Dripping Springs NA hike, White Sands National Monument and a roll over

In my last post I talked about the new friends we made and how we were able to meet at Leasburg Dam SP in Las Cruces, NM. Well before we left NM, we took a nice hike at the Dripping Springs NA(Natural Area). There's a lot of history in that area too. Col. Eugene Van Patten built Dripping Springs Resort in the 1870's. Dripping Springs Resort was originally called "Van Patten's Mountain Camp. In the late 1800's a stage line brought guests to the hotel from Las Cruces, 17 miles away. If you would like to read more about this historic area. You can go HERE. Today, the ruins of Dripping Springs Resort lie scattered along the canyon, preserving the memory of Col. Van Patten,

The hike started at the visitor's center and the trail was a wide gravel path for most of the way. The round trip, in and out hike is about 3 miles. All up hill to the ruins and back down. Of course there is an area with water coming out of the rock making it a Dripping Spring.

Enlarge the photos for best viewing

Out Camp

Ruins of Van Patten Resort

Boyd Sanatorium

Dripping Springs

The weather was perfect and we had a great time with some history thrown in. I got my passport book stamped and a sticker to put in it. Well we had an interesting event also happen at the park when we returned from sightseeing the area. A woman and her family were coming into the park and took the turn after the gate a little too fast. She lost control on the gravel road and the vehicle flipped onto its side. We happened to come shortly after it happened and called 911. The sheriffs department came along with the Paramedics. Actually no one was injured, miraculously. There were 5 children in the vehicle and all got our safely.

 

Glenda helped to keep everyone calm before the sheriff arrived and got some water for everyone.

I don't know if she was ticketed but we do know they were able to get a tow truck to get the vehicle back upright and she drove the vehicle back to El Paso. Very slowly with someone following behind.

They were all very fortunate.

We also made a trip to see the White Sands National Monument about 45 miles NW of us. This is an incredible area. As you drive to White Sands all you see is typical desert landscape then suddenly you come around a small foothill and then the white sands begin to appear.

They have a wonderful visitors center where I got my passport book stamped and a sticker.

White sand coming into view

Kids can buy plastic discs and slide down the dunes.

They give nature talks here

Amazing white sand

Look what I found a White Sands

Looks like this cactus slid down the dune

Shameless selfie

We didn't know very much about the area so we didn't really come prepared to walk around much. The sun on the sand really made it feel warm and it was difficult to walk in the sand without proper footwear. We did walk about 1/2 mile on the Alkali Flat Trail. It's a 5mile trail over the dunes. Rated at challenging due to the difficulty of walking in soft sand and the distance. We found out why in just that short distance.

Families were all over the dunes sliding down. Sitting with umbrellas reading, picnicking and enjoying the landscape. It certainly was worth the drive that day. IF you would like more information on White Sands, you can find it HERE.  Go to this link to read about the geology of the White Sands. It is fascinating.

We did pretty much everything we set out to do in Las Cruces. We could have gone to the missile range but passed it up for the more adventurous activities outdoors.

We left Las Cruces and made our way to West TX and stopped at Balmorhea SP. Very interesting area with a series of natural springs. More about that next post. Starting to get caught up on our travels. I'll keep working on it. Things are getting even more interesting. Hope you'll follow along.

Chiricahua National Monument, Whitewater Draw...Sandhill Cranes, Bisbee and Meeting people... New friends

While at Kartchner Caverns SP we made sure to visit the Chiricahua National Monument. We had so many recommendations to see it so we drove the 50 or so miles and were we ever rewarded in our efforts. This is a wonderful area for hiking, camping and horseback riding. We started at the Visitors Center and got our Passport book stamped and then took the scenic drive up to Massai Point. Incredible views of the surrounding area.

Typical high desert landscape with beautiful rock formations. After we took a short walk around the high point we drove down a short distance to Echo Canyon trail. This is a 2.5 mile hike down into the canyon and back up. They recommend hiking counterclockwise so there is less steep incline coming up out of the canyon. There was even a grotto area of rock that was very interesting.

