Deming, New Mexico

Since our last post, we've been busy, as usual. Our last few days in Tucson were spent having dinner with new friends, old acquaintances, and prepping for the next step in our '16 journey. Trips to Costco, Walmart, the grocery store and the gas station ($1.17 regular) took up our time, and got us into a part of Tucson that we had not previously visited. Along a busy avenue we came across a statue of Father Kino, the founder of San Xavier Mission, and the one generally credited with the establishment of Tucson.

We had seemingly put down roots in Tucson, so leaving was a bit harder than we had anticipated, but we hit the road on March 2, trekking east across Arizona and into New Mexico. The scenery along Interstate 10 was as breathtaking as ever (!), and hadn't changed a bit from our last journey. We began to feel like Father Kino riding a burro across the desert...

Aside from the tourist souvenir stands spaced nicely along the highway, the highlight of the 222 miles to Deming was crossing the Continental Divide. Somewhat underwhelming this far south.

We found the rv park where we had made reservations to be somewhat south of Deming, but at least it was far away from town and the interstate, so it is very quiet and dark at night, with the stargazing just phenomenal. We're staying in site 57 at the LoW-Hi RV Resort, run by Loners on Wheels, a group of singles who have established a system of parks. The parks are available to all and generally are also members of the Passport America 50% off system. Our rate is $19 a night, which is reasonable for a small, gravel, older park with narrow spaces. I don't think it  would be worth the full price of $38, but it is nice enough and centrally located for the attractions we wanted to see in the area. Wednesday evening after arriving we drove into downtown Deming to see what was what, and eventually stopped at "Si Señor" for dinner. The portions were generous and the prices very reasonable…..$20 with tip for the both of us. Nice! On the way back to the park, we stopped at the Veteran's Memorial Park for a chance to see the memorial to the local men who were tortured and killed during the Bataan Death March during WW II.

Occurring during the initial occupation of the Philippine Islands by the Japanese Imperial Army, the Death March resulted in the deaths of most of the prisoners of war. Lest We Forget.

Today, Thursday the 3rd, we ventured north toward the first of our local destinations, Silver City. On the way to SC, we took a side trip to City of Rocks State Park.

Featuring an amazing collection of rocks with campsites nicely tucked in among them, the park is amazing. There is even a series of sites with electricity and water hookups for $14 per night. Not bad.

At the entrance/exit to the park, the most photographed formation in the park is on full display. "Toilet Rock" greets visitors near the Visitors Center.

We'll put City of Rocks on the list of places to stay one day, even though there are only a few sites that will accommodate our 43' Nessie. Most sites are suitable for small campers or tents, being small and out of level.

Continuing on to Silver City, we drove the length of town, stopping near the historical district to take Sasha for a walk and to find a restaurant with a patio so we could all have lunch. Our first stop was the Palace Hotel. When we were in Douglas, AZ, we didn't go into the lobby of the Gadsden Hotel and missed the cool things to see, including the chip in the tread of the marble staircase where Pancho Villa rode his horse up the stairs. We were determined not to miss out a second time.

The small lobby has been kept in original decor, and our imagination filled it with cowboys, ranchers, and silver and gold magnates.

Silver City has its roots in Gold, Silver, and Copper. Some copper mines are still in operation, but most mines have closed permanently. Most of downtown has been reconfigured as artsy/craftsy, food co-opp stores, but remnants of the towns past glory still dot the hillsides on the side streets.

Near the Visitors Center, which was a collection point for numerous pamphlets, maps, and coupons advertising tourist activities and not much else, a recreation of an 1870's log cabin represents the type of house that Billy the Kid lived in when he lived here with his Mother as a child. Billy's mother suffered from Consumption, and moved her family from Chicago to the southwest. Billy found himself on his own at the age of 10, and fell in with unsavory companions. The rest is history, dont'cha know.

Seeking a different way home, we opted to drive southwest to Lordstown, a community directly on I10 and about 40 miles from Silver City. In all, we managed to accumulate 175 miles on the clock, and still made it home for dinner! And tomorrow?  Who knows?