#22: New Mexico: Part 2
Although I had visited Santa Fe in the past, I didn’t remember it well. I wanted to check it out again while I was in the area.
The tricky part with Santa Fe was finding a viable place to camp. For some reason, this was challenging. I’ve been on the road long enough to know what types of places I prefer and what types of places I like to avoid. I prefer national parks, state parks, and national forests (and of course BLM/government land), which are typically tucked away in natural surroundings. These places also attract people who want to camp, as opposed to live. RV parks (for the most part), on the other hand, are often a different vibe. Although parks and national forests AND private RV parks can be hit or miss, many times private RV parks are filled with families, less active people and people residing for months at a time.
The type of campsite that I haven’t mentioned is the “alternative” campsite. What I mean by this is essentially a parking lot somewhere, usually of Walmart, Cracker Barrel, or other types of establishments. In my case, in Santa Fe, this meant a casino parking lot. Yes, that’s right. There were limited “natural” options in Santa Fe, and this casino allowed RV’rs to stay overnight (for free). The parking lot was HUGE, and it worked out perfectly.
I stayed at the Tesuque Casino for two nights, giving me a full day to explore Santa Fe. I drove my car, Airstream in tow, to a few of the areas of the city (I didn’t want to leave the Airstream in the casino parking lot unattended. I parked it on the street, took up two parking spots and simply paid the meter for both spots.). Art is a significant focus of the attractions in Santa Fe (including the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum and Meow Wolf). Unfortunately, my interest in select types of art is minimal, but I enjoyed the architecture and history. I walked around the plaza and saw the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi. I had Addie with me, so I didn’t visit any galleries, but I was able to pop into a few shops (and enjoy an outside margarita at The Shed).
I left early the next morning to make my way to a town called Truth or Consequences. On the route, was the Petroglyph National Monument, so I broke up the drive by making a trip there to hike and see the petroglyphs.
Truth or Consequences is an interesting place. At the very least, the town has an interesting name. I had reserved a campsite at Elephant Butte Lake State Park, which is probably a lot more bustling in the summer months. I arrived later in the day and made a plan to hike Turtleback Mountain the next day. After a quick coffee at Black Cat Books & Coffee, Addie and I set out to the trailhead.
Since the trailhead was unmarked, it was challenging to locate (I used AllTrails to find this hike). We met a friendly fellow hiker named Michael, who helped us find it, and we ended up hiking the entire trail with him (and his dog, Bella). This trail was only about 4.5 miles roundtrip, but an elevation gain of about 2,000 feet. It took us nearly 5 hours to complete. Michael and I chatted about many things as we hiked - work, relationships, life decisions, meditation - it was nice to have company and listen to engaging life stories from a stranger. Afterward, Addie and I were utterly exhausted and crashed back at the Airstream. Her poor little paw pads got blisters on them. Sadly, I think I may need to subject her to doggie boots....
The following morning I enjoyed coffee with a couple from Vermont who Michael and I had the pleasure of meeting while on our hike. They were also staying at Elephant Butte State Park. They have an interesting story: They live and work in Vermont for the spring and summer and travel in the southwest (mostly New Mexico) during the colder months. There is always an alternative way of living your life!
I hit the road after coffee and headed south to Silver City, NM. I wasn’t planning to, but my GPS took me through the Gila National Forest. That drive, although beautiful, was very annoying. I twisted and turned through switchbacks and curves, in the rain, towing the Airstream. If it were clear skies and I was in a sports car it would have been a different story…
Silver City is an old silver mining town currently noted for outdoor recreation, a mild climate (low humidity, four gentle seasons and 300+ days of sunshine a year), and historic downtown area. From there, I thought about visiting the Gila Cliff Dwellings, but that was a two-hour drive BACK through the Gila National Forest. I did not feel like getting back in the car the next morning (plus, no dogs allowed). Of course, I hemmed and hawed and ultimately decided not to go. Instead, with poor weather, I took a day to relax and briefly tour the historic downtown.
It was in Silver City when I noticed an existing leak in my Airstream had gotten much worse. I had water dripping in the trailer overnight and had no choice but to catch the dripping water in a bucket on the galley countertop.
A pot wasn’t large enough to sustain the dripping overnight…
ADDITIONALLY, my heat thermostat/panel was not activating. I had to get the trailer into the dealership and get these things fixed as soon as possible. I couldn’t keep traveling with these issues. All of this leads to post #16, when I took the Airstream to the dealership in Albuquerque for service.
