City of Rocks State Park | New Mexico

 

Sometime way back about 40 million years ago, there was a volcanic eruption in area of the southwest corner of what is now New Mexico.  This was the first step in producing what is now called the City of Rocks.  New Mexico has made it a State Park, one of many wonderful parks in New Mexico. 

 

Following are more photos of these amazing rock formations.

 

Camping spots are nestled in among the rocks, creating private spots.

 

I love that "small" rock balanced on top.

 

Another good balancing act......

 

While I was there, someone in the visitor center told me about some Kit Foxes that have been hanging around the building, as well as the campground.  I had been waiting for them to show, and just as I was walking to my truck to leave, I saw this one come out of a drainage culvert.

 

I was so excited, I kept taking photos of her sitting in the sun, a few are shown below.

She got bored at one time, and then settled down for a nap.

The nap only lasted a few seconds. 

She didn't seem afraid of people, but got a little skittish if I moved close. 

 

Silver City | New Mexico | Historic District

 

This old house is on a hill overlooking the historic district.  It has been well taken care of and has been split into apartments. Under the right circumstances, it would be great haunted house.

 

This old hotel has been turned into shops facing the main road in the historic district.  Notice the steps at the corner, this is not an area to try to step off the curbs in most areas.   The side street entrance of the hotel is not as fancy, as you can see below.

However, if you go inside, the lobby is still elegant.

 

This is the City Hall, with the four-sided clock on the corner.



 

I checked all four sides of the clock, but each side showed a different time.  Still, it's interesting, and it dates back to 1918.

The Buffalo Bar has been closed, but is right next door to the Court House.

 

 

The following shot of some small shops reminds me of how island buildings are decorated.

Surprisingly, the theater is still operating.

 

The old gas station has been turned into another shop. 

 

 

This adobe-looking building looks very authentic southwest.

 

The bakery is now another shop.

 

Following are a couple of buildings that are not on the main street. Most of these buildings are from the early 1900s.  Some buildings were destroyed during serious floods around the turn of the century, so some history has been lost.

 

The following art panels were on the side of a building.  On each of them, the arch around the center scene has embossed ceramic or glass features.

 

 

Luna Lake Campground | Alpine | Arizona

Luna Lake Campground is in the Apache National Forest near Alpine, Arizona.  It's a small lake at about 8,000 feet elevation. Since most people consider that summer is over, it's quiet here, only a handful of campers in what is actually quite a large campground.

The lake is quiet with only a few fishermen at the boat ramp. The rules say that boat motors can only be 10 horsepower or less.

The day after I got here was rainy all day and  I noticed a few cows wandering around in my yard.  For some reason they were very interested in the fire pit.  As large as they are, if I go outside they're very skittish and run away.  These animals eat nothing but grass, and they are fat!  Makes me wonder about eating salads to lose weight!

When I was exploring around the baitshop and boat dock, I noticed this bird nest under the eaves.  It looks like it's made of dried mud and lined with feathers.  I'm pretty sure that it was empty since there was no chirping from inside or parent birds squawking at me.

This was sunset the first night I was here.  It had been cloudy in the afternoon but it sure did provide a nice sunset.

This is how big my site was - you can see my truck off in the distance.  It could easily fit two rigs - and it was level!

Off to the side of my rig beyond the fire pit and the picnic table was enough space and trees so that I couldn't see any other campsites beyond the trees.  This is by far the most spacious National Forest Campground I've been in.  Below are a couple of shots taken around the area.