Gypsy & The Navigator

A Picnic At Iron Creek

We are headed for a picnic.  South on I25 then west on Highway 152.

This is not a road that is familiar to me.  First time for us but everyone we are meeting at the destination has been there many times.

The day was absolutely beautiful with bright blue skies and puffy white clouds.

We are going to the Black Range Mountains.

The Black Range runs north and south for about 55 miles.

Hard to believe that from our little spot in the desert it is only just over 50 miles to all this green.   The mountain road is very curvy with beautiful scenic spots along the way.  It kept Walt busy turning that steering wheel.

After such a pleasant drive we arrived at Iron Creek Campground.

We were meeting Sylvia, David, Tresa, Jerry, Nancy, Charlotte and Carl for our picnic in the cool, shady campground. 

Lovely ladies Nancy and Sylvia.

There are not many that can look as good in a hat at Tresa does. She makes it look fabulous.

The scenery was wonderful but oh my the picnic food was over the top.  These ladies can really whip up a great picnic.

The food was only outshone by the company.  I love getting to visit with them.  Hard to find a nicer, more generous, caring group of people.

Everyone said we had to go see the rock formations a few miles from the campground.  The Black Range is also known as The Devil's Mountains and the knife-edged ridges and peaks rising above the surrounding terrain do look like there was a devilish uprising millions of years ago. 

Such beauty high in the mountains.

A few rainclouds gave a brief promise but alas no raindrops came down.

Birds eye view from Emory Pass at 8,168 feet.

Great day!  Life needs more picnics.

The next day the rain clouds let those rain drops loose finishing off with a rainbow.

There is nothing like the smell of the desert after a rainstorm.  It is wonderful.  Many have tried to bottle it but have failed.

The desert waits for the rain, when it comes it absorbs it so fast you don't even know it's been there and it waits again.

 

The Hatch Chile Festival

We are perfectly happy spending time in our little spot in the desert but there are always places to go and things to do.

This time we are back to Hatch.  Our first stop was for breakfast at the Pepper Pot.

This was our first time here but it won't be the last.  It opened over 20 years ago and is owned by sisters that came from Mexico.  When they first came to the United States they worked in the fields but those of us who have sampled their food are grateful they decided to serve those chiles instead of harvest them. 

They serve the real deal chiles with that good heat and bite. We left with tongues tingling and for me a runny nose and watery eyes.  It can't get any better than that.

We were here to take in the Hatch Chile Festival.  It is a celebration of the chile that is grown in the valley that has earned it the title of Chile Capital of the World. 

The Festival is held on Labor Day weekend.  The first Festival was in 1971 ( 8 years after I left) and it started out small with just a few growers.

Today it attracts over 30,000 visitors.

The delicious smell of roasting peppers is everywhere.  The roasters go non-stop all day.  Some vendors will let you taste their chile before buying. They offer Mild, Medium, Hot & X-tra Hot varieties.  You can buy it fresh, have it roasted, or choose the frozen varieties shipped directly to your home. 

The unique soil conditions along the Rio Grande in the Hatch Valley is the only place in the world where Hatch chiles are grown.

The chile ristras are works of art.  They are said to invite good health and good luck. Yes, I came home with one.

Everything is so colorful and festive.

Burlap bags full of green chiles are everywhere.  Green Chile is the ruler at the beginning of the season, made into dishes like rellenos, enchiladas and stews.

Bags of red ready to go. When the peppers ripen and turn red they are dried to be made into  delicious red chile sauce that flavors a multitude of dishes that will keep us warm all winter.

Chile has been part of the rich culture and heritage New Mexico is famous for.  Most farms are family farms.

The main portion of the festival is held at the Hatch Airport. There you can ride rides, sample everything chile and enjoy live music.  The Airport is now a functioning airport and some visitors flew in to the festival.  When I was in high school it was the place where we went to race to see who had the hottest cars. 

Check out the roof on the Hatch Chile Express.......a roof full of drying chiles.

If you want to have a Sparky's green chile cheeseburger during the Festival be prepared for quite a wait.

The line goes clear around the corner.  A gentleman is sharing the shade.

The Hatch Valley has many more crops than chiles.  Like the pecan orchard here they grow many other crops such as onions, alfalfa, lettuce, cabbage, sweet potatoes, wheat, and cotton  When I was a teenager I picked cotton and topped onions.  Hard hard work and I was no competition to the migrant workers that really knew how to produce.   Now must of it is harvested by machine.

