Whew, this week has been so long that it feels like five weeks. In fact, it has been that long since my last blog post. Realistically, I will post when I have good internet and enough time. Thank you for being curious about our travels!

Adios, El Paso!

In typical Murphy’s Law fashion… after weeks of enjoying perfect weather, severe winds prevented us from hitting the road as scheduled. We stayed in El Paso for three extra days to avoid towing our trailer in 55 mph winds.

Hola, Deming!

As we approached Rockhound State Park (just south of Deming, NM) we were greeted by a postcard-worthy view of the beautiful Little Florida Mountains backed by the brightest blue sky we have ever seen! Next we were greeted by a wonderful campground host who showed us to our campsite. We chatted. Next thing we knew we agreed to campground host for about a month while they work to replace a host who had to unexpectedly leave. We made a few changes to our route y estamos listos!

Hosting at Rockhound is pretty simple: no bathrooms, no trash, work three or four days/week, rake the sites and escort arrivals each day. We log over 10,000 steps each day as hosts. And given that Rockhound State Park is at an elevation over 4,500 feet, our cardio experience was a bit challenging at first.

It is inky black at night which leads to amazing views of stars and the Milky Way. It also leads to major confusion for anyone arriving after dark. There are no lights at the campground and the site numbers are painted in black! We have always had a personal rule to arrive at each destination by 3pm for that very reason. Camping should not be stressful!

Rockhounding

First, rockhounding as full-time RVers is counterintuitive. Rocks are heavy! So are clothing and food (and one of our cats). My vote is to travel with clothing, food and Cleo.

There are a couple of awesome trails at Rockhound State Park, and they attract serious rock hounds. We spent about three hours on a steep wash looking for rocks and did manage to find a small thunderegg (despite only having a pasta server to help us dig). There are also many geodes, pink jasper, yellow jasper, agate and more.

Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument

About 2.5 hours away from Deming is Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument. The drive alone was worth the trip as we crossed the Continental Divide at over 7,000 feet, drove through snow and pine trees and saw the largest buck we have ever seen.

The cliff dwellings are amazing. The Mogollon (not what they called themselves, but a name given by archaeologists) lived there for about 25 years at the end of the 13th century. When conditions were no longer ideal for living, they moved along. There is still soot from their fires and pictographs and petroglyphs are still visible on the walls. It made me a bit emotional in a way I cannot explain. The hike up is beautiful and the access the park service allows to the dwellings is amazing. We were able to walk through a large number of rooms and climb down a ladder to exit. So glad we checked it out!

Puerto Palomas, Mexico

About 30 miles south is a cute little border town in Mexico that caters to us (gluttonous Americans with bad dental insurance). Park on the U.S. side and walk across the border. Easy-peasy!

And what a coincidence that the week after our dental insurance changed, Greg lost a big filling. With our insurance it would cost $400 in Deming. In Palomas, $70. After much research in the form of Google, conversation with the dental-tourists camping around us and our co-hosts, we decided it was worth a trip. My cleaning and Greg’s x-ray cost $50! Cash. He will return for the filling. Everything was great! Clean, professional, well-rated. Other patients in the waiting room lived in New Mexico and only used this dentist for years. Sad reflection of the healthcare system in the U.S.

On our way back to the border crossing we stopped for lunch and awesome margaritas at The Pink Store. Had to do it. It is almost expected, like showing a passport.

Catio Corner

Sooooo, we need to have a heart-to-heart. The site at Rockhound has been nice enough. We enjoy views of Scaled Quail and a ton of White-Winged Doves (sounds like she’s singing, ooh, baby, ooh, ooh). And the female human bought a bird bath fountain so more birds might visit. HOWEVER, the male human has been putting food out for another orange cat. They say he is feral (the cat, not the human). We are not impressed. And then he worked with a guy who was camping here to build a little shelter for him. And NOW he’s got his trail camera pointed at the door. What’s the big deal about that other cat? Let him fend for himself! Save the treats for us!