280 Miles and 20 Degrees!

 After an enforced quiet time in Tucson (the temperature hovered around 105 F, in the 80’s at night), we’ve pushed east on Interstate 10 to Hacienda RV Resort in Las Cruces, New Mexico. We’re considerably cooler, and ready to do some laundry and some shopping. We’ve stopped here in the past, and love the charm of Las Cruces. The old town of Mesilla, just at the south edge of Las Cruces, will transport a person back in time 200 years, with a traditional mission on a central square surrounded by small shops, restaurants, and the jail where Billy the Kid was held (until he walked out…). Try dinner at the Double Eagle the next time you’re here!

Las Cruces was a vital supply and support city for the Trinity Test Site where the first atomic bomb was tested. Considered to have ended World War II tens of thousands of lives sooner than expected, the ordinance was tested at a very remote place a bit north, near the New Mexican town of Alamogordo.

The weather in Las Cruces is generally mild, and the cost of living is about 10% lower than the national average, so it’s easy to see why the city is so desirable. It’s a friendly and accepting city with a strong latin American flavor, but unfortunately, a bit of crime and disruption is sneaking in, sorry to say. The rv park we’re staying at has warned us about securing items left outside, particularly bicycles. Sad.

Here we are for a couple of nights:

Oh, I forgot: we had lunch yesterday at Serial Grillers, a restaurant that specializes in pizza and calzones! No luck with a calzone photo…the food disappeared before the camera could make it out of my pocket, but D pronounced the mini pizza delicately!