Leasburg Dam State Park, Las Cruces, NM

 

Overflow area.

It’s been a busy and stressful few days here. We had loads of laundry and shopping to do, and Quincy was barely eating due to his dental issues. Jim took him to a local vet 2 days ago while Debbie and I were washing 2 weeks worth of dirty clothes. He was able to scrape off a large chunk of plaque from the tooth that seems to be bothering him, gave him a steroid injection and antibiotics, and told us to call yesterday to see if he was feeling better. He was able to eat without as much discomfort but was still obviously having tooth pain. He told us to bring him back this morning and if he felt the need, they would admit him for dental cleaning and probable extraction.

So we left him there at 8 this morning, came back to the park and moved to the primitive area, since the other sites were either taken or reserved for the weekend, and went for a hike. Just as we got back this afternoon we got a call that he was out of surgery and we could pick him up at 5:45. What a relief, although we must admit we both thought it might have been best if he didn’t survive the anesthesia. That would have saved us the grief of euthanasia we know is coming one of these days. Ah, the trials and tribulations (and expense) of pet ownership!

Haven’t taken many pictures here. This is more evidence of the drought they are experiencing. In April we were here and took this photo of Leasburg Dam and the Rio Grande from the trail.

 

And how it looks 6 months later. The lighter shiny area is the only water left. This isn’t a great picture since we walked at sunset and it was taken with our cheapie Canon. Had to send the Nikon S9100 back for repairs again as the warranty runs out this month. Don’t buy one of these cameras!

We arrived on Tuesday, which was Jim’s birthday, so we went into town that afternoon to pick up a few things at Sam’s Club, which just happens to be conveniently located across the street from Pizzeria Uno. So Jim got his pizza and beer, and I didn’t have to fix dinner.

There is lots of hiking in the Las Cruces area, but we didn’t have time for much this visit. We walked the park trails but they aren’t very long, and this morning went down the road to Dona Ana and hiked on BLM land just north of Las Cruces. We hadn’t been there before but it’s a pretty area and there are miles of trails and dirt roads. It is so nice to be able to drive on roads we were uncomfortable driving on in the Chevy. We really like the Forester!

Yesterday we made a trip to Home Depot and Ace since we decided to make a home-made Protect-A-Tow. Our original one broke and blew off last year in New Mexico so we haven’t been using any protection for the car. Now that we have a new-to-us vehicle, we thought about replacing it but they wanted $160 just for the fabric part. We managed to find some sunshade fabric and bungee cord by the foot, and with the help of Debbie’s sewing machine made up a new one for under $30. Took almost all day but it was worth it. I’ll try to do a post on it one of these days.

If Quincy is doing well we are leaving tomorrow for a long drive to Marfa, TX, then on to Big Bend Sunday. No cell or internet there except at the Visitor Center, so we may be out of touch for awhile. In fact the first time we went to Big Bend in December 2008 our house was for sale, and we got an offer on it while we were there. We didn’t get the message until 3 days later, as our realtor was frantically trying to get in touch with us. Fortunately the deal went through and the rest is history.

Scenes From Elephant Butte and Chloride, NM

 

We’ve had a very pleasant week here, and with the lake level being so low we’ve been able to actually hike “in” it. Along with the grazing cattle.

This one didn’t fare so well.

No danger of any swimming or fishing here.

Late one afternoon a flock of American white pelicans came to spend the night by the water. There were so many of them it looked like a flowing kite tail in the air.

By the way, we understand those mountains across the lake are part of Ted Turner’s Armendaris Ranch.

We discovered a dirt road not far from the campground leading to North Monticello Point, where you can dry camp. Found a lovely spot where there was still some water. Had we found it sooner we would have moved there.

One day we took a ride to Chloride, a former silver mining town, now an “almost” ghost town with 11 current residents and an interesting museum. Most of the contents were found in the original buildings. Fellow bloggers at Happy Trails did an excellent post about it if you care to read more. We were fascinated by the story of former resident Cassie Hobbs. This true frontier woman designed and sewed all her family’s clothes and built all the furniture in her house.

Since it is adjacent to the Gila National Forest, we had to go off-road on an unmaintained Forest Service road into Chloride Canyon for for a couple miles to try out the Subaru again. We are amazed at how well it handles rough, rocky roads. Of course we had to hike the road a few miles, too. Found an old cabin and some nice rocks.

