Thanksgiving Pot Luck

With rangers and other winter volunteers.

Trip to Bosque Del Apache Wildlife Refuge

While Joan and Al were visiting us drove north to the Wildlife Refuge to see the many birds that winter here as well as to visit our fellow Escapees the Vaughns who volunteer here.

Mule deer feeding along the road through the refuge.

At the visitor's center we were told the count was down.
However, we saw lots of cranes.

Sandhill Cranes winter in this refuge.

Trip to Monticello and then through the canyon in early November.

This school was built in 1935 using adobe brick (you can see them exposed in sections of the walls). Our trip through the small town showed several churches and a new school. One of our rangers lives near here .

Have not seen a lot of wildlife but these deer were sharing the pasture with some horses.

Stream crossing the road.
Water level is very low at this time but we are told from March thru October it can be high.

Cave spotted in side of mountain. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Closeup of cave. We did not explore to see how large this cave was.

Did not see a lot of wildlife but did spot this heron.

One of the different looking and colored rock formations.

Fall coloring after a wet summer here in New Mexico.

A beautiful site for lunch. . . with only the creek for company.
We did meet one guy with his 4 dogs on the road. He stopped to visit with us. He has worked for one of the ranchers about 8 years. He shared some information about his boss . . . they do not like for people to travel through their ranch (even though it is a public road), they live off the grid using solar power but do not get it for his house because the panels would show from the road and they are ugly. So they buy him diesel for his generator (makes lots of noise) at a cost of about $4000 which will not carry him through the winter.

This is one of the road signs telling the traveler that
Monticello is behind us 11 miles,
Highway 52 is close to 3 miles ahead
but either way is "Rough".
Our total time was approx. 5 hrs. to travel about 45 miles.

As we drove from Monticello to Hwy. 52 the mountains were spectacular. We have forded the creek (which flows out of a spring west of the box canyon) over a dozen times and several times just drove down the creek. Saw several signs along the way "this is not the road" which kept us going in the correct direction.

Yes, our road does go through here.

Golden eagle on the rocky shore of the creek.

This is the water level gauge in the canyon (we estimated that is was 20 feet tall).

At Monticello Box Canyon the creek and road share the same space. Not recommended that you drive here during the rainy season when flash floods frequently fill this canyon.

Trip to Chloride, Old West Ghost Town

Jo Ann, Francis, George and Carol.

While George and Carol were visiting at Elephant Butte State Park on their way to Arizona we took the opportunity to visit Chloride which we had been wanting to do.

One of the several houses still in use in the area.

In early Chloride (a silver mining town) this original 1880 log cabin was a general store. In 1881 there were 8 saloons, 3 mercantile stores, 2 butcher shops, a hotel, a boarding house plus several other businesses. There was a post office and about 3000 residents. When the silver ran out the store was boarded up with all the merchandise still inside.

In the late 1900's the Edmunds purchased the building removed all the merchandise, cleared out the rats and bats and after painting the interior replaced the merchandise and it is open today as a museum. The day we arrived the lady at the art gallery (next door) telephoned the owner to come open the museum for us. She said for us to watch for a "yellow hummer" and that would be the owner. The "hummer" turned out to be an electric car and the lady was very knowledgeable about the area and interested in sharing the information.

Early charge system.

The individual slips were hand written and filed under the customer's number. At night the file could be closed, locked and it was fire proof. As a child I remember my mother shopping at Carlin's grocery and this was the system they used. At the end of the month Mother would go in and they would pull all her charge slips total them up and she would pay this amount. In some areas the charges would only be totaled when the crops came in and were sold.

The engineer always finds interesting tools in a museum.

Francis is no exception to this rule.

Early food processor.

As the handle was turned the blades would rise and fall cutting up the food.

In addition to beautiful sunrises
(we are early birds so we see lots of them)

we have beautiful sunsets.

Our home in Elephant Butte Lake State Park, New Mexico

Elephant Butte Lake

Typical developed campsite at Elephant Butte Lake State Park

While rock hounding with fellow campers we came upon this windmill

that was also powered by solar panel.

When we arrived in New Mexico the moon was full

so there were lots of opportunities to get interesting pictures.

The town known as Hot Springs, New Mexico
(for its many hot springs)
voted to change it's name to Truth or Consequences to honor the radio show
and some free advertisement for the town.

Wild flowers in October

Dam built in 1916 across Rio Grande River

The water level is approx. 80 feet down at this time. (Note the white area above water which indicates the high water mark.

Sunset reflected in clouds as the full moon rises.

Our first sunrise at Elephant Butte Lake State Park.

Headed to New Mexico from Little Rock, AR

We normally do not like to travel the interstates
but leaving Little Rock, AR we had no choice.
However about 70 miles into Texas we were able to leave I30.
We drove straight west on US 380 until we reach I25 and
turned south to Elephant Butte State Park.
Most of the drive was on two lane road with wide shoulders and
actually smoother than the interstate we had just left.

Texas money cotton and oil. We probably saw over 100 miles of cotton fields along this route with no idea how many miles they run back from the highway.

Early October, 2010

Beautiful sunset over Little Rock.

Lots of storm clouds but no rain that is so needed in Arkansas.

When we learned that our friends Diane and John were traveling thru Tennesse we arranged to meet them in Memphis for a short visit.

Jo Ann and good friend Pat.

Summer 2010

We arrived at Maumelle Corps of Engr. campground in May. Francis had his surgery and this was a beautiful site to recoup. However we had not planned on this being the hottest summer in Arkansas history so we spend a lot of time indoors. Thank goodness our A/C worked well.

The Arkansas River has major barge passage. This was interesting to watch their passage. There are several locks including the one here at Little Rock.

In the lovely campground we have tents of many different sizes and shapes.

Actually had five hatchings of mayflies which covered many of the motorhomes in the area.