Elephant Butte Lake State Park

We stayed at Elephant Butte Lake State Park for several days.  This state Park is located in South Central New Mexico in the town of Elephant Butte.  The water levels are down to just 3% capacity according to the Las Cruces News. This resevior is part of the Rio Grande Project, to supply power and irrigation to Southern New Mexico and Western Texas.  When built in 1916 it was the largest man-made lake in the world!  Over the past few decades, southwestern states like New Mexico have on average experienced warmer temperatures, earlier springs and less snowpack in the mountains.  There…

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Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge

We spent an overnight near this wildlife refuge. The Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge is located in southern New Mexico. It was founded in 1939 and is administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. It is a favorite spot to watch the migration of the Sandhill Cranes in the fall.  Although we were not there to witness the Sandhill Crane migration we did see a variety of wildlife!We saw a plethora of Turkeys, Javelina, many types of Ducks, Blue Heron and Cranes.  Up to this point we had only seen Javelinas in captivity...so this was amazing to see…

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City of Rocks State Park

We have read many reviews that City of Rocks State Park is a must see while in New Mexico.  To get to City of Rocks the drive is through typical desert land with a few rolling hills of desert.  We crested one of these hills and in the distance saw City of Rocks, sitting in the middle of a vast desert plain!  It was mesmerizing!We stayed 4 days at City of Rocks and loved it because each site is unique and very private from other RVs/campers.  Each site is nestled among the rocks that make up the state park.  There…

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Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument

After a two hour drive through beautiful desert/forest countryside we arrived at Gila Cliff Dwelling National forest that is the home of the Cliff Dwellings.   The Cliff Dwellings were the home of the ancient Puebloan people.  Archeologists call this the Mogollon area. It is believed that these were built approx. 700 years ago and were most likely home to several different groups.  Evidence suggests that the Apache migrated to the upper Gila River in the 1500s.  Apache leader Geronimo (tribe name Goyahkla) was born in the Gila River area.   To get to the cliff dwellings you hike a…

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