But, that famous Hatch chile is hand harvested.  What a fun day spent among everything chile.

We have a front row seat from our spot in the desert for amazing sunsets.

Natures beauty doesn't go unnoticed.

The skies are so dark that we get clear views of the moon and the sparkling stars. 

A great reminder of how fortunate we are.

From Engle To Lake Valley And Points In Between

There are lots of highways, byways, and backroads for us to explore. 

One day we drove to Engle, NM so I could see the old schoolhouse.  Believe it or not they used to have dances in there.  Not often but I remember going.  Today Engle is a ghost town with its only claim to fame that it is the headquarters for Ted Turner's Armendaris Ranch and if you take a right when you get there you can go to Spaceport America in case you have a spot reserved for your space travel. 

Coming back from Engle we took a drive around Elephant Butte Lake.

The Elephant Butte Lake dam was constructed to regulate water flows in New Mexico, Texas and Mexico and was completed in 1916.  

Many hot summer nights were spent when I was a teenager speeding down the winding roads and roaring across the dam with the top down, music blasting and sparks flying.  The road closed to traffic on September 11, 2001.

A stop to wander around the Dam Site Recreation Area buildings gave me the opportunity for photos of some of the old doors. The CCC constructed tourist cabins along the lakeshore and visitors can stay in these historic structures. They also completed landscaping, roads and trails throughout the park from 1934-1940. 

Many of the cabins are being refurbished to stay in and one of the larger buildings is now a bed and breakfast. 

I hope the restoration continues to bring the area back to its former glory.

This island in the lake is what Elephant Butte is named for.  Use your imagination........see his eye, then his ear, and his trunk goes down to the water. 

The lake is about 40 miles long with 0ver 200 miles of shoreline so there was plenty of sightseeing available for our drive.

Some of the roads were better than others.  It was a fun day out exploring.

When we arrived at Elephant Butte it was a Saturday.  One of the first things Walt wanted to do was go to Hatch so he could eat at Sparky's.  It was Monday before we checked to see when they were open and it is only Thursday through Sunday.  

So we planned to go on Thursday.  Gave us time to see if any friends were available to meet us there.

Luckily Charlotte, Carl, Gerald and Denise were able to drive up from Las Cruces to join us.

We got there early.  That is a good thing.  It isn't long before the line is long. Most people line up for their award-winning green chile cheesburger and it is delicious but so is everything else.  My very favorite is their sweet corn seasoned with green chile and onion. 

Being early scored a nice big table so we could settle in to enjoy the good food and have a nice long visit.  It is so nice to reconnect and see how everyone is and what they have been doing. 

Hatch’s namesake crop, the Hatch chile, appears on burgers, in burritos, and piled up at the condiment bar, but it is also in Sparky’s dessert and drink menus. Yes, it adds a kick to thick milkshakes and ice cold lemonade.  We need more visits so I can keep trying more items.  

The owners are Teako and Josie Nunn and they have filled the inside and outside of the restaurant with Americana signage and collectibles. 

Great visit and great food.  Next time we'll come on a week-end so we can be there when they have live music.

Leaving Hatch we took a very roundabout trip back to GypsyII.

Our destination was Lake Valley.   I realized as we traveled along that despite the dozens of times I had journeyed this road I had never seen it in the daytime.

Lake Valley is an old mining ghost town.  Lake Valley today is partly privately owned, and partly owned by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management.  Most of the silver mines were worked out by the late 1880's.  But the reason I wanted to come was to see the location of some of my history.

So many Saturday nights were spent at the old schoolhouse. The school was used for dances that drew crowds from miles and miles around.  

The desert around the school would be filled with cars and the inside would be filled with live music, dancers and usually a table filled with food. 

The BLM has restored the school house complete with desks and books and made a nice museum but the hours I spent there had no desks or books. The band played from the raised area at the front.  There were some benches along the wall but there wasn't much sitting done.  Young and old were there to dance.  Those fun times were filled with very special friends who made the dances very extraordinary. 

Not much need for heat from this old stove.  The body heat was plenty.  I met so many people and had so much fun here.  I left in 1963 and there was information at the schoolhouse that the dances continued into the 70's or 80's. 

