New Mexico - cliff dwellings, sand dunes, petroglyphs, UFO's - etc.

After spending more than a month in southern Arizona, we finally made it to New Mexico.  The RV dealer in Tucson was unable to fix two other issues, so we made an appointment with their sister agency in Albuquerque.  We had not planned on driving that far north due to the cold weather, but we also wanted to get Tiny Tin fixed.   We drove through the picturesque old mining town of Silver City, stopping only long enough to move the street sign we'd knocked over while trying to back up on a small street (oops!).  Silver City reminded us of Bisbee with old buildings that now housed shops, cafes and galleries.  We stayed on the outskirts of town and opted to visit the Gila Cliff Dwellings instead of exploring Silver City.  

The route up NM Highway 35 and Highway 15 was a long and winding road, a bit harrowing with bits of snow and ice on the road, but a beautiful drive.   We even saw a herd of javelina's on the way back!  The Gila Cliff Dwellings, built by ancient Puebloans of the Mogollon area were apparently only occupied for about 30 years.  We hiked up and were allowed to wander through the dwellings, thinking of the challenges our ancient ancestors faced.  

We stayed in the small town of Mimbres and then made our way over the Mimbres Mountains to the town of Truth or Consequences, which was another long and windy road,with even more snow.  The scenery again was amazing. After a brief stop in Truth or Consequences (the town that changed its name in the 1950's from Hot Springs to that of a popular radio show), we arrived in Albuquerque for our appointment for Tiny Tin (the RV).  Oh yeah, we also picked up a young man hitchhiking from the mountain pass and gave him a ride to Albuquerque (ABQ).  Our good deed for the day!

The RV park we found was directly across the freeway from the RV dealer at the outskirts of ABQ.  We spent an entire day there but the technician found and repaired the problem, which was an electrical short created when the satellite dish was installed in Seattle.  Due to cold temperatures and impending snow, we departed early the next morning without seeing any sights in ABQ, and headed south to Alamogordo with hopes of warmer weather.  

In route, we stopped at the Valley of Fires and Malpais Lava Flow, outside the town of Carrizozo.  (isn't that a great name?  Unfortunately, the town was left off of New Mexico's most recent state map)  We took the dogs for a walk around the flow, which was very reminiscent of the Big Island and one of the Galapago Islands.  While at Alamogordo, we visited White Sands National Monument.  The sands, which are actually gypsum, cover 275 square miles and can be seen not only from the highway, but from outer space (so they say). The White Sands are beautiful and unique.  The park allows visitors to hike and play on the dunes, yet also manages to protect them.   Because White Sands also hosts a military base and missile launch site, we visited Alamogordo's Space Museum to learn a bit more of that history. It was a nice little museum.

After White Sands, we stopped at Three Rivers Petroglyphs, just below Sierra Blanca and enjoyed walking around numerous ancient petroglyphs, created by the Mogollon peoples between 900 and 1400 AD. 

Crossing the Sacramento Mountains, we arrived at Roswell, site of a UFO crash in 1947 - or so the story goes.  We visited Roswell's UFO Museum and Research Library, which contained many reports from around the world of UFO sightings and encounters with extraterrestial beings.  It was sort of a hokey museum, but the 1947 incident has drawn millions of visitors (like us) to Roswell since then.  While in Roswell, we also visited their History and Art Museum which had a wonderful collection of historical artifacts and art.  We found Roswell's off-leash dog park and Fergus was able to run and play ball a couple of times before we left town.  

Our last stop in New Mexico was at Carlsbad Cavern National Park.  Unfortunately, the elevator that helps many tourists descend/ ascend to the 750 foot depth of the Cavern was out of service.  We walked about halfway down the Caverns and decided we'd seen enough stalactites and stalagmites and returned without seeing the major rooms.  On our way into and out of the park we saw a herd of Barbary sheep, which was a bit startling.  Apparently the wild herd is the offspring of some Barbary sheep that escaped from a private ranch many years ago.  

We hope to return to New Mexico later this year as we missed seeing the northern part of the state where even more noted sites await. We were not, however, disappointed with the diverse beauty of southern New Mexico  and its ancient historical sights.  Now we're off to Texas, on a cloud of heifer dust.  
 Photos include Truman inside the laundry basket (his choice); Gila Cliff Dwellings; Mimbre Mountains; Valley of Fire; White Sands; sunrise at Alamogordo; Three Rivers Petroglyphs; Roswell UFO museum; and Carlsbad Cavern.