A quick trip through AZ and NM

Colder than a well-digger's. . . . . (you supply the noun), that's what the Wagon Master said every time we had to get out of the truck. While the Sonoran and Chihuahuan Deserts are lovely with their lush saguaro cactus and other native plants, the charm wears off quickly when it's cold and very windy. We fought wind all day yesterday, pulling off for the night at Rovers' Roost, and Escapees park in Casa Grande.

We fought wind again all day today, including a rather dramatic dust devil in AZ that included flying tumbleweeds, and finally settled in around 3 in the afternoon at Rockhound State Park, near Deming, New Mexico.

We can't wait to come back here in decent weather as it looks like a great place to explore, and offers great scenery.

This is the only state park I know of that actually invites visitors to collect mineral samples. They even have a nice sample display on a stone pillar in the campground, so you can identify what you are collecting if you are a newbie rockhound.

Unfortunately, creatons (undoubtedly disguised as humans) found the need to trash the labels and try to dig out the samples. 'Sorry, but I have no use for vandals. It's just a shame they are so hard to catch.

Even though we arrived fairly early in the afternoon most of the sites were taken. Maybe this is "peak season" here, as people think it's warm in the southwest in the winter, I don't know how to explain it, but we decided we'd better make reservations next time. The park brochure includes a campground map, and the circled "reservable" sites are the nicest so consulting the map would be helpful when making those reservations.

The campground has sites with and without utilities, and is snuggled up against the Little Florida Mountains, with a nice view of the valley below. There are several trails, leading to collecting sites..... all to be explored in a much more temperate climate!

Tomorrow we take off again, and will probably stay in  Balmorhea State Park, where we stayed on the way home in the spring.  

[As always, you can click on any of the photos for a larger version]