March 29,30 Into New Mexico

March 29th

We had a small thunderstorm come through last night, but this morning dawns clear and it is already 62 degrees at 7:30AM.

Today will be a long day driving as we head northwest to the New Mexico Border.  We stop in Brady for a quick breakfast.  Near Sweetwater we drive for miles through small ranches with giant wind turbines dotting the terrain.

We head up 84 towards Lubbock, passing recently plowed fields with irrigation systems in place.  Cotton is a huge crop in this area.

The New Mexico border arrives without fanfare about 3:15 in the afternoon and we turn on 70 west to Oasis State Park, located in the middle of a desert of scrubby brush, sand, cactus and a few trees.  "Oasis" refers to a (man-made) lake here which is rare in this area.

 
 It is stocked with trout, catfish and bluegills and has attracted quite a few families with fishing gear.

The campground of about a dozen sites with hookups is full, so we take a "primitive" site - no electric or water with a shade area, picnic table and fire ring.  It is blow-the-hat-off-your-head windy, and it shakes the Trek periodically.  We are amazed at birds' ability to fly in this!

The bathhouse does have lovely hot showers, though we find in New Mexico conserving water is paramount so the showers have a push button which gives about 30 seconds of water with each push. We camp next to a man who spends the entire winter in New Mexico, having bought a NM Pass for $250, which entitles him to unlimited camping at their state parks, with a 14 day limit each spot.  Greg and I have a hard time imagining 14 days here!

Beautiful sunset and lots of doves around us and the 80 degree weather cools so dramatically that half way through the night we have to pull out the extra blanket!

Midnight at the Oasis shows a sky full of stars, with the big dipper spilling directly over us.


Saturday, March 30

35 degrees this morning at 7 AM!  Kind of a surprise, though we hear later that a huge mass of frigid air has moved into this part of the country.

There are already a few people fishing as we enjoy breakfast tacos with eggs and sausage.

We head out to the town of Portales.  We liked their Welcome Sign.

In Portales, we find the Blackwater Draw Museum.

 Blackwater Draw is a 640 acre landscape of early human activity in North America.  The Clovis site here was the 1st archeological site to discover evidence of humans hunting mammoths - proof that man lived the same time as mammoths at the end of the ice age in North America - 11,000 to 13,000 years ago!  Perhaps you've heard of the Clovis Point, a type of spear point.

The museum is a bit underwhelming but does show some pottery, beads, and basket remnants found at the site. The write ups were interesting and deserve a better display.... apparently funding is an issue. (Isn't it always?) Also photos and sketches of mammoths, camels, short-faced bears and other animals that roamed this land.  And some more recent Indian artifacts.

Also in Portales, we go by the Windmill Collection at the Fairgrounds there.   No Dutch windmills here, but a collection of ranch windmills from the southwest and midwest.  Until electricity, these were the standard way of accessing water.  Today there are a few in operation but most use electric or solar powered pumps.

We turn at these ruins of an old stone school to reach site 59 from the Rockhounding Book.  The road is rough, but doable and we find some interesting agate and other stones.

I'm always amazed that flowers find a way to flourish in the oddest places.

Next stop, Jiffy Lube in Roswell for an oil change.  Nice friendly folks, quick service and free popcorn and soda, puts us back on the road, heading to nearby Bottomless Lakes State Park.

 That's Greg up there!

 240 million years ago, oceans covered New Mexico and Texas.  As seas disappeared the waters dissolved some minerals, leaving underground domes which soon caved in and created these lakes which range from 17 to 90 feet deep.  Early settlers called them "bottomless".  It is still windy as we check out the Devil's Inkwell and a few other lakes.  Some are stocked with fish and have attracted a few fishermen.

Plain campsite but nice evening and good showers.

 Salmon cakes and salad for dinner tonight.  Quiet except for the wind.