The Biggest Rig in the Forest

Taggart ponders "the beast"

A cool hour of driving has taken “the beast” from high windy desert rock to cool forest. It’s an amazing transformation and the setting is practically perfect. Our window opens to a view of deep blue lake, rolling hills, birds riding in spirals on the evening light and the sweet sounds of a faint wind echoing through the pine. We’re one of 3 campers currently in the campground and for $10/night it really doesn’t get any better than this. As I sit on our enormous “patio” soaking in the abundance of nature (and a rather nice pinot noir) I can honestly say that this is why we went RVing. I feel at one with the world and extremely grateful for the chance to be here.

A windy, narrow and bumpy road to the forest

It didn’t all come by itself, mind you. We actively seek out natural and remote campgrounds and we often take “the beast” where others would not. The road to our current abode, Lake Roberts is what some might call “just barely ample” and there’s not exactly a lot of info about this place. It’s no surprise that we’re (by far) the largest rig here. Our enormous girth often sticks out in the crowd attracting curious passerby’s and comments of “my you’re big” which, as a woman, I pride myself on taking rather gracefully with the answer “indeed we are”.

To be honest we probably ended up with a rather larger RV than we should have. We bought the rolling home on somewhat of an impulse and didn’t really stop to think practically about the type of camping we like to do. I can only blame lack of logic and inexperience from the process of passing directly from backpacking to RVing (rather a lot of developmental gaps there, you know).

The beauty of being "off the beaten track"

Then again these things are rather common for me, having spent a lot of time “off the beaten path” in my life. I often end up doing things others would question and I can’t say I ever regret it. “The beast” is supremely comfortable and has lead to relationships and conversations we might never otherwise have had, and this RVing experience is something we’ll remember for the rest of our lives. It also goes to show that, despite apparent limitations with a bit of pluck (as the English would say, what), some cunning, a sprinkle of luck and an open mind you can experience truly amazing things almost anywhere.

Stunning Lake Roberts

It’s all rather philosophical, I do admit, but somehow it all makes sense. Trust in life, take the leap and you’ll always be rewarded. We may well be the biggest rig in the forest, but we fit in perfectly nonetheless and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Note: We are removed from both bits and bytes out here, so next post will be a few days. Ancient cities, Nina on a ladder and more pinot noir coming up so fear not, the gripping adventure will continue…

SP Campground Review – City of Rocks, NM

Paul gets engulfed in the Ciy of Rocks

A very cool campground smack in the middle of the surreal City of Rocks in SW New Mexico!

Link to campground here: City of Rocks, NM
Link to map location here: City of Rocks, NM

1. Site Quality = 4/5
   There’s a wide selection of sites here. The electric sites just outside the rocks near the visitors center are excellent. They are huge, decently flat gravel sites (6 pull-through and 4 back-in) with 30Amp/water, good separation, lovely landscaping, fire-pit, picnic table and shelters. Then, there’s the “rock” section around the very bumpy campground loop road. These are non hook-up plain dirt sites with picnic table/fire-pits and (very) varying size and levelness, but they’re situated beautifully right within the rocks. Most are probably better suited for smaller rigs or tents, but a few are flat and large enough to handle “beast size”. For 40-foot+ we thought the best choices were #2, #26-29 and #16-17, with #16 being huge, very private and our personal winner. In the electric section #E10 on the end was our favorite.
2.  Facilities = 3.5/5
   The facilities are decent. Large bathrooms and showers, kept nicely clean. Shower pressure is decent and temperature good, but you do have the timer-buttons and those spray-type shower-heads.
3. Location = 4.5/5
   You come here for the rocks and on that point this place gets top marks. You can camp, climb, play and run right in the rocks plus there’s several miles of hiking trails (both outside & within the rocks). You’re ~30-miles North of Deming and ~30-miles South of Silver City for day-trips (including the very fun Pinos Altos). Slight ding for no dump station.
4. Pet Friendliness = 5/5
   Great park for pooch. Doggie has plenty of space to hang out and is welcome to climb the rocks with you.

Overall Rating = 4.25
BONUS ALERT = Camp, play and climb right in the middle of the surreal City of Rocks!

Summary: This campground is ALL about the rocks and it’s 100% worth it for that alone. The City of Rocks is a surreal cluster of gorgeous rocks located in the middle of nowhere half-way between Deming and Silver City. There’s a small selection of 10 very nice, huge (enormous) electric sites with 30Amp/water just outside the rocks and then there’s 45 sites of varying size within the rocks themselves. The road around the loop is very bumpy and for bigger rigs the best sites seem around #2 (at front), #16, 17 (reservation) or #27-29.  For medium-sized rigs there’s alot more choice. There’s also several miles of hiking trails, a lovely overlook and hours of fun getting lost within the rocks. We had a blast hanging out here and would recommend everyone to experience this unique spot at least once in their lives.

