Rockhound and Beyond

Wednesday we drove north from Deming, NM, to check City of Rocks State Park, the copper mine and Silver City, NM.

We had been told by several people to visit the copper mine to see the big trucks. There is an observation area that overlooks the mining roads where the trucks run. The trip was a disappointment--there were no big trucks running on Wednesday.

We did enjoy City of Rocks State Park! Bob and I can't wait to go back and stay there for a while. As you drive through the desert, the rocks suddenly appear in the distance.You drive to the top of the nearest mountain to view the area. Rocks line the drive to the observation area. This picture shows the mountain lined with rocks in the distance.Christopher and DeAnna enjoyed playing on the rocks, as usual.

The parking area is landscaped with native vegetation.

We all had fun running around on top of the mountain and viewing the sights.

There are no towns near City of Rocks so the night sky must be great. There is an observatory located near the camping area. Bob and I will visit it on the return trip.

We had a picnic at Fort Bayard just south of Silver City. We started at the picnic table, but finished in the car because of the bone chilling wind. We were at a much higher elevation than at Rockhound State Park.

From Fort Bayard we drove to Silver City. The town has a lot of history, but because of the cold, we didn't stop to look around.

We returned to Rockhound State Park and had a restful afternoon.

Thursday, December 20, we stayed around Deming. Bob scheduled the motorhome for an oil change and installation of a steer safe stabilizer (to help when we are in strong winds) on Friday.

We hiked the Thunder Egg Trail from start to finish.

Christopher is a true hiker. He hiked the 1.1 mile trail with no problem. DeAnna is still working on her hiking legs. She walked about a quarter of the way, then Grandpa carried her in the hip hammock. What a lifesaver!

Christopher and DeAnna both walked to the finish when they caught sight of the "big car" at the bottom of the hill.

Christopher was concerned that the moon was "awake" while the sun was still up. The beautiful clear sky was something to behold.

Friday, December 21

We took it easy on this day as we were leaving the campsite after lunch to make our appointments in Deming.

We were glad we had the steer safe installed because the trip back to El Paso was extremely windy. We didn't feel like we were being blown all over the road, even when semis passed the rv.

The winds kicked up so that we stopped in Anthony, NM just west of El Paso for gas and to wait for the winds to die down.

We pulled in next to a horse trailer where two horses were hitched on either side of the trailer. Christopher and DeAnna enjoyed watching as the owner put a blanket on the horse close to us.

We stayed at the Flying J for 2 hours then began the journey around the mountain. Traffic was so bad on I-10 that we turned around at the first exit and drove over the Franklin Mountains on the Trans Mountain Highway. That was not an option when we lived here 1977-1980. The elevation at the crest of the highway is over 5000 feet.

Christopher and DeAnna were glad to get home, but they can't wait to go in the "big car" again.