White Sands to Silver City

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Slept from 10:30 until 8:00 – Could not believe it! This RV Campground has a club house with laundry, several  individual bathrooms like in a home, and a large kitchen living area with WIFI.  We were both too tired last night to accomplish much besides reading and downloading photos.  I bought a Kindle just before leaving home and am really enjoying it.  We can now keep some of our travel materials and maps under the front seat where we kept books and books on tape.  Space is at a premium and as I have said before – everything must be in its’ place or it just does not work! 

Breakfast

 Took a photo of  breakfast today - the cup holds the egg-a-la-Jane today made with ham.

From about 9:00 until 11:00 we spent time catching up on the web. This location had great internet and from there in the clubhouse I was able to post the past three days of the blog and as well as write yesterday and post it!  Posting photos when you have less than optimal internet is what takes the time.

About 11:30 we headed back across the White Sands Missile Range and National Monument and climbing up the mountains before decending to Las Cruces. 

White Sands from the Highway

Climbing out of the White Sands "Bowl"

We then continued on US70 toward Deming – the route of the Butterfield Trail. Our destination for the day was Silver City about 60 miles north of Deming.  Not much to report on the landscape today flat – scrubby bushes, yucca, some grass – but mostly desert. There are huge bare rock mountains off and on but we skirt them on I 10.  We did pass through one border patrol stop – I do not remember them on east-west routes before but we are only about 30 miles north of the border on I 10 here.  Sure we will go through lots more border patrol stops over the next week or so.

Unusual Art along the Roadway in Deming

As we reach Silver City we climb a little and there are pine trees. We are entering the Gila National Forest and tomorrow will take a day trip high up into the forest to visit the Gila Cliff Dwellings. The trip is only about 50 miles but the road is so curvy travel is slow – the people here at the KOA in Silver City tell us the trip up and back will take about 5 hours.  So we will stay here another night and explore this town when we return from the Cliff Dwellings. 

Our Campsite at Silver City KOA

 We are watching American Idol with a cool breeze blowing looking out at beautiful mountains and the sun will likely set shortly over the mountains to the west. We have been able to choose really great locations for camping and this is another. The only just OK place was last night in Alamogordo but it served as a great internet catch up place and was the closest campground to White Sands which did not offer camping.