 Extra Info:  Amazingly we had full 3G Verizon signal for both the smartphone and aircard. Sites cost $10/night for developed (non hook-up = 45 sites), $14/night for water/30Amp electric (10 sites). Camping fees can be covered with New Mexico Annual Camping Permit. 8 sites reservable, others are first-come-first-serve. On-site water spigot, but NO dump station.

Typical electric site (#E6 shown)

Our site #E10. We thought it the nicest in the electric section with no-one to the side or in front of us.

View down front of electric section (#E5 on right)

View of one of more uneven sites (#7) workable for medium-sized campers

One of larger, flatter sites (#29 shown) suitable for bigger rigs

Another of the flatter, larger sites (#28)

Another of the larger sites able to handle bigger rigs (#2 shown)

Another of the larger, flatter private sites (#17)

Our favorite site #16. A bit tough to judge from the pic, but the site is very large, decently flat and very private.

One of the nice site for med-sized rigs (#10)

Another of the nice sites for med-sized rigs (#45 shown)

A very large site, but far too sloped for a MH (#36)

One of sites probably better suited for tenters (#40)

View down campground loop

Walking the end of the campground loop towards the visitor center (also the main facilities)

The Biggest Little Town in New Mexico – Pinos Altos, NM

“A rough and tumble mining town where men worked hard, drank hard and killed rather than apologize” from Once Upon a Time (a history of Pinos Altos)

The Opera House (circa 1860). I had fun with this shot!

Now, I should say up-front that I’m a huge theatre fan. I’ve acted it, directed it, produced it and lived it so I love (love, love) everything about it. There’s just about only one thing cooler than actual living theatre and that’s a true-bred, old-fashioned theatre house. The kind of place that, just by the nature of the room, oozes fantasy, creativity and history all at the same time. Put that together with a touch of old Western and a history of rough men and you’ve got my whole-hearted attention. That’s exactly what we found in Pinos Altos, and was even more fun was that I met one of the owners, Kurt.

A tin of old spam at the Museum

But let me go back and bit and introduce the place properly. Pinos Altos is a teeny old mining town nestled at ~7000 feet in the forested hills of Grant County. In 1860 Gold was struck here, and the town burst forth in a frenzy of New Mexico gold rush. Not much has changed since then and many of the characters are much the same. There are touches of the wonderfully eccentric, flirting edges of the independent and the feel of the turn of a century….the perfect cast for a play, in fact.

The Pinos Altos Historic Museum

You can visit the entire town in one afternoon by meandering the mini-cluster of buildings on Main Street. In the space of ~100 feet you’ll go through the biggest little town in New Mexico, and manage to pack in quite a bit of history too. Start with an ice cream at the old Post Office, then stroll on over to see the musty artifacts at the Museum (rarely have I seen more stuff crammed into 3 rooms, and for $1 it’s a deal to visit!). Follow this with an afternoon pick-me-up at the Buckhorn Saloon and finish off the act by immersing yourself in the opulence of the Opera House.

Inside the spectacular Opera House. They fit 150 people into this mini-space during open shows.

The latter is by far the most beautiful, creative and spectacular little theatre I have ever seen. Kurt and his partners renovated the building, staying true to the feel of the 1860′s, but what’s even better is that they keep it alive and working with a steady flow of artists, plays and entertainment.  In my theatre days I would have given my right arm to play in a place like this. People come from miles around to be entertained here and it’s no surprise that the shows are always sold out. Open Mike night is every Monday so if you can’t make an actual show that’s the evening to go, and for those pre-theatre munchies The Buckhorn Saloon does a spectacular dinner (reported to be one of the best in the area).

Chatting with Kurt outside the Buckhorn Saloon

We were lucky enough to get chatting with Kurt when we went, it being a Sunday and a rather slow day. I got a personal tour of the Opera House as well as the invitation to view a cabin he’s renovating, and an offer to boondock on his land if we were coming back. What a guy! The afternoon passed beautifully and the biggest little town in New Mexico gave us a welcome as entertaining and surprising as a good Western. Step aside John Wayne, you ain’t got nothing on this place…

Paul checks out an old stereoscope at the Museum

A Dry Gold Rocker from the late 1800's

The Oliver Typewriter

Turn of the century Clorox and Laundry Soap

A Phoenix In the Desert – City of Rocks, NM

“The phoenix hope, can wing her way through the desert skies, and still defying fortune’s spite; revive from ashes and rise.”
Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (1547-1616)

Deep in the City of Rocks, NM

It was all so unexpected. We were rolling through dust and endless horizon of high desert hills lost in the lazy dreams of a scene from an old Western, when it arose before us. Like a phoenix from the ashes, the flower of a thousand rocks bloomed and presented itself to our view. So rare and inexplicable was this scene that I almost expected Zeus himself to appear and announce he’d thrown the spears of rock from the sky.

Here was the City of Rocks and it was unlike anything I’d ever seen before.

The phoenix rises from the desert. The road into City of Rocks, NM

 OK, OK, I realize that I’m shamelessly mixing mythology here, but it was all so very surreal that it was hard to comprehend what we were actually seeing. After all, why is this singular group of rocks here? How did they get here? And what in the world are they possibly doing in the middle of this godforsaken desert?

