We Like Roswell, NM

This was no April Fool's Day joke. Again, we spent a thoroughly pleasant day enjoying some of the sights of Roswell. Having been here before, we had no interest in visiting the UFO storefronts again...however, there was something we did want to see again. But first...

Chisum, the 1970 movie starring John Wayne, was based on the life of John Chisum who owned an enormous cattle ranch in this area in the late 1800s and built his home near Roswell. This bronze statue of him and his lead steer, Ruidoso, sits across the street from the historic Chaves County Courthouse on Main Street.

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After a drive through town to reacquaint ourselves, we drove a few miles out of town to the Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge. The Visitor Center is closed on Sunday and we only saw one other vehicle the entire time we were there driving around the area which straddles the Pecos River. Whenever we stopped and shut off the car, we would immediately take note of the total silence. That's not something we often experience.

This shot was taken from the deck at the rear of the Visitor Center, high above the lakes.

Note the red rock canyon walls on the other side of the refuge.

I'm going to share photos of the many species of fowl we were fortunate enough to see, not only for their beauty but to again share with pride what even an amateur like I can capture with my Canon SX40. Most of these were cropped to some degree but it is the incredible 35x optical zoom that makes these shots possible from such a distance. And no, I get nothing for raving about the wonders of this camera.

Heron

Egret taking flight.

An American Bittern

A pair of Eared Grebes

A pair of Spoonbill Ducks

Just look at how cleverly the American Bittern can hide in the reeds.

This wetlands area lies where the Chihuahuan Desert meets the Southern Plains.

It is so refreshing and surprising to see this in the desert Southwest.

Talk about timing...moments after I took a few shots of this pair of Cinnamon Teal sharing a log in the water with two turtles, the turtles swam away.

American Coots

A pair of Mallards...it seemed every couple in the refuge was taking a leisurely Sunday swim together!

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Those of you who have been reading my blog for a while may remember that the first time we were in Roswell we stumbled upon the Anderson Museum of Contemporary Art and have raved about it ever since. Yes, that is what we wanted to see again. Here are just a few of our favorites this time...some new, some repeats.

The painting below is one of many displayed in one of the museum's galleries by the artist, Don Anderson. He is the oil entrepreneur who began this museum and for whom it is named.

This full-sized bar is perhaps my favorite piece...you know how I love installation art. Aw c'mon, you know what to do. Have you found us yet?

And Rich's favorite is perhaps the golf bag shark, any one of them. This time there were only three on display.

The museum is everything we remembered and more so we will continue to recommend a stop there. This town is so quiet on Sunday; several of the restaurants were even closed. Lucky for us the Rib Crib was open because we had a wonderful dinner there. Please take time to check out Roswell if you are traveling in that area. It's so much more than just UFO stories.

Lovin' Life ~~ On a Peaceful Sunday

Saturday ~ Very Long, Very Full

If you are one of my FB Friends, you already know a little something about the variety we experienced on Saturday. That day I could stay connected long enough to upload a photo on FB...three of them in fact! You must know by now that three photos do not a story tell...not for me anyway!

Shortly after crossing into New Mexico around 10:30 a.m. we started seeing patches of poppies along the I-10. For the next 70 miles...yep, 70 miles...here is a sample of the brilliantly golden vistas to which we were treated.

After posting this one on FB our friends, Donnie & Pam, commented that they didn't see any of these when they drove through there eight days earlier on their way home to Cape Breton. Our timing is so good sometimes! Those quick comments are one of the several reasons I'm happy to have finally joined FB.

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Continuing our drive:  As we approach Las Cruces, NM from the west there is this great view of the Organ Mountains overlooking the city.

Northeast of Las Cruces we saw a few more acres of poppies as we approached the White Sands Missile Range.

On the highway as we neared the White Sands National Monument there were fabulous mirages making it appear as though water was flowing across. Doesn't that look like water?

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This is past the Visitor's Center inside White Sands National Monument before the road itself becomes covered with sand that looks exactly like packed snow.

We've been here before but will always stop if we can because it is unique and beautiful.

Rich and the girls are climbing the dune toward me.

The sand is cool and dry so it brushes off easily; I love walking in it barefoot...not Rich.

The area covered by the sand is vast; the glistening sand covers 275 square miles.

This was the moon from where I stood on the dunes at 4:00 p.m.

And this is a shot of our RV and car in the parking lot below.

The photo of the yucca below is number 7,397 taken with the Canon SX40HS we bought on January 11th...I suppose I'll keep the camera...it's had a pretty good trial run...haha! I had returned to the RV after climbing the sand dunes and was sitting at our table when I shot this through the window at a distance Rich estimated to be at least a couple hundred yards. Doesn't it look kinda like a modern art painting of a pineapple in the snow? No? Um, okay.

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Our day was far from over.

We continued our drive through beautiful southwest New Mexico.

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Rich stopped to fill up at a tribal gas station in Mescalero. Seeing this in the parking lot piqued my curiosity so I walked over to chat. These are elk antlers and the two lying on the ground are a matched pair...rare.

In this photo my new best friends, as the kids would call them, are searching through the truck for an antler to show me what the blood marrow inside the antlers looks like. No, it's not runny or mushy or anything of the sort. Antlers which are not sold to lighting or furniture or souvenir makers can be sold to an Asian country where the marrow is used to make medicines. Although rare, elk can have mad cow disease so of course it is not legal to use the marrow for anything in our country.

This is what was inside the pickup truck; they had purchased all of these on Saturday from guys who go out into the countryside collecting them after the elk have shed their antlers. The fresh brown antlers are worth the most. If you've found any recently, my friends here will pay you $8.00 a pound. By the way, they weigh less this year than usual as a result of the change in elk diet because of the drought conditions.

This is why you keep coming back, right? For the detailed information on subjects that you had no idea you would be this interested in...giggle!

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From there we drove to an elevation above 7,000 feet where the mountains were covered with pine and cedar trees.

Before dropping back into lower hills with sparse ground cover.

And the sun set behind us.

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See what this camera can do? We were on the road much later than we are usually because we had a special destination.

Roswell, NM...always an experience. Just you hide 'n watch for the next post!

Lovin' Life ~~ With Its Endless New Experiences

Friday's Travels

Doin' my best to fake it until I make it...I'm better but by the time we drive and then explore plus wrestling with the frustration of intermittent internet connectivity...I can't get a posting done. As you all know, we left Apache Junction, AZ on Friday morning. Not wanting to test our limits, we only drove to Benson, AZ which was only about 150 miles. All was well, so we decided that would be a good opportunity to drive down and visit Tombstone.

The girls were obviously star-struck, meeting their first cowboy!

In addition to this great old stagecoach, you could also take a tour of the town in a covered wagon.

This is the main street of Tombstone. Three blocks lined with stores were closed to vehicle traffic, except for those that were horse-drawn of course.

I loved seeing the hitching posts lining the street alongside the covered wooden sidewalks.

You do remember the significance of Tombstone, right? It was the site of the "Gunfight at the O.K. Corral"...ah yes! Wyatt Earp. Doc Holliday. We bought some delicious home brewed sarsaparilla with  pictures of them and the other two Earp brothers on the label...quite a collector item we were assured.

Leaving Tombstone we paralleled the border for a while to check out this southern part of Arizona. There were mountains in the distance. I'm already really missing the sight of mountains on my horizon.

Here the San Pedro River is peacefully Meandering across the countryside...just like we are doing.

Since crossing into Texas on a rural highway an hour and a half ago, I've actually been able to upload photos and write this post...yahoo for Texas connectivity!!! We're driving into Amarillo...right...now.

Lovin' Life ~~ On the Road in Texas