Sunday, October 30

Sunday, October 30

Another gorgeous sunrise.

It is 62 degrees this morning at 7:20 when we leave the campground.  We see several deer and many hawks. 

We reach the New Mexico border about 8:00 and just past Whites City we turn west along hwy 408.   This is a very narrow rural road that winds through cattle ranges as we bump over several cattle guards.  Many of the cattle are free range – no fences – and we see a few on and near the road. We paused to let these cross.

A short jaunt south on Hwy 137 takes us into the 

hills again and to the road to Sitting Bull Falls State Park. There is a $5 per car entry fee, but the only car there this morning is the local ranger’s.  There are several nice stone shelters – another contribution of the CCC Civilian Conservation Corps.

It is a short walk to the beautiful falls, formed by a spring which spews water year-round and drops 150 feet. 

This is quite an oasis in an otherwise rocky, dry landscape and has been occupied for the past 10,000 years. Several pools form at the base of the falls and a variety of trees and flowers take advantage of this water source.

Lighting is difficult for photos because of the shade/sun contrast, so we go back and have some lunch and wait for the sun to rise a little higher for some even lighting on the falls - better.

  We follow several short trails to explore other smaller falls, pools, rocks and caves.   Several people come and go, one couple with two huge great danes which enjoy the water. 

Reflections in one of the pools

We talk with the ranger a bit and he suggests where we can boondock for the night, so we follow his directions through possibly the smallest town yet – Queens.  It seems to consist of a fire hall, a café (open only on weekends) and one or two homes – no doubt owned by a fireman and the café owner.  A little while later we pass this monument and stop to investigate. 

It is in memory of Frank A. Kindel – the “flying paperboy of the Guadalupes”.  Apparently he had a small plane and carted people around the area, throwing newspapers as he flew over area ranches. He died near here in a plane crash in 1964 at age 72.

We turn down a wide gravel road with this unusual sign:

 Grade dips are like giant speed bumps every so often and we surmise they have something to do with water run-off.  Every low spot for miles around has signs warning of flash flooding.

 Eventually we find a fairly level spot amidst some juniper trees and call it home.

There is a water tank and a makeshift corral not far away, which must be used to round up cattle at certain times of year.  We have noticed that the national lands allow cattle grazing.

Beth makes the mistake of accidentally kicking a low cactus while exploring – those needles are very sharp as one goes through both shoe and sock and about ¼” into the side of her foot!   Ouch!

We sit outside and read and work on photos for a while.  The ranger back at Sitting Bull had told us that hunting season started in New Mexico and we see a couple pickups passing by with hunters dressed in camouflage.  We are quite visible and colorful, though, so not worried.

Quiet night as we finish off worst with sauerkraut.