We Take a Walk

We live just outside of the city limits of Las Cruces and are surrounded by the 496,000 acres of the Organ Mountains Desert Peaks National Monument, our nation's newest protected area. We like to drive up to the Dripping Springs Visitor Center, located just a short drive from our house, to take walks and have picnics with friends. 

Last week we decided to walk the trail to the springs that give the area its name, since we have always just walked the shorter trail to La Cueva.

At the beginning of the trail

Looking back at the city and the Mesilla Valley

It's always sobering to see that "people have died while climbing in these mountains"

We had to stop and take a photo of the scary warning sign telling us to carry water, hike with a companion, and not to attempt to do things beyond our ability.

A shady stop along the way...

... and the view from the stone bench

Coming attractions

Although this was a winter walk, the sun heats up at 5800 feet, so that shade up ahead was looking very attractive

The first ruins we came to were of the chicken coop, livery and mercantile buildings that were part of Van Patten's Mountain Camp, the original Dripping Springs resort which was built in the 1870s.

I had hoped that this photo of the sign would be easier to read. For a really nice description of the camp and surrounding area, go to the Mountain Resort and Sanatorium post on Abigail Austin's blog, 1000 Miles on My Own Two Feet.

It was fun to imagine early travelers making the trip by stage coach.

Livery building and corrals; Mesilla Valley in the distance

Another view of the livery building and a drinking trough for the tired and thirsty horses

The mercantile

Further up the trail we came to a little snow

Bill at Dripping Springs

We heard the dripping of the springs before we saw them. In this part of the country any amount of water is exciting; in the old days the spring dripped into the cistern and the staff at the resort filled ollas (large unglazed ceramic pots) and carried the water to the guests' rooms. 

Boyd Sanatorium

The resort was sold to Dr. Nathan Boyd in 1917. Mrs. Boyd had contracted tuberculosis, so her husband converted the resort to a sanatorium--the treatment for pulmonary tuberculosis in those pre-antibiotic days called for a healthful diet, strict bed rest, and lots of fresh air.

More ruins

We loved our time up on the mountain (read Bill's account here), especially because the environment was so different from the high desert valley where we live. I'm going back up in a couple of days, this time to do some hiking in the snow.

Moving!

I've been going to the gym for the past five and a half months. If you knew me at all, you'd know that that statement should have a lot of exclamation points after it. The daily exercise has changed the way I feel about myself. I'm losing weight at a reasonable rate. I'm stronger and I have more stamina. My clothes are getting looser. I have more energy. I sleep better. I'm.... well, proud of myself! Yes, I am.

Along with the change in daily activity levels, I started following an eating plan that I got from my doctor. It contains lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, fish and poultry, and whole grains. Fats are limited to good ones; and the sugar is obtained naturally, from fruit. With small meals, plus a snack,  I find that I don't get that "need" for extra carbohydrates that used to plague me. 

If you look at the menu linked above, you will see that there aren't any fruit juices (too much of a sugar jolt), and there are a surprising (to me) amount of carbs. I guess the whole grains do the trick, keeping my body busy with digesting each meal. 

Because Beez is in training for a big bike ride from Telluride to Moab, he has been going to the gym, too, making it even easier for me to get there. Now, as his ride is getting closer, he is doing as much higher altitude biking as he can; and that gives me an opportunity to get out and do some hiking. 

And that's what we did this morning instead of going to the gym and exercising indoors. Here is my view as I hiked up (and up and up), looking back down toward Las Cruces and the floor of the Mesilla Valley along the Rio Grande, all in the hazy distance: 

My walk was all uphill at an altitude of about 5700 feet, all desert, all hot, and a challenge to me. Quite different from the treadmill at the gym! The payoff: Silence, solitude, a hot breeze, and birdsong all around. And yes, some pesky flies.

That dot way down there on the road is Beez (who started lower down than I did), battling the mountain, the heat, and the altitude. I think the next time we do this trip, we'll start out a little earlier, when the temperatures are a bit lower. It's too bad the gates don't open until 8AM.

