A Ghost Town and More Cliff Dwellings

(I found my pictures! They were just where I had put them ... on the auxiliary hard drive...)

From our location in Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, it is just a short drive (less than 100 miles) to the ghost town of Chloride. Chloride was a silver mining town in the 1800's. It lost population and all but died when silver ran out in the early 1900's and then laid in wait for 60 years until much of the town was purchased by a family in the 1970's. Today there is a museum, whose proprietor you have to call if you want to see it, and a consignment crafty store and a splattering of houses.

The drive over was a beautiful one; this state is definitely scenic with the mountains and high desert landscapes. Mike spotted this "pair" off in a distance.

The clouds certainly made the photo that day.

This is the oldest house in town.

And next door is an old structure that had many rooms but they did not connect; all had outside entrances. Any guesses what that might have been? We were told that in its prime the town had 9 bars and at least one brothel. Ah, if this building could only talk...This is the "Hanging Tree". It sits in the middle of "Wall Street" which is the main drag and it was never used for a hanging. Instead, if a person was drunk and disorderly, they were tied to this tree to sleep it off as there wasn't room in the jail. If it could only talk... I loved the billowing curtains in one of the houses that is being restored.

The owners of this lot do have a sense of humor.

I spotted this fellow off in a distance... actually he is part of a sign by the museum, but I could imagine him walking the streets of this old village.

When we left town, we headed down a dirt road but didn't get far and it is a good thing. We were told later that it is an 80 mile trail but it could take you 7-8 hours and "with all the rain and all..." Good thing we turned around when we did. On yet another day, we took a longer trip (over 300 miles) over to Silver City. This is a mine just outside of town that has been down to a skeleton crew for a number of years but I just heard on the news that it is going to open up again to mine copper.
Once we got to Silver City, it was a 42 mile drive up to the Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument and we almost decided not to go, since it was already past noon, but it turned out that we were both glad we made the trip. Turns out that our trail that day to the dwellings and back another route was:

Yes, you could feel the spirits as we explored yet another ruin. We learned this area was home to Geronimo.

The first dwelling was "understated" and we both thought we had made a mistake in driving so far.

As we walked farther along the mile long up hill trail, we were tempted to turn back but then we spotted our destination.

Besides there were plenty of places to rest and at one stop we talked with an old Apache fellow who was walking this trail with his very overweight middle aged son. Another Native American fellow told me it was "their journey".

The good thing about carrying a camera is that you can always stop to take a picture if you just need to catch your breath.

The amazing thing about these cliff dwellings is that you can walk around inside and in some places actually see fingerprints made by the original builders. These structures are 80% original. That means that only 20% of what you see has been "fixed or repaired or altered in any way". That is amazing since these home are over 800 years old. The part that has been "improved" is the top of the walls to provide further support.

As you wander from room to room and notice the soot still on the rocks above and
the indentations where corn and seeds would have been ground and

enjoy the views of the canyon and think about the walk up and down just to get water and then I realize the immensity of the tasks that had to be done each day. Once again I gain new respect for these early inhabitants.

It was after four when we started back to our EASY life.


If only this old fallen tree could tell us about the ancient peoples who lived in this mountain and lived off this rugged land.

It was a very good day!

Everyday Is Not A Vacation!

(I don't remember the last time I used a blog entry to complain, so that is what I am going to do today. )

I know that many of my readers think that we have a wonderful fun-filled life that is like a vacation every day... all right, it is for the most part. But, let me tell you about my last week.


I needed a new phone and was due for an upgrade so I went to Farmington, NM to the Verizon store to pick out one with keyboard to make texting easier. It was the day before my birthday, Bonnie was with me and there was an ice cream shop next door. So far, so good. I get home, throw the old phone and new manual in a corner... how hard can it be to use a phone...


Next day is my 60th and when the phone rings at 8 a m, I just know it is my mom and that she is going to sing Happy Birthday to me. As I reach for the phone, I think how lucky I am. Wait, I can't figure out how to turn on the damm thing, other one just flipped open but this one... "Mike, how do I answer this thing?" "How the __ _ _ _ should I know." And so begins my big day. I missed my call from my mom but I figure she will have left a singing message... no message. A few minutes later, I get a text from Pam saying she just called and I had no voicemail and she thought I should probably set it up. What does she mean no voicemail, doesn't that just transfer over? After checking the phone's menu several times, she is right, no voicemail. "Mike, I think we better make the 38 mile drive into Farmington to figure out what's up with this phone." (Well, maybe I was a bit more frustrated than that sounds!!!)

"Oh and Mike, did I tell you that my new Toshiba computer I bought last week has been getting BLACK SCREENS the last few times I have turned it on, I think we better take that back too."

On this day that started with a beautiful new Topaz around my neck (Mike has really good taste), a day on which I had decided to sleep late, do my nails, enjoy coffee outside and then head for the casino with friends for lunch, instead became a rush "to town" to Best Buy to drop off a computer for a checkup and then over to Verizon only to find out that the clerk had inadvertently pushed the wrong key and refused voicemail while accepting insurance. That reversed, I was cheered slightly cuz now I could at least get messages from well wishers. (And I did, thank you very much.)

