New Mexico, Anne's Apr 2, 2015

April 2, 2015 Into New Mexico

McDonald's doesn't open till 7:00 so we sleep in a bit.   57 degrees. Greg is up doing exercises and wakes me at 7:00 so we can get on the road.  Quick cup of coffee from McD's and we will stop for breakfast later.

More border patrol this morning and another uneventful checkpoint.  We continue westward toward El Paso.  More scattered mountains and occasional wildflowers but mostly rocky and dry with scrub brush.  We stop at a rest stop for a stretch and some breakfast, then continue on. Temperature has dropped to 44, but soon begins to climb again.   We begin to see many orchards - either pecans or pistachios... very large.

In the middle of nowhere, there is a big billboard advertising jobs at McDonalds in Pecos $10-$17/hr, 401K, Free rent!  In Pecos, TX.   Greg thinks it might have something to do with fracking in the area.  We only pass one fracking sight.

We wind through El Paso, which seems to have one of most every restaurant and store in existence! Reach the Welcome to New Mexico sign about 10:00.  There are more nut trees and many cattle lots - huge feed lots with hundreds of cattle in each.  Some dairies as well.

We reach Las Cruces and stop at the Farm & Ranch Museum, which our friend Anne recommended.  It is a large state-run facility which showcases farming, ranches, equipment, history, cowboys and all things New Mexico.

 As we wander around the outside part we come across a group which is branding cattle.  They are friendly and invite us to come inside the pen area and watch.  The cattle are 2-5 months old.  They come down a chute and are put into a tight pen which then locks them in place.  It is tilted sideways and the animals are first given ear tags, then an inoculation, and then they are branded on the left hindquarters.   We chat for a while and take some photos.

 The mothers of the youngsters are in another area and are quite vocal when they hear their offspring crying.

There are quite a few interesting photography and other displays inside, as well as films and a giftshop.

Since we are heading to Hatch for lunch, we skim some of the material and then get back on I-25 north.

We arrive at Sparky's in Hatch, another recommendation.

 There is a line out the door but it moves quickly and we are advised by a couple behind us that we should get the green chilis on the side for our green chili cheeseburgers - smart move!  The burgers are tasty and the decor is pretty unique, including Ronald McDonald, Colonel Sanders, Juke box, animal mounts and tons of old signage and photos, phones, etc.   Hatch is the Chili Pepper Capital of the World.  Even in Texas, some of the grocery stores set up cookers and roast Hatch peppers in August or September.

From Hatch we drive another 100 miles to Silver City.  Supposedly a scenic highway, but just more of the same as far as we can tell.  There is a spot with the first wind turbines that we have seen and the wind today is fierce.

 Our friend Anne says April is always a very windy month and there are sometimes road closures due to the dust storms the wind stirs up.  Greg wrestles a bit with the trek and we see a few tumbling tumble weeds, but we reach Anne's unscathed!

Great to see her and her dog, Dixie.  We have a long chat, snack, Anne makes a terrific diner and we play Mexican Train for a while.  Long hot showers feel great too.  She sure knows how to make us feel very welcome!