probably get torn down. It's nice to capture it here for the record. 

W. Picacho, Las Cruces, New Mexico

Capulin Volcano National Monument, NM: Walking the Rim

 

Capulin Volcano National Monument, New Mexico

OK, the volcano has been dormant for millenia, but still. Walking its rim was exhilarating - the scents of the juniper and piñon, the cool wind on a warm day, the wildflowers, and the 360-degree panoramic view as I circled the top.

I didn't think about it til just now, but for most of my walk, I was entirely alone, which enhanced the experience. The parking lot is small and park staff controlled the number of vehicles coming up to the rim's trailhead. I suspect this isn't normally necessary, but because of a concurrent summer market at the visitor center below, more people than usual visited the park.

 

Capulin Volcano National Monument, New Mexico

When ascending to the rim, you've got two choices: A steep incline and a gentler descent on the other side or a gentler incline and a steep descent at the finish. It's possible that the steep-side incline is shorter than the gentler-incline side, but I'm not entirely convinced of this. I chose the steep incline so I could get the hard part out of the way first.  I think I would have enjoyed either way.

Capulin Volcano National Monument, New Mexico

If you've got bad knees, I recommend ascending the steep side so you can make your return descent on the gentler angle. You may also want to have a walking stick with you to help you relieve the stress on your knees going down.

Capulin Volcano National Monument, New Mexico

En route, I encountered a couple of hikers who said that usually this time of year, the foliage on the volcano is covered with convergent lady bugs that over-winter here, but a park ranger told them the insects were late this year. I did see a few:

Capulin Volcano National Monument, New Mexico

My sister and I visited the Capulin Volcano National Monument on the same day of one of its "summer markets." We ate a killer BBQ brisket sandwich, listened to some Celtic music, and watched a children's Jicarilla Apache performing arts group, who'd driven in from Dulce.

One of the market vendors, Grampa's Gourmet, sold honey harvested from a variety of flora, including  ... tamarisk. Yes, the much-maligned salt cedar is feeding bees. The tamarisk honey tasted good.



A slide show:



#30

Sugarite Canyon State Park, NM: Summer Love

Red penstemon, Sugarite Canyon State Park, New Mexico

I met one of my sisters in Raton, New Mexico, for a weekend. She drove down from Longmont, Colorado; I drove up from Alamogordo.

One of the many surprises I've experienced in my personal Year of New Mexico is the beauty of each season.

Thistle, Sugarite Canyon State Park, New Mexico

At Sugarite Canyon State Park, summer doesn't disappoint with its bright red-orange penstemons, masses of  something like Queen Anne's lace, lavender thistles, yellow sunflowers, pink wild roses, and white daisies. Burnt-black tree stalks belong as much to the vistas as the grassy meadows, mountain slopes, evergreens, and wildflowers.

Road to Soda Pocket Campground, Sugarite Canyon State Park, New Mexico

There's a sweet little boardwalk trail behind the park's visitor center. It includes a birder blind.

Boardwalk trail near visitor center, Sugarite Canyon State Park, New Mexico

The road up to and the Soda Pocket campground itself is an unexpected treat, not the least of which is due to the amiable campground hosts from Texas. Bears are frequent guests to the campground, we were told.

The view from some of the campsites is ahh-inspiring and the sites feel spacious and well-designed.


(In contrast, the Lake Alice campground feels cramped and potentially noisy.)

Soda Park campground, Sugarite Canyon State Park, New Mexico

Wildflowers abound.

Mule deer saunter through.

I'd divide Sugarite Canyon State Park into three zones - there's the abandoned mining camp, the lakes, and the Soda Pocket area.

Maloya Lake is the larger of the two lakes at the park, and we heard the bears like to stroll by in the hopes of a fish dinner. Lots of humans come to the park to fish. There's a trail that borders the lake, and there are picnic tables scattered at various points.

Lake Maloya, as viewed from Colorado, Sugarite Canyon State Park, New Mexico

 

Slide show here:

The Ride Back Home - Raton to Alamogordo

Went to Raton for the weekend. On the way up, there was rain over the mountains to the west.

On the way back down, I went through the rain. Then later, dust. And a tumbleweed migration.

A pictorial of the ride back home.

Leaving Raton, New Mexico

Interstate 25 South between Raton and Las Vegas, New Mexico

"Water, not fracking." Highway 84 near Dilia, New Mexico

Highway 54, Vaughn, New Mexico

Highway 54 between Vaughn and Carrizozo, New Mexico

This stream did not exist the day before.

Highway 54 between Vaughn and Carrizozo, New Mexico

Highway 54 between Vaughn and Carrizozo, New Mexico

Dust storm ahead? Rainstorm? .... dust.

Highway 54 between Vaughn and Carrizozo, New Mexico

North of Carrizozo, the bikers pondered their game plan, as they were headed toward the dust storm.

Highway 54 between Vaughn and Carrizozo, New Mexico

Las Cruces: West Picacho Boulevard, Part 1: The Red Ball

Red ball on triangle on roof, Picacho Boulevard, Las Cruces, New Mexico

Every time I drove on West Picacho Boulevard in Las Cruces, on my way to Interstate 10,  I reminded myself to come back just to take photos of the street art - whether in the form of architecture, signage, or murals.

Red ball on triangle on roof, Picacho Boulevard, Las Cruces, New Mexico

I recently had a chance to absorb the westernmost end of the historic part of the boulevard.

A friend accompanying me asked, "So what interests you about this area"?

Red ball on triangle on roof, Picacho Boulevard, Las Cruces, New Mexico

 
I said, "Everything! The buildings, the signs, the murals."

And she said carefully, "Well, I guess everyone has different tastes."

Red ball on triangle on roof, Picacho Boulevard, Las Cruces, New Mexico

Hahahaha - true enough. In fact, who would have envisioned that I'd devote an entire post to just one red ball on a triangle on a roof?  Not me, but there you go. It is art, and I call it Red Ball on Triangle on Roof #1, #2, #3, #4, and #5.

Red ball on triangle on roof, Picacho Boulevard, Las Cruces, New Mexico

The Tularosa Ditch Wars

Acequia in Tularosa, New Mexico

I've talked before about the Tularosa acequias and the battles between the Spanish-speaking Tularosa settlers and the Mescalero Apache.  

Marc Simmons, a New Mexico historian tells the story of the Tularosa Ditch Wars, which were waged between the same settlers and English-speaking later-comers, who stole their water upstream.

Here's Mr. Simmons' story, printed in the Santa Fe New Mexican. An excerpt:

... in the early 1860s, a new band of Hispanic pioneers arrived. They were from the Mesilla Valley and El Paso, where a Rio Grande flood had washed away their homes and fields. Wanting a new start and willing to work for it, they founded the community of Tularosa. Other settlers from Socorro soon established the neighboring village of La Luz.

The people built adobe homes, dug irrigation ditches to tap the river and organized a municipal government with an alcalde, or mayor. They also had occasional run-ins with the Mescaleros.

But life was generally serene, and the desert blossomed with orchards and a huge vineyard. Travelers considered Tularosa an oasis.

Trouble loomed on the horizon, however. ..... 

Water still gets stolen in New Mexico, I hear, and not too far from Alamogordo, either. Could just be rumor, though.