And this was the view outside our destination, the visitor center at Dripping Springs. We want to do this hike/ride combination a lot, so that we can each measure our progress. The goal is to keep moving!

Log Cabin, Big Sky (for Skywatch)

Oh, my. This photo could have been so much better but, just as I snapped it, my camera battery gave out and the recharged one was many miles away at home.

I wanted to commemorate our early morning moment of knitting together high above Las Cruces--my sister, our friend Helen, and me. In a perfect post, there would also have been photos of Helen's and Bucksnort's knitting projects held up against views of Las Cruces and the Mesilla Valley far below us. However, this week has been all about making do with reality, so you only see a curled-up piece of my log cabin knitting blanket held up against the beautiful Organ Mountains.

I just want you to know that the air was fresh and cold, the views down over the Mesilla Valley were terrific, and the quiet companionship without equal. We saw a proud and unafraid coyote ahead of us on the road, and we heard unidentifiable birds warbling their way through the cactus, chamisa, and mesquite. And the camera battery was dead, dead, dead. It was like our own little reality show--the best of our world intertwined with the small failures of everyday life.

For other views of the world and its skies, please visit Skywatch Friday.

Wildfire in the Organ Mountains

Looking southwest from the Visitor's Center

Drive up into the Organ Mountains a little ways from Las Cruces and you will arrive at Dripping Springs, a natural area set aside for the protection of its beauty, its wildlife, and its recreational opportunities.

These photos were taken a month or so ago, before the fires

Right now, Dripping Springs is closed because of a fire that has been burning in the Organs for almost two weeks. The fire was caused by a live-fire training exercise at Fort Bliss. Mind you, we are in the middle of a drought, we have high fire danger warnings (no open fires, etc.), and the springtime windy season is in full force. On the day that the exercises were held we were having wild winds with gusts up to 55 miles per hour.

Dumb, dumb, dumb.

At night, we watch the flames from our house in the valley, and think about the animals up there.

The Las Cruces Report: Mid-March

A little cabinet by Mr. Bean, just waiting for a collection

We are starting to have some really beautiful weather here in the high desert. Cool nights, as always, morphing into lovely warm, sunshine-filled days. Wearing layers of clothing is a must. We might start out the morning on a bird walk or at the public market wearing a couple of shirts plus jackets, then we peel away the layers as we reach the warm afternoons.

I'm setting up a backpack that will always be ready to grab on the way out the door. In addition to the camera, phone, binoculars, and maybe the Flip camcorder, now I have to remember extra water, sunscreen, sunglasses, and a foldable wide-brim hat. Got to be ready for all that New Mexico sunshine!

The trees are leafing out, daffodils are in bloom everywhere, and the fruit trees are in bloom. The raptors are arriving down at the bosque. The farmers all around us have started field and orchard irrigation, and the Rio Grande is full from bank to bank--looking like a river at last.

In other seasonal news, up at Dripping Springs the "animal sighting" board lists the first spotting of a diamondback rattlesnake, stretched out on a trail and soaking up the sunshine. We were up there at the Visitor's Center on Saturday afternoon, admiring the views of the city and mountains, and watching some search and rescue workers practice rock climbing rescues. I'm pleased to report that we didn't spot any snakes ourselves.

The Farmers Market is in full swing now on Saturday mornings. This past Saturday the place was full of hundreds and hundreds of people, many with their dogs. There were jesters and jugglers and mariachi bands and solo singers scattered everywhere. In addition to the crafts, jams, and jellies featured there all winter, we are now also seeing lots of bedding plants, herbs, fresh produce, and many kinds of honey. We bought some Desert Mesquite and some Red Chile honey (hot!), hoping that eating local honey will help with the allergies that are in full swing at our house just now. I got a lovely nasturtium plant for the patio, Beez bought (another!) hand-tooled leather belt, and we finally got the perfect little cabinet from Mr. Bean.

I'll have some more photos from the market in the days ahead.