Some of the rock formations reminded us of our visit to Bryce Canyon NP with all the hoodoos.

We spent about 4-5 hours exploring the trail and the landscape. We had a light lunch that we brought and then headed back to Kartchner. If you would like more information on the Chiricahua NM you can find it HERE.

I posted some photos in FB of our hike and visit and one of our RV friends, Mona Liza commented that while in the area we should check our Whitewater Draw to see the Sandhill Cranes as they migrate back north. So the next day we took the 60 mile drive to see if we could get a glimpse. We were rewarded for our efforts. The cranes fly off early in the morning, like 6 am, to go to other areas to feed and return to the marshy conservation area in the mid day. That's when we arrived. As we sat on benches around the marsh the cranes would fly in in groups of 20-40 at a time. They were specks in the distance and then suddenly appear. Enlarge the photos for best viewing

 

It was a cloudy windy day and the cranes were a ways off from us but I did get a few decent pictures using my zoom lens.

Sandhill cranes are very large birds with wing spans of up to 6 feet. The Audubon Society has some great information about them HERE. Scroll down to see the information on the link.

Because it is a marsh area we were able to see Coots, ducks and other water fowl. It was a fun activity and so happy we have friends that make those types of recommendations.

Well since we were so close to Bisbee we decided to make a quick trip there and check out the olive oil store and for me the Old Bisbee Brewery. We were in Bisbee 2 years ago and ate at the Mexican restaurant down the street from the olive oil store and brewery. Again a quick trip.

This time when we stopped at the brewery we noticed they had a vegan chili and root beer too. So We each got a chili, Glenda got root beer and I got a nice tasty Mayan Stout. Wonderful coffee finish and great balance. The chili was delicious and Glenda said the root beer was good too. I truly enjoyed the stout.

Well while were eating a gentleman sat down at the table next to us and we started talking. As we talked another couple sat down at the table next to him. The next thing we know the couple says "we weren't eaves dropping but we heard you say you are at Kartchner Caverns SP and heading to Leasburg Dam SP in Las Cruces". We're planning to stop for one night at Kartchner and we're dry camping at Whitewater Draw to see the Sandhill Cranes and then head to Leasburg SP too. WHAT A COINCIDENCE. Doug and Julie are new full time RV'ers and were traveling from CA to FL and then up the east coast for the summer. They're also world travelers and shared some wonderful experiences in Spain, Portugal, France, India and beyond just to name a few.

They're pulling a travel trailer and started off small...like 26 feet. Reminded us of our old Jayco 22 footer before we started full time. Anyway, after we talked and ate we parted ways thinking we would see them at Kartchner. Well they couldn't get a reservation on short notice there so they stayed at Whitewater Draw one more night and then headed to Leasburg SP. Now here is another coincidence....their site was right behind ours. This is crazy. We got to Leasburg about the same time and went over to say hi. We were both going to be at the SP for 7 days too.

So during the week we had them over to our site for a couple of campfires and some snacks and we also played spades with the wives, of course, winning. Lots of fun. They're both beer lovers like me but different in that they like more IPA beers and I like the dark beers. Lots of beer talk and sharing.

What a great  time we had this last week with them. We did our thing, they did theirs but we got together to share the experience and talk about our travels. What a coincidence.

We find this is happening a lot in our travels and are so happy to living this lifestyle. New places, New adventures and New Friends. We exchanged information and plan on keeping contact as we all travel and share this incredible journey. More on our stay at Leasburg SP in Las Cruces soon. Thanks for following along.

Final fun with friends and family before moving on....Arrived at Kartchner Caverns SP

Ok, the last week was a whirlwind of activity with hiking, last dinner and golfing with our son, Chris and rig preparations for traveling. We won't be seeing our good friends Ron and Patsy until next fall/winter or our son, Chris so we made good use of the time we had left. Our last hike on the Lost Gold Mine trail.

