May 31, 2023 Carlsbad to Cloudcroft NM

Wednesday, May 31 

Happy Anniversary.  Year 48 is in the books!

The hotel has a decent breakfast, so we sleep in and eat up. Eggs, sausage, muffins, etc.  Pretty busy too.

We head northwest on 408, then 137 The Queen's Highway.  Both are pretty rural, with free-range cattle, rolling hills and scrubby grass and bushes. 

 As we approach the Falls we enter Lincoln National Forest, with some fairly steep climbs in and out of canyons.  At the low point of the road there are always signs saying "Watch for Water", as flash flooding is fairly common.  But we encounter a few cows and no water.

We arrive at the Falls area just a few minutes before the Ranger comes to unlock the gates. There is a nice picnic area with stone shelters built by the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) during the depression years.  They hold up well

We make the short walk to the Falls. Since we are first of the day, we hoped to find some animals enjoying the water, but only a flock of buzzards are startled by our arrival.  They say the Falls are fed by an underground spring and never dry up.  Not exactly a thundering falls, but very impressive considering we are in the Chihuahuan Desert!  A few other people soon arrive and several wade into the pool at the base of the falls.

A little rainbow action near the bottom

There are people in the water if you look closely.

It is already getting quite warm when we leave around 10:00.  We are heading to Cloudcroft, which has the highest elevation in New Mexico and should be a good 10-15 degrees cooler.

First, we head north to Artesia, where we pause to take in some of their many murals and bronze statues.

Each bronze has a plaque with name and artist.  This last one is called "The Rustler"  by Robert Sommers.  It was cast in Bastrop, Texas.

 And from there we turn west on Hwy 82.  No signal and not a lot of scenery till we get close to Cloudcroft and real trees.  We decide to try a Forest Service campground after our potential boon docking spot appears taken over by a group of equestrians, horse trailers and all.  Pine Campground is nearby and has a few spots available.  When I open the door to pick up the registration envelope, the smell of pine is wonderful!! We register for site #9 before heading into the town of Cloudcroft to look around! 

The town is small and is most popular in winter for skiing and snow activities.  Downtown is one or two main streets with attendant shops, gas station, and a few restaurants. 

This mural was on the side of a turquoise shop.

 One store had hummingbird feeders hanging outside and sure enough we saw one (maybe the same one twice?) imbibing.  The store sold quite a few humming bird items and the cashier said they are really starting to arrive and will be most plentiful in July and August.

We didn't find anything  we couldn't live without, though I did admire some southwestern pottery.  We found a couple of postcards and filled them out and mailed them at the small post office.  It was windy and cool enough that Beth pulled on a jacket!  What a difference a few thousand feet makes!  On the way back, we drive a bit past our campground - if we kept going for an hour or so this road would take us to Ruidoso.

There is a sign for Silver Lake, so we decide to check it out.  Unfortunately, we find that the lake is on the property of Silver Lake Campground and you can only get to it if you are camping there.  We've got signal here, so chat a bit with Greg's Mom before returning to the campground.

Just before the turnoff to our campsite there is a lovely meadow with beautiful horses.  Three mares with their young foals and a stallion.  When I get back to the campsite I walk through the woods in that direction and spot the horses.  The mares and foals gallop off when they notice me, right to the stallion, who raises his head, looks at me and begins meandering in my direction.  Since the fence between the campground and the meadow had long ago ceased performing its intended function, I decided to head back to our site.

We had noticed  a trailhead in the campground, so Greg and I set off for a quick walk. Nice woods, but nothing spectacular - until  Greg spotted this horned lizard about 6-7" long. Have never seen one before and he didn't seem in a rush to get away. Really blended well with its surroundings, eh?

I asked a ranger later to make sure what it was and he said he grew up in Arizona and used to see them all the time, but they are becoming more scarce.  

Spoke with a nice couple, Jim and Becka, from Arkansas who pulled in next to us. They are on their way to Bryce Canyon.

Dinner was worsts and those juicy (and expensive) Fredericksburg peaches🙂. Greg started a campfire, but it was pretty windy so we weren't out too long.  Why is it that campfire smoke seems attracted to me wherever I sit?  Quiet, chilly night.