7/25
After a good, hot breakfast we packed the car and headed for Three Rivers.
After a pleasant exchange with the volunteer at the entrance to Three Rivers Petroglyph Park (she was from NY, and she and her husband lived there full time in their RV), we set off for the mile and a half loop. While it was uphill for much of the way, it was not terribly strenuous, and the petroglyphs were interesting, and the view was wonderful from up there. We were between the Sacramento and the San Andres Mtns. It was quite a vista. We learned that the bushes we passed sporting either tiny white fluff balls or pretty little yellow blooms was the creosote bush, also known as chapperal.
From there we headed to Las Vegas along what has to be the most boring road in New Mexico. Although we were at an elevation of close to 9,000 feet at times, it was a plateau. We were surrounded by little more than pasture and cattle for miles upon miles, endless miles......... Ugh. There wasn't even a picnic table for pulling over to have lunch. We settled for what looked to be a largely unused back gate to someone's ranch.
Arriving in Las Vegas we were horrified to discover it is Bike Week! No wonder there were only a few rooms left at the hotel! The entire Plaza was roped off to cars and literally overflowing with bikes and bikers. What made this even more disappointing to someone like me who loves taking photos is the fact that the entire downtown seemed to consist of nothing but 19th century buildings just begging to be photographed. I had to content myself with a few photos of the train depot and adjacent La Castenada Hotel (a Fred Harvey hotel). The depot is still in operation, but the hotel was in disrepair. It still exudes charm, however.
We stopped at the Rough Riders Museum for about 15 minutes. They had some interesting Pueblo artifacts, as well as early Americana.
Our hotel is at the end of the line for Las Vegas, but it seemed to still be bursting with bikes. Hopefully, we can get a good night's sleep. The room itself is very spacious and modern, comfortable and clean. We suspect most guests will not be rising as early as we do, and the breakfast room will not be hectic. Fingers crossed on that account.
Dinner was once again a disappointment. Pino's Family Restaurant was within walking distance, but the positives ended there. The food was blah, and the place smelled of ammonia. Wait. It was cheap. Two positives.
Tomorrow we plan to visit Pecos National Historical Park, which is on the road to Santa Fe. We still haven't decided if we want to stay another night in Las Vegas (the bikers go bye bye tomorrow), or head elsewhere (Santa Fe? Albuquerque?).
July 25, 2009
Billy the Kid Was Here
7/24
Roswell was our first stop this morning. The only real reason for visiting was to placate those who keep asking why we haven't gone... like our daughter, for example. We were not impressed. We took a few photos for her and were gone by 9:30 a.m.
We decided to veer from the road to Alamogordo and visit the Lincoln State Monument which is essentially the entire town of Lincoln. "The Lincoln Wars" between two merchants in this town led to many murders, the failure of a few sheriffs, and the notorious trial and escape of Billy the Kid. Everything in the town is fairly well preserved, and we spent a couple of interesting hours touring all the buildings.
Afterwards, we continued through to Ruidoso, which was (in our opinions) the height of touristmania. There was a long main drag lined on both sides with little cafes, touristy shops, curio shops, etc. We were glad we had chosen Alamogordo for the night.
The road to Alamorgordo was very scenic, espcially around Tularosa where you were suddenly presented with White Sands against the mountain backdrop, looking for all the world like a mirage. We stopped at a pistachio plantation's gift shop and sampled some of their goods. A pleasant drive. This area is also known for pecans and wine.
Our hotel (a Holiday Inn Express once again) was a pleasant surprise. Although it sits in the middle of a commercial/suburban area, the view from our room was of the Sacramento Mountains. There were jackrabbits exploring in the brush below our window.
Dinner was Mexican (Margo's) but unexceptional. It is apparent that truly good Mexican food is not easy for us to find in this part of the state.
It has been decided that we should head to a different part of the state tomorrow after visiting Three Rivers Petroglyphs about an hour north of town. We will continue to Las Vegas. Because it will be a Saturday we reserved a room at the BW Montezuma, where they had only a few rooms remaining. We are hoping it lives up to its Trip Advisor reputation as an extraordinary bargain and the jewel in Best Western's Gold Crown.
We slept with the window open and the a/c off for the first time and slept well.
Roswell was our first stop this morning. The only real reason for visiting was to placate those who keep asking why we haven't gone... like our daughter, for example. We were not impressed. We took a few photos for her and were gone by 9:30 a.m.
We decided to veer from the road to Alamogordo and visit the Lincoln State Monument which is essentially the entire town of Lincoln. "The Lincoln Wars" between two merchants in this town led to many murders, the failure of a few sheriffs, and the notorious trial and escape of Billy the Kid. Everything in the town is fairly well preserved, and we spent a couple of interesting hours touring all the buildings.