Meanwhile, back at Best Buy, the geeks determined there was "no fix" and quickly offered me another one instead. But wait, I have a couple hundred pictures on my new computer... do they offer to take them off for me, no, they offer me a disk and tell me to let them know when I am done. Hey, it is a new computer, what the heck do I know about downloading stuff. Anyway, I get it done and around 1, we head back home to pick up Bonnie and Barry.

Ah, but before we go, I want Bonnie to take a nice picture of Mike and I so we can send it to church so we are included in the directory. I will skip all the gory details of this, but suffice it to say that my frustration boils and teary eyes do not make for a good picture - maybe another time or like Mike says maybe they can just put in a note "Photo Not Available"

Anyway, I actually "loaded" my coffee for the drive to the casino. Still pouting cuz my nails weren't done, but my mood improved after lunch and a couple of beers. I ended up winning a bit and had a good time. BUT...

The next day was moving day so I didn't set up my new new computer until Monday. It works good and after using it for three or four days, I figure it is going to be ok so I load my scrap booking stuff, and photo stuff and ... you guessed it, BLACK SCREEN. SO, we are now in Truth or Consequences, NM and the nearest Best Buy is 90 miles away in Las Cruces.

Yesterday, we left early and headed "to town". 180 miles later, I am typing at the old computer and this blog entry is not about Gila Cliff Dwellings, which are fabulous or the ghost town of Chloride, which is cool since those pictures are L O S T. I took the refund and decided to never buy a Toshiba!

But, alas, that is not the whole story. When in Las Cruces, Mike decides to get a prescription refilled at Walgreens - it is the closest Walgreens to Truth or Consequences. We drop it off before heading to Best Buy. After Best Buy, we go to Sams to pick up some supplies and we check on an HP computer (the kind I am used to) and decide to buy it. My credit card is refused. I call our bank and a very kind lady says I better check with Best Buy, so back to Best Buy we go. Seems Best Buy takes money out of your account within minutes but will take anywhere from 5 days to a month to put the money back in my account. Another quick call to the bank tells me that this is not an unusual practice for "mega stores". OK, no computer for me right now.

Heading out of town we missed the exit for Walgreens, went 5 miles before finding a turn around and then they only had 4 pills so couldn't fill his script... who knows why they didn't tell him that when he stopped the first time... He was not a happy camper!

Frustration, oh yea. But, we still aren't done.

We woke up this morning to a flat tire on the car. Mike put on the spare and in looking closely at the tires, we both realized that we can't wait to get four new ones. So, no computer right now, Mike ordered new tires instead and we will get them when we get to Sierra Vista, AZ sometime next week.

We are ready to be out of New Mexico. It is an enchanting and beautiful state, but we are not used to being so far from civilization... Oh yea, one day while at Navajo Lake, I saw an ad in the paper that looked interesting so we drove 40 miles to look at a "newly constructed site built home with workshop".

We won't be purchasing this $75,000 beauty any time soon. (First place we have ever looked at that came complete with a squatter - no kidding a guy with CA plates was sleeping on the floor and it looked like he had been there awhile - had fruit jars lined up on top his car... figure that out.)

Now that I have just read it through, the whole thing is kinda funny. Living "Along The Side Roads" can get frustrating at times... it keeps us humble!

P.S. We really have nothing to complain about; we are both healthy. Please join me in praying for friends who are dealing with health concerns.

Navajo Dam, New Mexico

Yesterday we moved farther south in New Mexico but it really isn't right for us to move on without first telling you about our stay at Navajo Lake State Park in Navajo Dam, New Mexico. So before we head out to discover this area, I decided to take time for an update.

We made reservations, site unseen, way back in July when we were thinking about what we wanted to do this fall. The map showed lakes and rivers for fishing, the sites were reasonably priced and it was new territory - the park met all of our criteria.


When we got to the area, we could not believe the roads; we actually thought we had taken a wrong turn since we saw the park, on the other side of the San Juan River. We finally found a turn, drove down 1.5 miles on a washboard and potholed clay road and arrived at the park.

We found our reserved spot and decided this would not be a bad area to spend a couple of weeks. We quickly realized just how "out in the boonies" we were when cell phone service was only from a selected few spots in the motorhome and internet service was nonexistent. Nonetheless, we knew it would be fun because Bonnie and Barry were coming to join us for a week.

They really surprised us when they pulled in after dark and I heard a diesel engine - yep, Bonnie gave in and they now own an Allegro Bus (of which I can't believe I didn't get a picture - guess I didn't want to encourage Mike's thinking...)

As we went in and out of the park the first couple of days, we saw this sign before a wash near the park and thought nothing of it since we frequently see these signs in Arizona.

But then it rained a couple of inches... and we had this foot deep sludge to drive through for the remainder of our stay. I am not kidding, it never dried up in two weeks and no one did anything about it... people just kept driving through, including us.

This was the roadway into town... once you got off the lumpy bumpy road - 18 miles to a grocery store. BUT, we really did enjoy ourselves! The walk to the river was an adventure. I loved the rock formations.

