Roswell/Bitter Lake to San Angelo 2/9/17/ Home again 2/10

Thursday, February 9

We'd like to go the UFO Museum here in Roswell today, but it doesn't open till 9:00, so we decide to visit Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge just outside of town.

 We arrive there as volunteers John and Iris are opening the Visitor's Center.  Established in 1937, this refuge encompasses a salty lake which was once part of an inland ocean.

There are several rabbits in the area and lots of birds visiting a feeder.

 They have set up a water feature which captures rainwater from the roof.

 Iris shows us a map and talks about what people have been seeing lately - the usual cranes, geese, ducks plus some shore birds, hawks and more.

We spot a coyote across the lake, many ducks - mostly shovelers and coots leaving lovely trails on the water.

 This gorgeous meadowlark is perched on a sign and singing its heart out and doesn't seem to be bothered as we stop for photos. Beautiful song. Like many birds, their territory is shrinking and the number of birds is falling.  A photographer friend fears that it will become more and more difficult to photograph a wide range of birds.

These white faced ibis with a slight iridescence are foraging in the grasses.

 We are used to seeing the all white ibis in Texas so are glad that Iris identifies these for us from our photo.  We see a lesser yellow legs which is a shore bird and learn that there are quite a few terns,  plovers, willets and other shore birds which breed here.  Seems a long way from any shore!

Next we head back to town and the International UFO & Research Center, which is quite busy.  It all

began in July 1947 when something crashed near a ranch about 75 miles north of town. It took a while to get reported and in the meantime various people saw pieces of debris - supposedly an extremely light but very strong metal.  An initial press release from the military claimed that it was an extraterrestrial vehicle...but soon the area was restricted and another release was issued that claimed it was just a weather balloon that crashed.

Several of the locals involved were soon told not to discuss any details, but over the years things were written including descriptions of bodies found near the site. (They were described as 3-4 foot tall, hairless, with large eyes and four fingers.) Everything, the debris and the bodies, was loaded and removed from the area by the military.

Set from a movie about the Roswell Incident.

The debate continues as to what really crashed and what was coverup. Lots of speculation.  Other displays show information about other supposed sightings of UFO's, abductions, etc.  Quite a few reputable scientists or others are quoted, including President Jimmy Carter who claims to have seen a UFO. There was even a display of forged or faked "UFO" photos.

All in all an interesting place.  The town, of course, has taken up the UFO banner with restaurants and shops with names like Outer Space Diner and Alien Zone.

From Roswell, we continue east into flat flat land.

 Many antelope along highway 380 and then we begin to see farmland, all with large irrigation sprinklers.

  Many cotton fields, some large bales of cotton in the fields and some fields freshly plowed.  As we enter Texas more oil pumps appear amid the cotton fields and more cattle.

 A few peanut farms and vineyards as well.  Without irrigation this would be desolate, scrub land. We see a sign advertising well digging for $7/foot.  We also see several very large solar farms as well as many wind farms.  The word "gin" has a whole other meaning as we pass large cotton gins which process the crop.

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 Old and new wind power side by side.

As we approach San Angelo, we talk with Matt and plan on seeing him tomorrow for lunch. We are about 3 hours from Austin. We have seen many variations of painted animals on display in towns - bears, bison, dolphins, cows, horses, groundhogs (in Punxatawney), etc.  Today we add sheep to the list in San Angelo.

Friday, February 10

We rise to find a text from Matt saying he won't be able to meet us, so we adjust our route and head for home.  A long 7 hour drive through hill country we've been through before and back to prairie land.  Texas cattle, goats, farms and small towns. More green as we travel east.

 This is a beautiful area in Springtime with wildflowers, but not so much now. We bypass Austin and take hwy 290 back to Spring.

Beth does some reading, we listen to the radio for a bit. A quiet and uneventful ride home.

Arrive home about 2:30 and find all well here.

Bosque/Bernardo to Roswell, NM 2/8/17

February 8, Wednesday

We awake as the sky is just beginning to lighten and head back to Bosque del Apache. Often wildlife is most active in early morning or at dusk.  It is a chilly 34 degrees this morning and the temperature drops to 29 as we enter the Refuge.

