Friday, January 23, 2009

Valley of Fires, NM

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I liked the name, so here we are, Valley of Fires Recreation Area. The campsites are on a ridge overlooking the lava field. We walked the paved 3/4 mile trail and did a little exploring off the trail on the jagged lava rocks.

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Yesterday drove a 100 mile loop in the car. First stop was the Three Rivers Petroglyph Site, even though Jim said no more rock art after Hueco Tanks. It was really fascinating because there were so many drawings (over 20,000) in a relatively small area. We decided those people must have been very bored so they carved pictures in rocks all day to kill time.

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Our next stop was Mescalero and the Inn of the Mountain Gods Resort & Casino. It is owned by the Mescalero Apaches and we stopped by to see the lobby of the Inn. There is a glass wall overlooking a lake and the snow capped mountains. Quite impressive. We also donated a few dollars to the Indians in the slots since we were there.

Our final stop was Ruidoso, a mountain resort town. It reminded us a little of Gatlinburg, TN, with all the shops, restaurants and cabins, only not quite as tacky. There is a nearby ski resort , national forest, and the casino is only a few miles away. It was one of the more prosperous smaller communities we’ve visited in New Mexico so far and looked like a nice place to spend some time.

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As we were sitting in the car eating lunch on the side of a remote road, looking at a beautiful mountain view, listening to a Sting CD, I was struck with the magnitude of what we had done in the past year. There were so many times we had doubts about leaving Pensacola and the security of our jobs and running off in our motor home. The economy, the housing market, the stock market. I was so happy we didn’t let all that get in our way because we are truly enjoying life. And for a change, Jim agreed with me….

3 comments:

  1. Glad to hear you retirees are having such a wonderful time, while us folks back here slave away at our jobs...
    Going to Ozone is not quite the same without you guys and Mike/Candy, to enjoy good pizza, good beer, and good friends..

    Jimmy/Paula

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  2. If you like the name, then you need to visit Valley of the Fire State Park in Nevada. I was only there for a day, but enjoyed some short day hikes among the red rocks and yes more petroglyphs. But it's worth it alone just for the red rocks I glanced at the campground, some of the sites were among the rocks, it looked interesting.

    Pam

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  3. Geesch, you just have to keep rubbing it in. But seriously, glad you are enjoying your new life. Candy

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