Adventures in New Mexico

We usually stay at the Escapees Dreamcatcher RV Park when we're in Deming. This time I chose a place called Hidden Valley Ranch (honest). The directions were a little iffy and included a 5.5 mile stretch of gravel road. Well, we drove 5.5 miles and there was nothing there. We continued on, Herb glancing at me with a disgusted look every so often. Eventually we drove around a small hill, and there it was. The office was closed. A lady in the clubhouse showed us how to register and gave us a map of the park. We chose a long pull-through site facing the desert. There were Gambrel's quail everywhere, charging frantically in all directions. A roadrunner walked right up to me--of course I didn't have my camera on me. This particular roadrunner, according to locals, has a nest with two young'uns in an overgrown yucca. There were lots of jackrabbits as well.

Trouble started when we attempted to put the slide out without unlocking the awning. The awning pulled loose from the side of the coach. Now there's some good news. Herb spent the next few hours fastening it back. We've bent part of the hardware as well.

It was quite cool with a brisk wind. The campground is at 4000 feet plus elevation. Someone from the office came by to welcome us, giving me a code for their satellite-based wi-fi and a map of the many ATV trails around the park. We learned there are petroglyphs and mines.

We enjoyed an evening of watching TV and the wildlife. The park is quiet, except for chattering birds!

In the morning we found the slide would not come in properly unless Herb got up on a ladder to push it. Oh, joy. But the morning was beautiful.

Herb worked for a good while with the awning and slide to secure them for travel. As the late Gilda Radner said, "It's always something."

I was sad to have missed getting a picture of the friendly roadrunner. She didn't emerge from her yucca tree at all, at least while I was watching.

We headed back across the dusty gravel road and were soon on the way towards Las Cruces.
As we stopped at a rest area just west of the city, I found a roadrunner I could photograph!