Leaving Lincoln National Forest, descending into Alamogordo, NM
The white band in the distance is White Sands National Monument
*
Wanting to stay as close as we could to the warmest weather days, we decided that we would follow route 82 west in southern New Mexico taking us through Lincoln National Forest and then on to route 70 - eventually picking up I10 into Arizona.
Lincoln National Forest! WOW! Covering part of the Chihuahuan Desert and the combined mountain ranges of Guadalupe, Sacramento, Sierra Blanca, Capitan and Gallinas, the forest is over a million diverse acres on the New Mexico / Texas border. You drive from the desert floor of low shrubs and cacti up through forests of pinion, pine and juniper, all the way to alpine grasslands above the tree line! As we climbed we passed small communities of farm lands, irrigated by a large, flowing river, mostly growing apples!
When we reached the summit at 8,600 feet (yes, we finally started looking at the altimeter!!) in Cloudcroft, NM, there was lots of snow on all the south facing hills and even a small ski resort in town.
Totally unexpected.
Totally beautiful.
Coming down the hill on the other side was just as glorious as climbing it. At one point we came across a marker for "Fresnal Shelter". In the limestone cliffs is a rock shelter cave that sheltered hunter-gatherers in the late summer and early fall months between 6000 and 500 B.C. Artifacts such as baskets, sandals, used charcoal and food stuffs have been found there.
And then, off in the distance, we could see the fine white gypsum that flowed down this mountain and deposited itself in the Tularosa Basin below becoming White Sands National Monument. The limestone and gypsum that make up the Sacramento Mountains are sedimentary rocks that are formed UNDER the sea.......
Think about that.
*
On that note - we headed to civilization looking for some great food! I was driving so Tim was in charge of finding a restaurant. We wanted steak with a SW twist and good cocktails! He found us the perfect spot. No tables were available online - so, we headed straight for downtown, refreshed ourselves and dressed in the POD and then walked to the restaurant hoping that our early arrival (5:30 pm) would get us a table. The place was hopping and we were able to get 2 seats at the bar by the front windows. The food and cocktails were delicious and the people watching was great! Serendipity at its best.
*
Just a great old sign
downtown Tucson, AZ
*
A special dinner out!
Carne asada skirt steak with chili peppers and roasted corn with cream (YUM!)
All cooked over mesquite.
Charro Steak
Tucson, AZ
*
Luckily, we were able to find two nites available at a local state park. Other than our reservation in Florida we have been winging it and, so far, have had no problem securing a spot anywhere. Picacho Peak State Park, just outside Tucson, has hiking trails for all levels and a variety of desert growth - including saguaro cactus!
The sun is shining and the daytime temps are @ 78 degrees, there is a cool desert breeze, and we are going to take 2 days to hike, bike, read, and refresh. Ahhhhhhhh.
Picacho Peak State Park
Picacho, AZ
*
Saguaro cactus in the Sonoran Desert
Picacho Peak State Park
Picacho, AZ
*
Sunday morning mimosas!
Picacho Peak State Park
Picacho, AZ
*
The campground is located on a gradual slope that runs from the base of the mountain to the valley. In the far distance one can just see the moving of vehicles on the interstate and the constant flow of trains heading east and west. The sound of the trains lulled us to sleep. All is well.
*
Evening comes to the campground
*
*
Tomorrow we are off to Napa!
No comments:
Post a Comment