To the left if you're following the trail clockwise

We took this trail

Met some horses along the way

Not sure what this was but something picked the bones

Wonderful desert landscape

We've hiked this trail before but took the counterclockwise direction this time. Of course we stopped at a Mexican restaurant - Los Gringos Locos after.   Later that evening we played Spades at their home...guys vs. the girls...of course. This was the guys night. Win or lose we love to play. Of course winning feels better. :-)  We also played Wizards and Jesters card game and Patsy was the big winner. I don't remember how I did. Ha-ha  We're going to miss our hikes and card games with these great friends. Oh and new beers. Right Ron?

We then planned a delicious dinner with our son and his girlfriend, Audrey before we left. We found a new recipe from the Food Channel and used his grill to cook it. Chicken Involtini and Buttery Grilled Potatoes. Chris grilled up some burgers too for leftovers the next week. We had a nice chocolate cake for dessert.

Weather was great so we ate on the patio

The crew

We had a fun evening and played some spades after dinner. Audrey and I teamed up and whipped the mother and son team. Audrey hasn't played spades much in the past but caught on very quickly and had some beginners luck with great cards all evening.

As I said I had the chance to play golf with Chris before we left. We tried a new course, the Dobson Ranch course just a few minutes from his house. The last time we played it was no contest however this time my persistence paid off and I came out on top by a few strokes. I know we'll be back at it again next winter and I know he'll be gunning for me. Win or lose....I truly enjoy playing with him.

Just a couple days before leaving we got a call from our friends, Steve and Debbie from Down the Road. They were still stuck in CA in a pasture with mud all around from the rains there for the last couple of months. However they were driving their truck to Surprise, AZ to see Steve's father and step mom for a couple weeks. No way we were going to miss the chance to hang with these folks. We made plans to meet about half way between  at Mac's Broiler and Tap in Tempe. Good food and many choices for beer. Of course when they pulled up Steve jumped out and said "there's a geocache right over there in the parking lot" so Steve and I got our phones and apps locked on and found it right away. Can't stop us. Glenda and I are slowly increasing our cache numbers.

We got a seat and ordered our beer and food and the conversation started. We hadn't been together since Durango, CO so there was a lot to cover. On and on we went. I don't think there was ever a lull in the conversation. Well after dinner and another hour later(maybe longer) we finally had to say our goodbyes.

The great thing is we are formulating a plan to meet out east this summer. Steve has a reunion in VA and then they plan to travel north to Maine. That's our plan too...to see the east coast. So Maine would be a great meeting place. I hear Maine lobster is wonderful. Got to check it out. So we'll be seeing them again soon. That is if they ever get out of CA. :-)

The crazy lovebirds

Then on March 1 we had to leave our winter home. We had everything ready to move on and all we had to do was say our goodbyes to our neighbors in the park. Once that was done, we hitched up and moved on down the road (sounds familiar). We drove about 3 1/2 hours to Kartchner Caverns SP about 8 miles south of Benson, AZ. We've been here before in 2015. We love the area and an opportunity to kick back, explore new territory and geocache. We have the same site because some of the other sites have a lot of slope or are too short for us and we knew this one was just right. We have so much space and privacy.

Our site

Looking down the road

Looking up the road

The weather is about the same as in Gold Canyon but we're at a higher elevation. About 4600 ft. above sea level. We have more winds here since it's so much more open around us. We don't plan on going into the Caverns this year. We did that in 2015. Our plan is to visit friends in Green Valley, AZ and Chiricahua National Monument. We also hiked the Foothill trail around the caverns. About 2.5 miles with 400 ft. elevation gain. We also did the optional Mountain View extension for the best views. The trail leaves from the campground and follows around the side through a couple of washes around the back of the caverns then around and up over the caverns with the option to get higher on the Viewpoint trail. The trail then leads back around the front to the visitors center and back to the campground.

Mesquite everywhere

Cairns mark the top of the Viewpoint

Checking out the view

We added our own rocks to the cairns

At the top

What a landscape

We're already immersing our selves in the scenery and are heading to the Chiricahua National Monument tomorrow. Cloudy day today but we got our 10,000 steps in and found 3 caches.

That's a good day.

More exploring and adventure to come.