Our plan is to leave tomorrow for a couple days in Las Cruces for some shopping before making a beeline to Big Bend. We stalled a bit in hopes that it cools down a little by the time we get there.

Elephant Butte Lake State Park, NM

 

This is now the fourth or fifth time we’ve stayed here at the South Monticello Campground, which is the northernmost campground in the state park. For some reason it remains one of our favorite places. All sites have electric and water, and great views of the lake and surrounding mountains. Over the 4 years we’ve been coming here, the lake level has been gradually falling due to the drought. We are in site 22, which used to be very close to the lake.

Our view of what’s left of the lake.

Same site in January 2009.

The lake was full of water back then.

Yesterday was our anniversary, so we celebrated by going to Truth or Consequences. Debbie treated us to a great lunch at Cafe Groovy Gritz , a new restaurant in town. Our favorite place for pizza here, Cafe Bella Luca, is closed on Tuesday, so we’ll have to make another trip there later this week.

After lunch Jim wanted to try out the off-road capability of the Subaru, so we took a ride by the dam looking for roads. Didn’t find anything there but it was a nice drive.

All the green areas used to be under water.

The Elephant Butte, where the park and lake get their names. You really have to use your imagination to see the sleeping elephant..

We then remembered there was a dirt road along the Rio Grande where we had hiked before. It’s hard to tell by the photo, but this hill was steep and rocky. We were impressed by the way the Forester handled the hill and rocks, and how comfortable it was going down the rough, washboard road. We think we made a good choice!

The Balloons Went Up

 

Although the forecast called for high winds on Sunday morning, the weather man was wrong again, and the balloons were able to fly. Even though we've seen them before, it was still exciting watching them soar over the sea of RVs.

Elvis was an new balloon this year.

Late Sunday afternoon the group had a wine and hors d'oeuvres happy hour.

It was surprising that several people were on vegan diets due to health issues, so there were some foods we could eat. They told us at the Morro Bay, CA Lazy Daze get- together in the spring, about half of the people there were vegans. I'm glad to see it is becoming more mainstream, due to the popularity of The China Study and Forks Over Knives. It may take awhile, but as it becomes more widespread, it's just a matter of time before more restaurants offer vegan alternatives.

That evening we walked over to the balloon field with Debbie, Robin and Lydia to see the Balloon Glow and fireworks. Although huge crowds aren't our idea of fun, walking on the field amid the sights, sounds, and heat of the inflated balloons is something not to be missed.

 

We really enjoyed our 3 days at the Balloon Fiesta, but moved south yesterday to Elephant Butte Lake State Park. Quincy seems to be having some teeth issues, so we took him to the vet yesterday afternoon. They had to pull 2 of his teeth a couple years ago when we were here. The vet didn't see any abscesses or mouth ulcers, just a lot of plaque, but due to his kidney disease did not want to risk anesthesia to clean his teeth. She did blood work and his kidney values were about the same as 5 months ago. Most days he is eating, playing, and interacting with us as usual, so his quality of life is still pretty good. She recommended another supplement to lower his phosphorus, so that will be 4 medicines. Good thing 3 of them are powdered and can be added to his canned food, when he feels like eating it. This is why we don't want any more cats, at least for awhile!

Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta

 

 

Amazingly we managed to get the Subaru all rigged out to tow. We left Cochiti Lake on Thursday at 6:30 for a rush hour trip to Statkus in Albuquerque to get the base plate, auxiliary brake and wiring done. It took all day but it was nice having our house with us to wait in. There was one part missing that Jim failed to remove from our old car, but luckily it was still at the dealer’s. It was after 5 by then and too late for us to get the part, so Statkus let us stay in their lot overnight, locked in their gated and barbed wire fenced yard. There was quite a bit of traffic noise, being located at the junction of I-40 and I-25, but it was a free pace to stay.

First thing yesterday morning we went to the car dealer to get the part, picked up some paperwork we were waiting on, stopped by the UPS Store to get the trailer hitch we had ordered for the car, and headed to the Balloon Fiesta.  Jim and John spent the afternoon putting the hitch on the Subaru so we could put the bike rack on, and now we should be good to go. We can’t believe we got all that done this week. It was a lot more stress than we’re used to!

