Apr 4-6 New Mexico to Austin to Home

April 4,  Bottomless Lakes & Rocks

48 degrees this morning.  We have a breakfast sandwich at the local McDonalds.  Here, as in most of the small towns we visit, there is a group of "regulars", seniors having coffee and a chat.  We use the WIFI to check out sites at Bottomless Lakes.  Looks like the campsites are full, but Anne says her site is very big and they say we can share.

First we head to a few Rockhounding sites between here and Rockwell, with mixed results.  Here are photos of some of the things we've been finding.... some of which we just like and aren't even sure what they are.

Mid-afternoon we head to the campground.  Anne has had to run into Roswell for something, so we have time to shower and clean up before she gets back.  We met Anne on our trip to Alaska and have kept in touch.  She travels in a Pleasureway van, similar to ours (We are in front.)  We are in site 26 by Lea Lake.

Nice sunset, dinner is great and catching up even better!  By far the best meal and best company we've had!

April 5  To Austin

We leave very early this morning for the long ride to Austin, where we hope to visit with son Matt.
Nice sunrise.

Beth goes back to sleep for an hour or two once we cross the border into Texas, waking somewhere south of Lubbock.  Back through Sweetwater and again we are surrounded by Wind Turbines and oil jacks.

All along the way, when we have signal, we are looking for a place to camp near Austin.  But even the little county parks and such are full.  The flowers are gorgeous, but that's why the campgrounds are full!

We chat with Matt and he is busy tonight representing his Soccer Club at a meeting with MLS.  MLS - Major League Soccer - is coming to Austin next year and they are meeting with representatives of all the soccer clubs in the Austin area to discuss recruiting and such.  So we make plans to meet at his 8:00 game tomorrow morning.

Meanwhile, we fall back to Walmart again.  It is rather warm, so we hang out at a local Wendy's for dinner with charging and wi-fi.  Very pleasant people there. Though we are pretty close to 290, the noise isn't bad and as the weather cools we have a decent night's sleep.


April 6  Austin to Houston

We had a little rain last night and it is misty this morning, but we head to Bee Cave for Matt's 12-13 year old boys' game.  Lovely Travis Middle School with a great stadium with astro turf!  We visit with a few parents and enjoy the game with on-again-off-again sprinkles.

  Midway through the second half a loud alarm goes off.  Lightning warning, so they call the game rather than wait for a possible re-start in half an hour.  Matt's team is down 3-1 but had moments of great play against kids a year older.

Matt's 2nd game at 10:00 is cancelled due to the storms.  So we follow Matt to a spot for a late breakfast and visit.  Great to see him and hear all the excitement of upcoming games, tournaments, try-outs, etc.  So glad he enjoys what he is doing!

Then we hit the road for the 3 1/2 drive back to home.   Rain is heavy on and off for the first half, then stops under cloudy skies till we reach home.  Wildflowers don't look as inviting in the rain as we travel by Brenham.

 As always, nice to be home!

Apr. 3 Alamagordo to Artesia

April 3, 2019

53 degrees this morning and blue skies.  We spotted these pretty deer on the way out of the campground.

First stop is White Sands.  We've been here a few times, but couldn't just drive by!  Had breakfast in the visitor's center parking lot - cars here from all over the country!  The visitor's center is a pretty adobe building with yuccas almost in full bloom, with pink buds turning white.

 Then drove the loop into the dunes. Still pretty awesome! Doesn't it look like snow?

Next stop is up the road in Alamagordo.  This area is quite arid and one of the few places in the US (other than California) where folks grow pistachios. The nuts were first found in Iran and Iraq, where they grow as bushes.  Here they are small trees.  We find there is a tour in a couple of hours, so decide to check out a train museum in Alamagordo and come back.

The Toy Train Depot doesn't look too impressive at first, but as in many cases, the people make it.
Our guide is Chastity, aided by George, a volunteer who runs things for us.

This is another museum whose heart and displays were a single person's collection. John Kovac owned 75% of what we see and only created the museum when his wife threatened to leave if he didn't get rid of the trains!    Lots and lots of toy trains and about a half dozen set-ups, most of which are based on New Mexico towns.

There are 1400' of track in the "HO Room", which took nearly four years to completely set up.

  We learn lots about the different gauge tracks (there are 13 of them!)and see examples.  The smallest "T" is quite tiny:

 A "T" engine and the tools to work on it.

The largest is garden gauge and is made for outdoors.

 My favorite is this engine which was a wind-up model - one of the first in the US.

There are many examples of engines, cars and specialty items from the four major manufacturers: Marks, Lionel, American Flyer and Bachman.

Do they have one of these signs in your train room at Garden Spot, Mom?

There is also a small rideable train outside, but we opt to pass on a ride today.  In their small gift area we find a cool ABC puzzle train that is about 5 feet long, with each car carrying letters of the alphabet.  Ruby will love it.  (See!)

  We think of Nolan too and wonder what he would make of all these trains!

Back to Heart of the Desert - the pistachio (and wine) place, where we join a tour led by Maddie.
Another family operation which has grown to employ 60 folks plus some seasonal workers.  (There is a military base near here where Maddie's husband works.)

We start by checking out the male and female trees which are now in pollination stage.

 One male pollinates many females so the trees are grafted to produce the proper mix. ( Male, then female.)

 The nuts will be harvested in September using shaker machines, with each tree producing about 20 pounds.

After being picked the nuts are sorted several times for quality and size and then roasted, either with salt or other flavorings, then packaged.