We come to a wetland area with about 75 cranes, many ducks, and many photographers as well.  The cranes are just waking - some of them are still wrapped up keeping warm and seem to be quite fluffed as well.

 We set up the tripod and take a few pics which seem more end of night than beginning of morning.

 It doesn't take long for the sun to peak above the horizon and the birds become more active, walking towards the end of the shallow lake where they will take off over the next few minutes. They often prefer to sleep in shallow water like this which protects them from preditors like fox, coyote and mountain lion.  What a difference the lighting makes in photos!  By 7:10 the birds are all gone and the photographers head out as well.

 We see more javelina, deer and other birds as we slowly make the drive around the loops again.

Next we head about 30 miles north to the Bernardo Waterfowl Management Area where we were told there is a greater concentration of birds because of more food in the area.  Nice entry sign and we immediately come across a field with hundreds of cranes and geese.  

 There is also a loop drive here, along with a few trails, blinds, and platforms. There is a lot of movement.

 Around 11:00 we begin the journey east towards Texas.  We have opted to take smaller back roads and enjoy the scenery.  We soon come across the Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument. There are 3 sites and we first come to the Abo ruins.  All are remnants of 3 ancient Indian pueblos where Spanish friars started missions about 400 years ago.  These pueblos were thriving trade centers and traded salt from nearby salt lakes, among other things. The pueblos are pretty much buried under mounds, though there are some remains and petroglyphs.  The ruins of the missions which include multiple buildings are more visible.

We travel 8 miles or so to the Qauarai ruins which are similar.

 Next stop is a post office in a small town called MountainAir. We spot quite a few antelope along these roads before reaching Lincoln.  This is Billy the Kid territory and we stop briefly at the Lincoln State Monument, a small collection of buildings and a museum.

There is a large rock engraved by a group of Germans - the crew of a ship called Columbus - who were held here from 1941 till the end of the war. Apparently they had friendly relations with the locals. Who knows how they ended up here!

In 1901,  Dr. James Laws established a TB facility here because the clean, dry air was presumed to be good for treating the disease.  As his facility became too crowded, he built 10 of these small TB huts to house his patients and only this one remains.

We can't find any boon docking spots tonight, so end up at the Roswell Walmart for the night. As we drive into town we pass a field where a herd of antelope are nonchalantly grazing.

We walk to a nearby Chili's for dinner and call it a night.

Bosque del Apache, NM 2/7/17

February 7, 2017

40 degrees this morning and clear skies.  After a bit of breakfast, we bid farewell to Tom and Sue and head out of town.  We've decided to head toward Bosque del Apache National Wildlife  Refuge near Socorro, New Mexico.  We exit Arizona on I-10, Greg driving and Beth doing some computer work. We get gas and head north at Deming, through Hatch - the Chili Capital of New Mexico.  We have eaten here a few times, but pass today, settling for PB&J on the road.

Sparky's in Hatch, famous for green chili cheeseburgers

Basque del Apache is well known for migratory birds and we are not disappointed. After checking in at the HDQ, we drive their wildlife loop, stopping here and there for short walks.  Many ducks on the water, lots of sandhill cranes, snow geese and Canada geese.  Most of these have been here since October but will be gone in a few weeks.

A great deal of corn is planted in this area, alternating years with alfalfa to retain soil nitrogen. There is also some millet and other grains.  The water, mainly from the nearby Rio Grande river, is also managed.

We also spot a skunk, a few javelina and some deer.  Plus this bird which I think may be a juvenile bald eagle - we know there are eagles here.  ??

 Beautiful day in the 60's.  The rangers at the Visitor's Center give us a handout which identifies some nearby areas for dry camping (no facilities) and we opt to go up the road about 9 miles to San Antonio (NM) and some BLM (Bureau of Land Management) property. They generally allow camping and generally have no facilities, which is fine with us.  We've got the whole area to ourselves.

 We have to close the overhead vent because of strong winds, but otherwise have a quiet evening.  Soup and fruit for dinner and we do some reading.  Greg is reading a Smithsonian's History of America in 101 Objects, while Beth is reading a novel called Ordinary Grace.  Quiet, cool night with cloudy skies obscuring all but a few starts.