Today was the start of the Balloon Fiesta, and since I woke up before 6 due to the traffic and helicopter noise, decided to walk over to the Balloon Park and watch the mass ascension at 7. Unfortunately the winds were too strong to launch, and tomorrow isn’t looking much better. This is such a huge festival and takes so much work, it’s a shame when the weather doesn’t cooperate. I’m just glad we’ve seen it before so even if they don’t get to launch this weekend it won’t really matter.

From the 2010 Fiesta.

We really just stopped here to see all our Lazy Daze friends, anyway. So far there are 25 rigs here, with 5 more still expected to come. It’s been fun and busy visiting with the people we already know, and meeting quite a few new faces. Thanks Robin and Lydia for the 6 pack from their local microbrewery in CA. They have an Anniversary Edition exactly like ours and we spent this morning looking at each others rigs to see what kind of modifications we’ve done and getting new ideas. Always a good time, and we always come away with more projects for Jim.

The Deal is Done

 

What Jim really wanted. A go anywhere RV.

And this tow car.

What we got. A 2011 sage green Subaru Forester. Check out that ground clearance.

Now this is what my dear husband wants to do with it. This is an older model Forester. I have a feeling we are in store for some disagreements.

Jim used his old negotiating skills from his claims adjuster days and got them to come off a little more on the price. We took it for a longer test drive, and I drove about 10 miles through Albuquerque traffic to see if I could tolerate driving a manual transmission. It’s been over 25 years since I drove one, and I was shocked by how well I did. No stalling or lurching. Funny how things come back to you after so many years!

We had to get the tow brake system off the Chevy, so after hours of sitting around at the dealer and signing paperwork, we still couldn’t take the Subaru home. Luckily some of the Lazy Daze folks arrived at Balloon Fiesta Park that day, so we went over and our mechanically inclined buddy John Leach helped Jim remove all the parts and wiring. That was a big help, and we were able to go back and swap cars before they closed at 6. By this time rush hour traffic was pretty bad so we stopped back to visit with the Lazy Daze group and kill some time before the drive back to Cochiti Lake.

Tomorrow we have an appointment to get the base plate and tow brake put back on the Subaru. We’ve also ordered a hitch which Jim and the guys should be able to easily install at the Balloon Fiesta. We’ll be glad when this is all finished.

By the way, our 30th wedding anniversary is next week so the new car is our gift to each other.  Back in our old life we would have planned a nice trip to celebrate. A friend gave us this comic when we first started out fulltiming. I still get a chuckle out of it because it is so true.

Nature’s Disneyland in New Mexico

 

Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument was our hiking destination on Sunday and what an amazing hike it was. Volcanic eruptions 6-7 million years ago left deposits which subsequently eroded from wind and water into canyons and these cool looking “tent rock” formations.

 

There are 2 hiking trails, an easy 1.2 mile loop which takes you close to the hoodoos and a cave.

 

And a 1.5 mile one way trail through a slot canyon, then up a 630’ climb to the top of the mesa. The scenery was so interesting it seemed like a much shorter and easier hike, but it could have been because we stopped so often to take pictures.

We love slot canyons, and although this one was not real long, it involved a bit of rock scrambling and squeezing through some tight spots.

 

We stopped for lunch on top of the mesa while soaking in the views.

We were about halfway down when Jim realized he lost his sunglasses somewhere along the trail. It had gotten cloudy and actually rained a bit so he took them off and hung them on his backpack.

Since they were actually MY sunglasses, he just had to go back up the trail and look for them. We asked everyone we passed, and it turned out a woman found them and had them in her bag. Funny thing was, she asked us to identify the brand, and I had no idea what they were. Like how many people just walk up and down a trail looking for sunglasses! She did give them back so we were both happy, but it added at least another mile to our hike.

We’re hoping we can make it back to Tent Rocks late one afternoon this week to hike again with the sun a little lower. Definitely put this place on your list of things to see in New Mexico.

And yes, we did make the deal on another vehicle yesterday, and we’ve already scoped out a couple dirt roads to try it on, if we can tolerate getting it dusty!