Afterwards, we continued through to Ruidoso, which was (in our opinions) the height of touristmania. There was a long main drag lined on both sides with little cafes, touristy shops, curio shops, etc. We were glad we had chosen Alamogordo for the night.
The road to Alamorgordo was very scenic, espcially around Tularosa where you were suddenly presented with White Sands against the mountain backdrop, looking for all the world like a mirage. We stopped at a pistachio plantation's gift shop and sampled some of their goods. A pleasant drive. This area is also known for pecans and wine.
Our hotel (a Holiday Inn Express once again) was a pleasant surprise. Although it sits in the middle of a commercial/suburban area, the view from our room was of the Sacramento Mountains. There were jackrabbits exploring in the brush below our window.
Dinner was Mexican (Margo's) but unexceptional. It is apparent that truly good Mexican food is not easy for us to find in this part of the state.
It has been decided that we should head to a different part of the state tomorrow after visiting Three Rivers Petroglyphs about an hour north of town. We will continue to Las Vegas. Because it will be a Saturday we reserved a room at the BW Montezuma, where they had only a few rooms remaining. We are hoping it lives up to its Trip Advisor reputation as an extraordinary bargain and the jewel in Best Western's Gold Crown.
We slept with the window open and the a/c off for the first time and slept well.
July 24, 2009
Carlsbad Caverns and Artesia
7/23
We decided to drive directly to Carlsbad in the morning. "First thing," of course, turned out to be closer to 10.
The Desert Zoo just outside of town was excellent. It was a real bargain at $5 each, and just about every species
was represented. We also had an opportunity to see a botanical garden with an amazing display of the flora native
to New Mexico. We had lunch in the picnic area there.
Afterwards, we drove around town and decided we really didn't want to stay in this town. Fast food restaurants and
high priced hotels (relative to amenities) sold us on the idea of driving on toe Artesia after visiting the Caverns.
Being a mile underground did not bother me as much as I feared it would. The cavern was enormous/huge and beyond
any reference. I only wish my photographic expertise had been equal to the experience. I can't say for certain
until I examine them more closely, but I believe the results were somewhere south of mediocre.
Artesia was interesting. It is an oil town, and as we have found with small oil towns, this was a truly pleasant
little place. I guess the companies have to make the places as palatable as possible so they will be allowed full
rein to rape the earth at will. I know, not fair and entirely biased. Moving on, it had a great little downtown
area. We had dinner at the Wellhead Brewery right on Main Street. The hotel itself was comfortable and quiet in
that unremarkable way of the Holiday Inn Express. It works for us. Who needs quaint when all you want is to lie
down on a clean bed and sleep through the night?
We decided to drive directly to Carlsbad in the morning. "First thing," of course, turned out to be closer to 10.
The Desert Zoo just outside of town was excellent. It was a real bargain at $5 each, and just about every species
was represented. We also had an opportunity to see a botanical garden with an amazing display of the flora native
to New Mexico. We had lunch in the picnic area there.
Afterwards, we drove around town and decided we really didn't want to stay in this town. Fast food restaurants and
high priced hotels (relative to amenities) sold us on the idea of driving on toe Artesia after visiting the Caverns.
Being a mile underground did not bother me as much as I feared it would. The cavern was enormous/huge and beyond
any reference. I only wish my photographic expertise had been equal to the experience. I can't say for certain
until I examine them more closely, but I believe the results were somewhere south of mediocre.
Artesia was interesting. It is an oil town, and as we have found with small oil towns, this was a truly pleasant
little place. I guess the companies have to make the places as palatable as possible so they will be allowed full
rein to rape the earth at will. I know, not fair and entirely biased. Moving on, it had a great little downtown
area. We had dinner at the Wellhead Brewery right on Main Street. The hotel itself was comfortable and quiet in
that unremarkable way of the Holiday Inn Express. It works for us. Who needs quaint when all you want is to lie
down on a clean bed and sleep through the night?
July 22, 2009
The Road West
7/22
Early to rise! I felt well rested. Glen had some digestive issues during the night. Nothing serious, but we guessed he was reacting to his tummy's unfamiliarity with fried food. He was feeling better, though, and we got our things together, filled our water bottles from the cooler in the fitness center, and headed for breakfast in the Club Room. The coffee was decent, which it is, we've noticed, when there are oil workers present (and there were). We both had scrambled eggs with cheese and grabbed apples for our "fruit break" later in the day.
Rain again! Ugh. We hoped it wouldn't follow us all the way through Houston.
It didn't, and the drive was largely uneventful. We stopped for lunch at a rest area near San Antonio, and then continued into hill country towards Ozona. About an hour away from our destination we hit a very severe thunderstorm. It slowed us a little, as did our vain attempt to get a picture of a "Drive Friendly" sign for Matt's collection. We'll get one on the way back, I'm sure.
