Our USA Adventure: Santa Fe to Silver City,New Mexico

Yep, it is true, we have not posted to the blog for 2 weeks, but that’s because we are living this Adventure, and we have been on the move.  So, here is what has happened:

• We left our Santa Fe, NM place (Trailer Ranch RV Park), after a final trip downtown (just to be sure all shopping was done), taking a trip across the town square, which was so pretty, and fall was coming on! Very cool weather and brisk winds.  This actually caused us to check our travel plans to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.  The temperatures there were coming down into the teens and there was a potential for snow.  We changed our itinerary and were off to …..
• Alamogordo, NM, to a sweet park (Alamagordo/White Sands KOA), with easy access to White Sands, which is a place we really wanted to visit. While in the park, we met a couple who said a “must see” is Cloudcroft NM, a small town up in the hills out of Alamogordo city proper, so what the heck, we decided to go ….. and glad we did!  There is an impressive tunnel on the way up to an amazing very old trestle, which is on the register of historic places.  This is the Mexican Canyon Trestle, dated 1899 and we were amazed at how it could have possibly been built.  Much wind up there, and worth the “bad hair day” outcome!
• Gary had found that White Sands, NM had a ranger led Sunset Tour and we decided we could make it there by 5:15pm. Off we went from Cloudcroft!  We picked up our Lili, as we knew she would want to see the sunset of White Sands as well, and pets are welcome!  😊  AND, we were lucky enough to get the BEST RANGER, Ranger Brenna Rodrigues, who is also a Geologist.  She was just the most interesting person, sharing all the answers to anything you could ask about the White Sands.  First, you need to know White Sands is the world’s largest such desert; it measures 278 thousand square miles. She did a demo of how the white sands have water beneath the surface as little as 2 feet down!  Then she explained why the sands, even in summer months, are cool to walk upon.  And yes, we were walking bare-footed, and Lili too (of course).  The Sunset Tour is just beautiful, and hard to describe the colors of the mountain ranges and sand reflection.  Ranger Brenna Rodrigues is truly awesome.  We hope she writes a book about the area; we want to be one of the first to buy one!
• Next we were off to Las Cruses, NM for a few days, on our way heading West to Tucson. We loved the KOA there.  Our spot was perfect!  This place sits on a hill, and at night-time you can see the city of Las Cruses all lit up.  It is beautiful!  The mornings are even prettier as you look out on the mountains and the sun rises.  AND, of course, we chose another adventure. It was:
• Silver City, NM! We were looking to take in views of the Giga National Forest (pronounced “Hela”. Breathtaking forest lands are everywhere in this part of New Mexico.  The Silver City is a small berg located near one of the country’s largest open mining Copper Mines.  It is HUGE!  Our pictures don’t do it justice.  We honestly had no idea what an “open mining” active mine was all about, but now we do.  We also took an unbelievable drive into the Gila National Forest to see the Gila Cliff Dwellings, which date back to the 1200’s.  In 1907, President Theodore Roosevelt, established Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument as the only National Park Service that interprets and preserves part of the Mogollon Cultural history.  Trails to the dwellings are unpaved, steep and uneven.  It is not a climb for the timid!  You walk in the footsteps of the Mogollon people who called the dwellings home.  Now I will tell you the drive up to the cliff dwellings is not for the faint of heart, and I must honestly admit to shedding a few tears of “what the heck are we doing?”  Thank heavens Gary is the best driver around and great at keeping me from climbing out of the truck.  We enjoyed our stay!  Got up the morning of 10/30, and headed to our winter place of Tucson.
• Arrived in Tucson ……. And that will be demonstrated in our next adventure posting. What an adventure we are having!!!!!