Across a closed down New Mexico...

 


We left Phoenix last Sunday headed for the New Mexico border.  Since New Mexico had again been shut down due to 19 we had planned to get close to the Arizona/New Mexico border so we could start off Monday with a dash across the closed down state. The setting above was our last night in Arizona.



Yes, those are purple prickly pears.  They are native to this part of the U.S. southwest and northern Mexico.  These were taken as we left Arizona but they have them here in Marfa, Texas.  Staying off the Interstates has been a real opportunity to find places that otherwise we would have flown right by and our first day in New Mexico was a case in point.



We spent almost the entire first day of driving in New Mexico crossing the mountains getting us back to the Rio Grande valley.  Not many pictures, as no camera can capture what the eye can see.  We drove through the switch backs with sheer drops across the road from rock cliffs.  These dramatic scenes can only exist in our minds or for real as no camera can capture them.   It was beautiful.  Consider it was not an exactly a direct route, most folks will never experience this beauty.



From the mountains to the sands of White Sands National Monument. We spent one night in the Rio Grande Valley just north of Las Cruces and the next morning we again crossed a mountain range but this time by driving in between the mountains rather then over them.  Crossed the White Sands Proving Grounds, where Pan’s dad worked for several years moving the family to El Paso.  We had deliberately passed up El Paso as their 19 numbers were out of control and their hospitals were full.  But since Pan was in high school the white sands of the desert had become a national monument with real roads, etc.  She used to go there with friends for a picnic and a day of sliding down the dunes.  Like several of the lesser national parks/monuments White Sands was open but you were on your own with just the signage to guide you. 


We spent the night Tuesday in the desert just below a rather large dam and just outside a closed New Mexico State park.  The next day we crossed into Texas.  So much for crossing New Mexico in one day.  But by evening we were in Marfa and enjoying the company of a Peace Corps colleague of Susie’s.  These are her cats sitting at the door into her beautiful backyard. Just to the left of the furthest left cat ear is a rock we brought from Arizona to contribute to the garden.  Yesterday we celebrated Thanksgiving here with Jambalaya, a walk, a nap and catching up on each others’ worlds.

Next stop is Big Bend National Park where we have reservations for two different campsites, each for a different night as the popularity of the park has every other site full.  Stay well.

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