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Carlsbad Caverns, Big Bend, Chiricahua Mountains and More


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#21 Sleddog

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Posted 24 February 2020 - 04:49 AM

Day 26 - After a good hot shower at Oliver Lee State Park, we took the dogs for a walk then headed for White Sands Missle Range Museum. After a quick security check, we were allowed on base to visit the museum and missile park. Admission was free and we both enjoyed the history lesson. After the museum we headed back to the Sierra Vista Trailhead to camp for the night.

 

 

 

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#22 Sleddog

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Posted 24 February 2020 - 04:51 AM

Day 27 - Today we had a quick breakfast then went for an early morning hike at Dripping Springs, about 3 miles round trip to the Springs and back. There is a $5 day use fee, but our national parks pass got us in for free since we were in a National Monument.

After the hike, we decided to move towards the Chiricahua Mountains just over the New Mexico border in the southeast corner of Aizona. We visited Chiricahua National Monument last year and noticed many more camping and hiking opportunities outside the monument in the Coronado National Forest. We stopped in Las Cruces to restock at a Walmart and it was getting late for driving the whole way, so we stopped for the night at Rockhound State Park. There were no sites available, but the camp host was super nice and helpful and offered us a fairly level spot to park for the night and only charged $8 including shower access.

 

Day 28 - Today we took the dogs for an early morning hike in the park then drove to the Cave Creek Recreation Area in the Chiricahua Mountains. We stopped at the visitor center for information and were greeted by a very helpful gentleman who provided trail descriptions and camping locations, including campgrounds and primitive dispersed camping options. This area is popular with birders, but we are early for the season and there were only a few other campers around. Out of 4 campgrounds, 2 of them were completely empty. We opted for a free primitive site on a creek abut 2 miles from several trailheads in the main canyon area.

 

 

 

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#23 Sleddog

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Posted 24 February 2020 - 04:52 AM

Day 29 - We started the day with a 3 mile hike on the Ash Springs Loop. Then we decided to drive a scenic loop on Forest roads over the next couple of days. So after the hike, we drove Forest Road 42 from Cave Creek through Pinery Canyon to highway 181 at the entrance to Chiricahua National Monument. Since we had already visited the Monument, we skipped it this time and made our way to Turkey Creek to camp for the night at a primitive site.

 

 

 

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#24 Sleddog

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Posted 24 February 2020 - 05:00 AM

Day 31 - We were starting to get a little low on gas and the nearest gas station was about 40 miles away in Animas. We were also ready for a change in scenery, so we decided to head east on highway 9 to Pancho Villa State Park in Columbus, NM. We reached Animas to discover that the only gas pumps in town were out of order. We were down to less than 1/4 tank of gas, but we carry 5 gallons of extra gas (properly mounted in safe containers on the camper) so we decided to go on to Columbus to refuel.

Pancho Villa State Park had several sites available, so we didn't bother with reservations. The campground is set up more like a commercial RV park and even though the showers were nice enough, we didn't really care for the campground itself. The onsite museum was great though. The village of Columbus is nothing special, mostly run down with only few restaurant and lodging options and little to do outside the State Park unless you want to cross into Mexico.

 

The original thought was to head north from Columbus to Truth or Consequences for a soak in a hot spring. There is primitive camping available in the area, but it is all at higher elevation where it is likely to freeze overnight. A check on the weather and campsite openings at Elephant Butte State Park convinced us to wait a few days, temps are expected to rise by this weekend and a campsite I want at Elephant Butte isn't available until Saturday. I haven't made camping reservations yet though, we may splurge and spend one night at a resort with private soaking pools, but I haven't decided yet whether the cost is worth it for us. We will sleep on it tonight and decide in the morning. We have decided to return to the Chiricahua mountains in the mean time and will head that way tomorrow after making reservations for Truth or Consequences.

 

Day 32 - Pancho Villa State Park, in general, left a little to be desired though the onsite museum and the museum just across the road were most interesting and made it worth the drive over from the Chiricahua area. The Museum exhibits in the old train depot were a little lacking in presentation, but made up for it with the quantity and variety of items from early 1900s everyday life. The campground was so so at best. In addition to feeling a lot like a cramped commercial RV park, the campground was situated about 1/2 mile from the Mexican border in a open desert environment where sound really travels well. The nearby road across the border was fairly busy and created a bit of noise that died down about 10pm, but never really stopped and picked back up again around 5am. The showers were the worst type, a push button model with no temperature control. The water was just a safe, generic, almost, but not quite hot enough sort of hot. And the push button got you about 30 seconds of water at a time. I have no idea how many times I had to push that button, but I was starting to feel like a monkey in some lab experiment. The town of Columbus didn't seem to have much going for it with very little to offer in the way of lodging, restaurants, or entertainment. The locals tell me that I should see how town fills with people when the desert blooms and when they do their yearly anniversary celebration of the Pancho Villa raid. I think a one night visit was sufficient and I will probably miss the spring festivities. We checked out after our showers and headed back to the Cave Creek area of the Chiricahua Mountains to camp for the next few nights.