Surrealistic sculptures

As it turns out truth is not far separated from myth, and Zeus (or rather his predecessor) may have been involved after all. The entire history of this clump of rocks goes back ~35 million years to a massive eruption ~1000 times larger than Mt. St.Helen’s, known as the “Kneeling Nun”. The main explosion sent ~1000 cubic kilometers of volcanic pumice, ash, and gas into the air blanketing the ground for many hundreds of miles around. Intense heat compacted and welded the mass into rocks of ”ignimbrite” or “tuff” which then eroded and cracked through many cycles of cooling, freezing and thawing over the next millions of years. 

Lost in the rocks

So, what we saw as we crested the hill was literally a 35-million year scene in the making. Here lies a formation so unique it only exists a few other places in the world, and yet you can camp, play and climb right in the middle of it all!

The scene is so magical that my camera has been going wild, almost of its own accord, and I’ve been blown away by the sheer uniqueness of it all. We’ve also extended our stay, because this may well be something we never experience again. If I may say it, this place rocks!

Hiking to the observation point

So, as we lose ourselves in sculptures of rock and sky, sweeping us away on the wings of myth and past, I’ll leave you with dreams of a place that, quite literally, rose from the ashes. This is not just a piece of history, but a sublime creation and a gateway to the wonders that nature can give us.

It just goes to show, sometimes the real thing is far more spectacular than fantasy.

Mountains shadow the valley

View of the valley

A moody afternoon in the campground

Late afternoon sky

Polly poses for a shot

There are over 35 species of birds in the valley

SP Campground Review – Oliver Lee Memorial State Park, Alamogordo, NM

Our picnic table at Oliver Lee

A simply lovely campground nestled in the Sacramento Mountains in S.NM with views to take your breath away!

Link to campground here: Oliver Lee Memorial State Park, NM
Link to map location here: Oliver Lee Memorial State Park, NM

1. Site Quality = 4.5/5
   Very nice sites here. Most are large, decently flat gravel sites with good separation, a selection of 30Amp/water and primitive, fire-pit and picnic table or shelter (depending on the site). Although only rated for max 35-foot several sites near the top (especially sites #2, 4) are very flat and amply large for big-rigs (do bring extension cords though since the hook-ups are on the front, right side). Sites near the bottom of the loop are in general smaller and more sloped. The big bonus is the views and almost all sites have outstanding 360 views with sunset right from the front window of your RV.
2.  Facilities = 3.5/5
   The facilities are decent. Large bathrooms and showers, kept nicely clean. Shower pressure is decent and temperature good, but you do have the timer-buttons and those spray-type shower-heads.
3. Location = 5/5
   I simply can’t imagine a nicer location for this area. The campground is nestled right up against the Sacramento Mountains with 360-degree views of both the mountains (in the back) and the valley (in the front). Access to hiking, nature trail, lovely visitor center and shopping not too far in Alamogordo. Easy 1/2 hour drive to White Sands Monument. On-site dump station.
4. Pet Friendliness = 5/5
   Great doggie park. Lots of space to hang out and plenty of trails (incl. the strenuous 5.5 mile Dog Canyon hike). Access to splash in a bit of water by the stream on the nature trail too.

Overall Rating = 4.5
BONUS ALERT = Camp with 360-degree views in the Sacramento Mountains!

Summary: We loved this campground and were absolutely blown away by the views! Nestled beautifully at the base of the Sacramento mountains, the sites are tiered so you’ll get an almost perfect view of the mountains in the back and sides with full valley (and sunset) view in the front. Although “officially” rated for 35-max, you can definitely fit bigger in here and our 40-footer was amply comfortable in site #2 (which we also deemed one of the nicest sites in the campground, by the way). All sites are well-separated, gravel surface with picnic table, fire-pit and selection of 30Amp/water or primitive. Upper sites are, in general larger and more flat than some of the lower-loop sites. A few have shelters too. Location is perfect for visiting White Sands and nearby Alamogordo. Overall we had a blast hiking the trails, soaking in the views, oohing at sunsets and just relaxing in the shadow of the gorgeous mountains. A wonderful campground and I’d recommend it for everyone.

 Extra Info:  Verizon full signal both for smartphone and aircard. Sites cost $10/night for developed (non hook-up), $14/night for water/electric (30 Amp). Camping fees can be covered with New Mexico Annual Camping Permit. 7 sites reservable, other 37 first-come-first-serve. On-site dump station.

View of one of upper sites (#4)

View of one of smaller, more uneven sites in lower loop (#12)

View of site with shelter (#18)

Front view of our site (#2)

View from side of our RV (site #1 in back left)

View from top of campground loop (our RV on left #2, site #3 behind it)

Another view from top of loop (site #3 on left, #5 on right in back)

View upwards from bottom of loop (site #20 on left, #21 on right)

View down side of campground (Site #30, 28 front to back). These are smaller sites.

Aerial view of campground from Dog Canyon trail