 Machines do 98% of the sorting, but they still go through a human "quality control" line.

Though this is a small operation compared to world-wide consumption, they are proud of their product and their growth. When picked, they refrigerate much of the harvest and then process them throughout the year.  They send the smaller nuts to different places to make ice cream and candy for them (the pistachio toffee is killer!)

From here we go just down the road to McGinn's to take a photo of this huge pistachio!

 The day has warmed nicely and we decide to have some ice cream at McGinn's.  Had to smile, as their ice cream was Blue Bell (made back in Texas!).  We love the cherry vanilla.

From Alamagordo we climb 4,200' in 16 miles up to Cloudcroft, with a pause at the Mexican Canyon Trestle, which we read about at the Toy Train Depot.

 There used to be a steep train spur that carried lumber from the mountains down to Alamagordo.

Cloudcroft is full of evergreens and even has some ski resorts!  The temperature dropped nearly 30 degrees from Alamagordo!  We camped in this area once years ago with the boys and had a bear visit neighbors during the night.

We decide to push on towards Artesia, another few hours to stage for tomorrow's rockhounding and meeting our friend Anne.   Not much on the drive, including no cell phone signal.  When we come into the town of Artesia we notice several large bronze statues along main street!  They are quite nice and each has a plaque that tells the relation to this area. Unexpected pleasant surprise.

The first is two men who were crucial in the oil field development in the area, Mark Chase and Johnny Gray. Off to their right  is an oil rig with workmen.

The next one is Susan Chisum the daughter of the cattleman whose name is forever attached to the Chisum trail.  She is considered the "First Lady" of Artesia.

This one is called "The Gaucho".  There were a few others too, all cast in Wyoming.

We find the local Walmart, pick up a few groceries and call it a night.

 We have talked with Anne and plan a cookout tomorrow night at Bottomless Lakes State Park, where we will spend the night. Steaks!  Sounds great!

Apr. 2, Bosque Apache, Truth or Consequences...

April 2, 2019  Truth or Consequences

No problem running the generator this morning as there is no one to disturb!  So after coffee and breakfast we drive south, back to Bosque Del Apache Refuge.  More active wildlife this morning!

We see four skunks in the first 10 minutes.  Some scurry away into the brush, but we followed this guy for a few minutes.

 He was with a partner when we came upon him, but they separated quickly and the other one disappeared while this one lifted his tail!

 First thought,  as I am hanging out the window: how far can a skunk spray? (Answer I found later, about 10') Second thought -  more and longer fur than I expected, but I suppose this is still a winter coat.

Next, we encountered several flocks of turkeys.  The Toms were displaying nicely and the early morning light lit their feathers. Whole lot of gobbling going on too.

Next up: a string of young javelina crossed the road.  I got out of the van for this picture and caught a whiff of their distinctive odor (Phew!).

Lots more turkey in the fallow fields.  We must have seen nearly a hundred total.

Greg stopped as we saw a single deer browsing on the tender shoots of some bushes.

 I walked closer and noticed a few other deer that eventually came out of the brush to join the first.

 Looking around, I noticed the reflection of the bare trees in the nearby water and switched to taking these pictures.

The lighting was awesome, changing quickly.    Some ducks were enjoying the scene too.

These egrets seemed to be just waking up.

It was interesting to see how the refuge manages the water flow depending on the season.

Then it was back to the deer.  I thought the soft lighting made it look like a watercolor painting!

Later, we see a larger herd of deer and again Greg stops and I slowly walk closer to them.  They are super aware of me and keep a pretty constant distance away.

 Eventually I got too close and they turn and swim across a stream single file, before moving on.  Funny to watch them as each one shook like a dog after getting out of the water.

Near the exit to the refuge, we came across this pretty pheasant!

 Haven't seen one of them in a long time - they use to be everywhere where I grew up in Pennsylvania.

Nice that we only saw one other person the entire morning.

From here we find I25 south and find the local library in a town called Truth Or Consequences. The town was originally named Hot Springs, but in 1950 the host of a radio program called Truth Or Consequences said he would broadcast the program on its 10th anniversary from the first town to rename itself after the show.  The town still celebrates the name change with a "Fiesta" each May.
Some of the hot springs are too hot to swim in, but they have created some bath houses where you can have a good soak.  I wonder how many Hot Springs there are in the US - but only one Truth or Consequences!  ( I googled it, there are towns called Hot Springs in Arkansas, Wyoming, North Dakota, and Nevada...maybe more.)

We need wi-fi to make some arrangements, cancelling our planned trip to Ireland.  The airline we had booked, with a stop in Iceland, has declared bankruptcy!  I try to find an alternative flight so that we can maintain our itinerary, but things just don't work at a reasonable price.  Very disappointed, but the people at our Chase Visa card are most helpful in cancelling some of the charges.  After a spate of emails and a few other phone calls, we move on, feeling a bit more hopeful that things will work out.

From here we head to another Rockhounding spot, way out in the boonies.  Nice recently paved road, though, and we find some interesting rocks.  Since the road is good and we are heading in the desired direction we continue on this road.  Cell phone coverage has been spotty unless we are near a sizable town.

We eventually touch down in Las Cruces and head 17 miles east to Aguirre Spring BLM Rec Area.  This field of yellow flowers is along the long windy road into the campground.  Beautiful!

The small campground is tucked into the Organ mountains, the only high country in the surrounding Chihuahuan Desert.  Sites are rather close together and most of them are occupied by small rv's such as ours because the tortuous road in is closed to anything over 24' long.  Nice fresh air and star-studded sky!