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#25 Sleddog

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Posted 24 February 2020 - 05:04 AM

Day 33 - We found a nice primitive campsite on a creek and decided to stay put for a couple of days. The dogs really liked this site because it came with an entire deer carcass, more than enough for both dogs to chew on happily for days. We took a nice 4 mile hike on part of Snowshed Peak Trail and lazed around camp most of the day.

 

 

 

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#26 Sleddog

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Posted 24 February 2020 - 05:05 AM

Day 34 - Another day at the same camp near Cave Creek. We slept in a bit, had a late breakfast, then went to the Chiricahua Desert Museum in nearby Rodeo, New Mexico. The Museum had a great live display of desert reptiles with a focus on various rattlesnakes.

 

Day 35 - We were planning to stay in the same camp for one more night, but we ran out of propane this morning.  We took a hike up the South Fork Trail then went in search of propane

We headed to Lordsburg for more propane and decided to stay the night at the Veterans Park where they provided a basic campground for free. Each site had a picnic table and a shade shelter, and there was a dumpster, but no toilets or other services. It was a little run down, but mostly clean with maybe 8 other campers spread over a fairly large area. Sound travels well here and we could hear faint highway noise all night, but it was good enough for a free one night stay.

 

 

 

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#27 Sleddog

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Posted 24 February 2020 - 05:08 AM

Day 36 - We left Lordsburg early and went to visit the Gila Cliff Dwellings. The drive to Silver City was uneventful. The drive up route 15 was beautiful, and slow, taking almost 2 hours for less than 50 miles. Viewing the dwellings required a short hike, about a mile round trip. It was nice to be able to go inside the dwellings to really look around. I could have easily lived in that cliff dwelling and enjoyed it. We left the cliff dwellings and took a scenic drive down route 152 on our way to spend the next three nights at Elephant Butte Lake State Park. We arrived in time for a shower before dinner and bed. We liked the campground in general and ended up with a large, mostly private campsite where we were able to let the dogs roam free around the campsite without issues.

 

 

 

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#28 Sleddog

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Posted 24 February 2020 - 05:10 AM

Day 37 - We took some time to make a few phone calls, pay some bills, and check bank balances. We are right on schedule with our budget of $2000 per month and had enough cushion to splurge and reserve a room at a hot spring resort in town for two nights. After taking care of business so to speak, we went into Truth or Consequences to do some laundry then headed back to camp in time to listen to the superbowl.

 

Day 38 - Last day at Elephant Butte. We were planning a good walk, but I wasn't feeling well and we spent the day in camp looking at maps, reading, and napping.

 

Day 39 - Today we moved to a "spa" in Truth or Consequences. We arrived too early for check in and had time for a walk around town. We had a good cup of coffee and an excellent scone at the Passion Pie Cafe. We checked in and took a late afternoon soak then retired to our room for the evening where I enjoyed cooking in a full kitchen with indoor running water.

 

Day 40 - We chose a lower end place with a full kitchen and unlimited soaks for $75 per night. Our room was a step above a dive, but it was clean enough and the price was right. The beds were old and worn, but we slept great anyway. The shower was poorly situated and cramped, but I was so grateful that I was able to adjust the water temperature and not have to push a stupid button over and over that I didn't care. The mineral baths, those were excellent and what I actually came for.

We slept in and got a late start to the day. We took the dogs to a nearby park to let them run for a while then did some grocery shopping. After shopping and back at the room, we put everything away and went for a walk around the old downtown area. We tried going back to the Passion Pie, but turned out they are closed Wednesdays. We tried the other coffee shop we saw, also closed for the day for repairs. Our third choice was closed on Wednesdays as well, so we gave up and went into the only place we walked by that was open, El Faro. The food was decent but the service was horrible. Wednesdays in February are not good days to go out for coffee and lunch in T or C. Back to the room then off for another soak before tackling my kitchen work. I like to get a room with a kitchen about a month or so into our trips so I can pre-cook and freeze a few meals to make cooking easier in camp, so I can freeze some raw meat for longer storage on the road, and so I can make some ice blocks that last much longer than ice cubes. Hopefully there will be time for another soak in the morning before we head back to the Chiricahua Mountains for more camping and hiking.

 

 

 

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#29 Sleddog

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Posted 24 February 2020 - 05:11 AM

Day 41 - We slept in instead of taking a final soak and got a late start knowing we didn't have far to go. We stopped at the Passion Pie Cafe one last time, this place is worth a stop if you're ever in T or C. Coffee and pastry in hand we headed towards the Chiricahua Mountains. We chose a camp in a different location a little north of the Cave Creek area, on Forest Road 42b, a nice private spot off the beaten path.

 

 

 

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#30 Sleddog

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Posted 24 February 2020 - 05:12 AM

Day 42 - We started the day with a 4 mile hike up Silver Peak Trail then went looking for a campsite near a trail we wanted to hike the next morning. When we were in the Chiricahuas just a couple of weeks ago, the area was mostly deserted, so we were surprised to see the area packed with people and vehicles parked all along the road. Turns out there was a Rainbow Gathering in progress. In my younger days I might have stayed for the party, but I'm getting too old for all that and these days I prefer solitude, so we headed back to Forest Road 42b via a new route and chose a super nice site with beautiful views in all directions and no other humans in site.

 

 

 

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