RV Travels: Weekly Wanderings #4 – Las Cruces
We left for Santa Fe this morning after staying one week in Las Cruces. We will be in Santa Fe for two weeks and I am going to take advantage of the opportunity to catch up on some really good restaurant eating!
But first Las Cruces. We arrived last Friday after spending the night in a really great KOA in Tucson. Not a place I would want to spend more than a couple of days in, but it was certainly a far better option than gambling with the rest stops. The majority of the rest stops between Phoenix and Las Cruces were marked closed on my app and we didn't want to play rest stop roulette again.
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What I loved most about the KOA site was that there were lots and lots of solar panels. One thing that disturbs me about traveling through the Southwest is that there is so little solar here – come on people, it's the desert!
It's cold here in Las Cruces, a 30-degree difference from Borrego Springs. So of course, being RV newbies, the first night at the park their water pipes froze and we had our hose connected to it. Luckily we had water in our tanks so there was no damage. But having learned our lesson, now after taking showers and doing the dishes each night, we disconnect our hose and roll it into the wet bay until the morning.
Saturday we went out and did some scouting stopping first at White Sands National Monument. And while we walked around and took a few photos, it turned out to be very disappointing. Due to the large number of illegal immigrant issues, Border Patrol police have dictated that the park can only be open after sunrise and closed before sunset – which are the golden hours for photographers, so that is a total bust for Mr. Misadventures.
On top of that, the best viewing site in the park is closed due to the Army crashing a drone there almost THREE years ago which they have yet to clean up. They are worried about environmental and health concerns, so the best platform and the best trail are closed and according to the ranger with no known opening insight. Bummer.
We continued down the road stopping in the Valley of Fires for lunch where we took a look around before continuing on to the Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge. Lots of fantastic birds and other animals to see there and it gives the hubby an opportunity to practice his wildlife photography. Problem is it is a two-hour drive from our RV park which in and of itself is not a huge deal unless you want to do sunrise photography. Which of course my hubby does.
On Tuesday Mr. Misadventures got up at 3 AM to drive there to do just that. Me? The only thing I get up at 3 AM for is an early flight. I guess artists really do suffer for their art!
We did some sunsets in the Organ Mountain National Park, the small mountain range has the prettiest colors.
It is the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service and we hope to visit many during our year on the road. We have already been to three just this week. The annual pass that we bought will pay for itself in no time at all.
From a food perspective, I have not been a happy camper this week. The park we are staying at doesn't provide a lot of space between the individual rigs making it difficult to pull out the bbq. We have been relying on BBQing to cook, particularly our proteins, so this week has been meatless, except for some Ikea meatballs and canned fish. On top of that our beloved rice cooker of seven years is on the fritz (although it is back working now) so we have eaten way more pasta this week than I would like.
The hubby took pity on me and we went to Mexican food twice for lunch, but I am looking forward to Santa Fe: Trader Joe's, Whole Foods and lots of good restaurants!
Post coming soon about Las Cruces.
That’s it for this week! Happy escaping! Follow me on Instagram for real-time activities from Santa Fe!
What have you been up to?
Hope this next week proves better than the last! But I guess every place isn’t going to be your favorite destination ever, is it?
(LOVE Santa Fe. Jealous you’re on your way there!)
@Kristin, arrived, hubby is mapping out what he is taking pictures of and I am mapping out the restaurants, but we are going to the huge farmer’s market tomorrow so we’ll hopefully get a chance to get a lot of veggies as well – we are still Californian for that!
Wonderful! We are headed across NM in March! I cannot wait to see the White Sands!
@Tam, some of the spring activities start in March so you are going to be there during a better time than I was. You’ll have a blast!
I love reading your adventures! Sorry that you had a few disappointments on this trip to Las Cruces though.
@Jess, thanks!
Not everywhere is going to seem perfect in the moment, but those photos are gorgeous! I am hoping to travel more in 2016 and 17 than ever before!
@Chelley, so true you just have to go with the flow!
Hope that there is some yummy protein in your near future! I am so impressed with your camping/rv adventures. I don’t think (no, I know) that I would survive being on the road for the year!
@Becki, I did and I am one happy camper this week!
Sorry your week wasn’t great. Hope this week is better!
What gorgeous photographs. I think every location must have its good points and bad and it looks like you are able to find the positives when need be. My husband always talks about getting an RV and traveling when he retires. I haven’t quite been talking into it yet..
@Pam, so true and I try to focus on the positive. I have been RV’n for four months now and all I can say is I love it!
I love reading about your adventures! Sounds like you have had quite a few on this trip.
@Brianna, thanks!
I didn’t sound like a total bust, you got to see some landscapes most people don’t see in their lifetimes. Deserts can be beautiful too.