Thank you Walt for taking me on a trip down memory lane.  Another one of those great days as we travel around.

 

Roads Often Traveled

We are back in Northern New Mexico in very familiar territory and one of the first places I always want to go is Ojo Caliente. It has been known to the American Indians for ages and I am so glad that it is now known to me.

This secluded oasis soothes my body, mind and spirit. I love every minute I spend there. It has a Lithia Pool that relieves depression and aids digestion.  Luckily I have no issues there but it is still a nice pool to soak in.  The iron pool has a legend that the giant rock in the Iron Pool guards the place where the ancient people of the mesa once received food and water during times of famine.  Iron is considered to be beneficial to the blood and immune system.  We can all use help there. I think our favorite soak is in the Soda Spring. It is enclosed and it makes it almost seem like a steam room.  While all of Ojo Caliente is a "quiet zone" the Soda Spring is a silent spot so NO talking.  The photo above is of the Arsenic Spring.  Arsenic water is believed to be beneficial for relief from arthritis, stomach ulcers and to heal a variety of skin conditions.  I enjoy sitting under the waterfall from the jug and letting it massage my shoulders. 

The pools nestle under cliffs where the Tewa tribes built large pueblos and terraced gardens overlooking the springs. In 1868 the first bath house was built here and it has been in business ever since.

The absolute not to be missed experience is the Mud Pool.  There you slather mud all over your body and bake in the sun until done!  Toxins are released from the pores of your skin as the special blend of clay dries. I come away feeling cleansed and refreshed.  Even Walt enjoys it now.  This time I had two rounds of the Mud Pool.  Ponce de Leon was way off when he was searching for the Fountain of Youth in Florida.......he should have come north and west because a day at Ojo Caliente can take the years away. 

This quiet place is very therapeutic.  Unlike many other hot springs that we have visited that also encourage quiet that doesn't happen.......quiet happens here.  No children under 13 so no squealing and shouting and I don't think children would enjoy it anyway.  Sitting and vegging is for years later in their lives. 

After a full day of soaking, mudding, and relaxing it is always nice to head back to GypsyII in the glow of the desert sunset.

Always a highlight of our time in Northern New Mexico.

When in Northern New Mexico one of the places we usually stay is at Isleta Lakes.  It is just south of Albuquerque and pretty close to I25 so we can easily get anywhere in the area. 

This visit much of our time was spent enjoying delicious food and exciting games of Canasta with Joyce and Paul.  We appreciate their hospitality and friendship.

Soon we were back on the road.  Heading south on I25 to Elephant Butte, NM for an extended stay.  Elephant Butte is a very small town just outside of  Truth or Consequences.  It is built just above the Elephant Butte Lake.  When I went to high school in Hatch in the 60's the town of Elephant Butte didn't exist.  It began as a small group of people that wanted to live close to the lake that finally grew enough to be incorporated as a city in 1998.  

When we had been in the area previously friends had driven us through Cedar Cove RV Park in Elephant Butte.  We liked its look and when we planned on being in the area we reserved time and we have really enjoyed it.  Our site is very nice with lots of shade for the hot desert days.  The club house has all the channels we need to watch the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Boise State Broncos.  Score!

It is so very quiet and at night the stars are big and bright.  A perfect base for visiting with friends and exploring the area.

The RV Park isn't very far from Elephant Butte Lake and Dam so we go and take in the views frequently.

The city of Truth or Consequences is nearby so we have been spending quite a bit of time there.  It is the most colorful little town.

Today it is best known for it's unusual name, its Hot Springs soaking spas, and Elephant Butte Lake.  When I was in high school it was where the Fiesta dances were, where we could water ski all day on the lake and of course "the boys."

Originally named Hot Springs, the city changed its name to "Truth or Consequences", the title of a popular NBC Radio program. In March 1950, Ralph Edwards, the host of the radio quiz show Truth or Consequences,  announced that he would air the program on its 10th anniversary from the first town that renamed itself after the show; Hot Springs officially changed its name on March 31, 1950.  From then on the first weekend in May "Fiesta" was held.  It had a beauty contest, a parade,  a stage show and of course those dances.  The "Fiesta" continues today but I understand it is very different. 

The exploration will continue under these beautiful New Mexico skies. Lots of people and places to see and lots of memories to be set in motion.