Geronimo Trail: Part 2

Before setting out on my last ride, I made sure to capture some shots of the ranch animals looking pretty:

The alarm clocks

One of many kitty's

My alert pony

After celebrating a peaceful July 4th (no fireworks, but homemade blueberry muffins!) we set out on my last day for another ride that I had never been on. This time the goal was Ant Hill. To get there we passed this gem of a wreck:

Apparently this is the car that Billy the Kid crashed ;)

The top of the hill offers spectacular views. It makes you realize just how small and alone you are when you look around and cannot see a sign of civilization as far as the  eye can see. No houses, no power lines, nothing.

Human intrusion always occurs though, this time in the form of old telegraph posts. I was grateful for this remnant of times past as it allowed us to take a shot of ourselves while still on our horses. Thanks GorillaPod!

The sun was shining bright on us but off in the distance were some storm clouds so we made our way back down to a safer elevation. On the way back to the ranch we passed by an elk who was not at all concerned with us. She was focused on eating. We got back just in time to beat another storm. Meris was joking that I could never leave because every day I had been there it had rained.  Alas, I did have to leave though and with a heavy heart. 

I had not been out West since I had moved back to New York and I had truly missed it. I was honestly a little afraid to go back because I thought it would be too emotional. Living in Colorado was filled with significant ups and downs but it really shaped me and it introduced me to some of my best friends in life. And it is friends like Meris that I am so grateful for. Her and Seth welcomed me with open arms and I am so thankful for them. I had one of the best weeks of my life and cannot wait to go back again soon.

All other friends may come and go, 

All other friendships fail; 

But these, the friends I've worked to win, 

Oh, they will never stale; 

And comfort me till Time shall write 

The finish to my tale.

~Robert Service

Geronimo Trail: Part 1

The week I was at the Ranch was actually the first week in quite a while that there were no guests so it was just Seth, Meris and I. There is no rest for the weary though so the week was split between work and play. I was given the opportunity to clean cabins again which I had sorely missed. There's just something about the scent of Pledge and executing a neat hospital corner that feeds the soul. Another ranch chore that I missed was unloading hay. Between the three of us we got the entire trailer unloaded just in time for a downpour.

I also ran errands with Meris in town which is an all day commitment since its 2.5 hours one way. She actually had to pick up the ranch truck from the shop since it got new tires so I got to drive that beast the whole way back. I was a little nervous since we drove through a pretty intense rainstorm but the new tires worked like champs.

In between all the day to day chores, we did get to take some amazing horseback rides.

Our trusty steeds

Our first ride we started out at a mine that Jess and Meris had actually found previously. The entrance is a bit of an obstacle but once you get in, you see it goes straight back ~70 feet and is very well constructed.

The entrance is a bit dicey

Rock solid mine

While bushwhacking around that mine we discovered a new mine that Meris dubbed "Jess' Chapel". It was a different mine than I had ever seen before because as you look into it there is daylight streaming through from a shaft that goes up.We stuck to the edges and tried to peer down in but the rest of the shaft goes down pretty deep into the abyss. I threw a rock in and it just kept going down until we couldn't hear it.

There's daylight in there!

Meris trying to see how far it goes

After that new discovery we stuck to the more traditional trails and followed along Upper Taylor Creek. The area is packed with history from the last several centuries including pictographs, dwelling canyons, and tin mines. Many generations before us have passed through these canyons including the Mogollon, Basque Sheepherders and Apache. What was really funny is that there were people from TX visiting their family's summer home in the area and they had driven up the creek and parked their truck and were blaring classic rock music. You never know what you're going to come across in a nearly 3 million acre wilderness!

Dwelling

Pictographs

Check out Jess's blog to find out more interpretation about the pictographs.

"The Hilton" dwelling

Inside the dwelling

We made it back to the Ranch just as a storm was moving in so the timing couldn't have been more perfect. Of course, trotting and loping helps immensely with timing :)

Clouds moving in

Las Cruces, Truth or Consequences, and the Road to the Ranch

Missile Park

Monday morning I headed out early and as I was driving to Las Cruces I saw signs for White Sands Missile Range. It seemed so clandestine that I wanted to drive by and see what was going on and it turns out they have a visitor center. You have to park outside the main gates, show your ID, carry around a visitor pass and walk to the museum but it is worth it.

Missile Park

Outside they have a missile park that you can walk around and learn about the history of the program. By the time I finished touring that, the museum was open so I headed inside to learn more about the Range. The most interesting part to me was the section on the Cold War. I can't even imagine what it was like to live in that time period and the amount of propaganda materials they had were amazing.

A vital resource in the 50s

The other thing I realized was that, despite the fact that there is an extensive amount of learning to be had, the Missile Range is still active to this day so one can only imagine the things they are working on deep in those mountains.

Organ Mountains

The Missile Range sits at the base of the Organ Mountains and they are spectacular. I managed to get a few pictures on the side of the road but I was petrified that my camera would be confiscated if I was caught so I headed out.

Organ Mountains

The last time I had been through Las Cruces I only had time to breeze through on my way to Carlsbad so this time I thought I would take in the local culture. I was rewarded grandly at the New Mexico Farm and Ranch Museum. It's an amazing composite of the old and new and has both indoor and outdoor exhibits.

Living exhibits

You could literally spend a week in there seeing everything and it only costs $5! I always love to go to history museums across the country and see how similar and different each area is in terms of their heritage.

Brand Quilt

It's interactive!

 I cruised by Mesilla, a quaint little village on my way out of town and decided to stay off the highway and cruise up along the Rio Grande.

Mesilla

I passed a lot of chile farms along the way.

The scenic route

As I approached Truth or Consquence, my turnoff for the Ranch I saw many signs for their numerous hot springs and despite it being over 90 degrees I couldn't resist and headed to Riverbend Hotsprings. It was so worth it. Their public pools were closed for cleaning so I got a private pool that overlooked the Rio Grande. It was utterly relaxing.

Riverbend Hot Springs

It was finally time to head towards Geronimo Trail. I took my time driving down the beautiful roads and stopping numerous times along the way to really take in the scenery, which I hadn't done the last time I had driven it.

Cuchillo

Heading into the hills

Heading off the beaten path

Crossing the divide

Storm clearing out over Wall Lake

Elk roadblock

My home for the week

 Finally I arrived at Geronimo Trail on the heels of a hailstorm and was welcomed with open arms by Meris. It had been 4 years since I had last been to Geronimo Trail and it was like I had never left.