Mike was sitting on this very rock one day when a snake was spotted near him. Knowing how he feels about snakes, you won't be surprised to hear that some of his jars of bait went in the river as Mike quickly scurried to safety.

As Mike fished, I found all kinds of things to photograph.

I am always amazed when plants grow out of rock...

And some days, I was there to snap a picture when he caught one. (Dan, please note the type of rod he is using.)

At this time of the year in this area when one tires of fishing for trout, you can always go and "snag" a few salmon. One day we were over by the dam and saw quite a few people casting from shore so we had to find out what was going on. It seems that in the spring, kokanee salmon fingerlings are released into the reservoir from this spot and in the fall, the "grown ups" come back

to spawn and then they die. So the season for "snagging" opens up on Oct 1st and people come from all around to get their limit of 12 salmon per day.

And you really do snag them with a weighted treble hook... it sure looked like fun when the guys were pulling them in. The salmon are about 3 pounds - the size of a nice walleye.

There was great people watching - this lady wore her "little black dress" for the occasion.

This is a part of the catch from one day.

The proud "snaggers". I don't think this takes a lot of skill; just strength to keep casting and yanking... both the guys were sore the next day.

When these were cleaned up, Barry and I had a "bake off" with each of us trying a different way to fix them - they were good with just a little onion and seasoning and they tasted good with a sauce for walleye I found in a MN cookbook. (We have a couple of fillets in the freezer for you to try, David.)

Navajo Lake is another one that we would like to explore with our boat; maybe we will have to bring it down some year.
It was great to spend time with B & B.

While at the park, we also visited the Aztec Ruins which are nearby. Since the early 1930's, these
ruins have been the site of archeological exploration. It is thought that, like Mesa Verde National Park, this area was inhabited between 1100 and 1300. It was probably the home of at least two different peoples at two different times in history since archeologists have found evidence of "remodeling" - a term I had never heard in relationship to ancient villages before.

This "window covering" is thought to be from the original builders. If you look closely it really looks like a venetian blind. It was found behind an excavated wall.

This is an original ceiling. The materials are thought to come from 40 miles away as they were not native to this particular area.

The village was extensive with perhaps 2000 people living there. In one room, skeletal remains

were found that date back to 1200. The museum has examples of pottery also from that time. After a while, you get kind of tired of looking at ruins but I still won't pass up the next place because I always learn something new ...from the old.

Well, we better get going; I see on the map there is a ghost town a few miles away...

The Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta

One day last week we took a break from the fishing and "roughing it" (no sewer connection) at the Navajo Lake State Park and headed south to Albuquerque for an event that has long been on our bucket list. I couldn't believe it when we actually heard the alarm go off at 2 a m! After lots of coffee and 185 miles, we arrived at Fiesta Park where entrance was only $6 a person. Believe me, this is the best bargain around!

Before the sun even began to rise, some balloons were inflating.

And before long, one of the patriotic balloons was launched. Against the night sky, it made quite an impression.


Everywhere you looked something was happening.

Of course, we had to have our picture taken to prove we were really a part of this magnificent experience. It is so great that you can mingle with the owners and crews and feel "a part of".

Mike loved it when the special shapes balloons started to inflate. A few years back I worked on a crew for Miss Daisy, but she wasn't in evidence the day we were there.
The people in charge (called giraffes although I don't know why) tell the field of balloons when they can launch so walking back and forth on the field of 300 + balloons we always were seeing something new.

The early morning sky provided a beautiful backdrop.

The day we were there was "Flight of the Nations Mass Ascension". Every morning for all 10 days, there is a Mass Ascension, but this event added some balloons representing all parts of the world. This one is from an area where I had ancestors.

" When pigs fly" takes on new meaning at this fiesta.

This balloon represents England.

As the sky lightened, the number of balloons increased and it was difficult to decide where to focus the cameras (both Mike and I were shooting pictures that day).

There were a fair share of advertising balloons but they didn't overwhelm the others.

The monkey balloon was probably the biggest one launched.

So who said houses can't fly.

This is my favorite picture and it is now my screen saver.

This gives you an idea of how the sky looked in any given direction at any given moment of the morning. The winds were perfect and the balloons lingered over the park for a long while before drifting away and eventually landing. For the duration of the event, there were only a few "mishaps" (as reported on local TV) and they were able to launch every morning.

There were three bee balloons but I love this mother - child combo.

Even Smokey was there.

There is a papa somewhere in the sky.

Humpty was there.

And a sky friendly crab.

And everywhere COLOR and MORE COLOR.

And even romance.

If you have ever thought this might be a fun event to attend... make plans to do it next year, first two weekends in October in
Something for everyone.
Take a good look.

It was a fabulous event that Mike and I will not soon forget. Oh, by the way, we took just over 450 pictures of which 326 are permanently preserved and you have only seen a quick sampling. We were home and down for a nap by 3 in the afternoon. Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta Mass Ascension is only 3 hours long - best three hours we have had in a long time! (No, the convention and visitor's center has not hired me... although I am open to offers!)