Ozona was a pleasant surprise. A typical small town in the middle of pretty much nowhere in West Texas, we found we really were glad we'd chosen it. The Best Western Ozona Inn was practically empty but charming, clean, and definitely quiet. A great choice after another day of driving!
Early to rise! I felt well rested. Glen had some digestive issues during the night. Nothing serious, but we guessed he was reacting to his tummy's unfamiliarity with fried food. He was feeling better, though, and we got our things together, filled our water bottles from the cooler in the fitness center, and headed for breakfast in the Club Room. The coffee was decent, which it is, we've noticed, when there are oil workers present (and there were). We both had scrambled eggs with cheese and grabbed apples for our "fruit break" later in the day.
Rain again! Ugh. We hoped it wouldn't follow us all the way through Houston.
It didn't, and the drive was largely uneventful. We stopped for lunch at a rest area near San Antonio, and then continued into hill country towards Ozona. About an hour away from our destination we hit a very severe thunderstorm. It slowed us a little, as did our vain attempt to get a picture of a "Drive Friendly" sign for Matt's collection. We'll get one on the way back, I'm sure.
Ozona was a pleasant surprise. A typical small town in the middle of pretty much nowhere in West Texas, we found we really were glad we'd chosen it. The Best Western Ozona Inn was practically empty but charming, clean, and definitely quiet. A great choice after another day of driving!
Day One
7/21
Day one started at 4 this morning. We were on the road by 5 with the sun still an hour or two in the future. The drive was largely uneventful.
We stopped for lunch at a rest area near the Eglin AFB and ate in the shadow of a Blue Angel. We remarked at how cool the day seemed. The eeriest thing, though, was how empty it was there. It is a popular rest area and at high noon should have been packed with travelers at noon in July. It was rather a stark comment on the economy and how it has changed our priorities.
Aside from the (apparently) usual traffic jam around Baton Rouge the afternoon drive went well, although we encountered quite a rainstorm in Louisiana shortly before reaching our Lake Charles destination.
The hotel, where we have stopped several times in the past, has obviously been feeling the pinch as well. The pool was "closed for the day," the room seemed slightly musty, and the parking lot was nearly empty. The front desk was gracious as always, and we were just grateful to be done for the day.
Getting a second wind, we decided to save the microwavable leftovers we'd brought from home and head down the road to Steamboat Bill's for fried catfish. Things were quieter than on our last visit (on a Saturday rather than a Tuesday) but still busy, friendly, and deliciously satisfying.
Back in the room we didn't waste too much time getting to bed for the night. Sure it was still early (and an hour earlier for us due to the time change), but it really had been a long day, and we had another long day ahead.
Lights Out.
Day one started at 4 this morning. We were on the road by 5 with the sun still an hour or two in the future. The drive was largely uneventful.
We stopped for lunch at a rest area near the Eglin AFB and ate in the shadow of a Blue Angel. We remarked at how cool the day seemed. The eeriest thing, though, was how empty it was there. It is a popular rest area and at high noon should have been packed with travelers at noon in July. It was rather a stark comment on the economy and how it has changed our priorities.
Aside from the (apparently) usual traffic jam around Baton Rouge the afternoon drive went well, although we encountered quite a rainstorm in Louisiana shortly before reaching our Lake Charles destination.
The hotel, where we have stopped several times in the past, has obviously been feeling the pinch as well. The pool was "closed for the day," the room seemed slightly musty, and the parking lot was nearly empty. The front desk was gracious as always, and we were just grateful to be done for the day.
Getting a second wind, we decided to save the microwavable leftovers we'd brought from home and head down the road to Steamboat Bill's for fried catfish. Things were quieter than on our last visit (on a Saturday rather than a Tuesday) but still busy, friendly, and deliciously satisfying.
Back in the room we didn't waste too much time getting to bed for the night. Sure it was still early (and an hour earlier for us due to the time change), but it really had been a long day, and we had another long day ahead.
Lights Out.
July 20, 2009
D Day minus 1
That would be "Departure Day," and it is amazing to me that we appear to be ready. A week ago I wasn't quite sure we would be.
I just finished packing. All that's left are the last minute items: toiletries, the cooler (which is cooling off as I write this - and wondering if they've made one that isn't so noisy since we got it), the maps and paperwork.
The "caretakers" have their instructions. The cat is at Camp. I have little notes everywhere, and my "To Do" list is getting shorter.
Now if I can just kick this headache that seems determined to stick around, I'm good to go!
I just finished packing. All that's left are the last minute items: toiletries, the cooler (which is cooling off as I write this - and wondering if they've made one that isn't so noisy since we got it), the maps and paperwork.
The "caretakers" have their instructions. The cat is at Camp. I have little notes everywhere, and my "To Do" list is getting shorter.
Now if I can just kick this headache that seems determined to stick around, I'm good to go!
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