Olive Lee Memorial State Park, NM

Sunday - We're making a quick overnight stop at Oliver Lee Memorial State Park, just south of Alamogordo. The park is billed as an oasis, where water flows year round and ferns flourish. But not this year. We can tell by the flower stalks and other vegetation that this area must be really luxurious in normal years, especially in the spring, but with the current drought conditions this year the plant life is struggling. Also unavoidable now - the vista that would typically be crystal clear is today clouded with smoke, blown in from one or more of the fires around the state. It does make for an interesting sunset photo though, so we make use of whatever advantage we can. That rosy glow makes a nice contrast to the lacy mesquite leaves. They're one of the few plants that have survived seemingly unscathed. But as we Texans know, you really can't kill a mesquite, no matter how hard you try!

This area was hit really  hard by the extreme winter, and now the drought is taking its toll. The main trail, up Dog Canyon, is closed as it leads into the Lincoln National Forest, which is closed. The campsites here are snuggled up against the foothills - interestingly eroded, they are tall enough to block the sun until later in the day than one might expect. Because of the slope almost every site has a fantastic views of the Tularosa Valley, and at night the lights in the houses scattered throughout the valley twinkle like stars. The sites are spacious, and graveled paths wander among the yucca and mesquite.

The visitors' center is small, and gives a brief overview of the area and the wildlife. The main feature of the park is the restored ranch house of Oliver Lee, a rather noteworthy figure in New Mexico's history. You can read about his encounter (as a murder suspect) with Sheriff Pat Garrett here and  here in a True West Magazine story. They don't make a lot out of this particular bit of history in the park, but to us the story of Lee's involvement with Pat Garrett and a never-solved murder mystery was what made the ranch really interesting to us. Take time to read about the case - it's a fascinating piece of western history!

We were the only people who showed up for the three o'clock tour of the Lee Oliver Ranch (the 100 degrees outside may have had something to do with it) But Wendy, the park manager, gamely saddled up and gave us a private tour. It was nice to be able to talk about the history of the ranch, recent as well as past, in a little more detail than usually happens in a crowd.

The wall was constructed for the movie.

The Ranch was used, with many alterations, as a set for the filming of  Scandalous John, a movie produced by Disney in 1971. There is a display in the ranch house featuring several photos from the filming of the movie. That event was particularly useful in restoring the building as it helped the researchers in identifying what was new and what was original in the structure.

As we were preparing to leave the park I glanced at a cholla cactus beside the road and noted what has to be a classic example of wildlife triumphing over human interference. (In other words, they can completely ignore us!) Note the nest in the cactus.... this was right at the edge of the road...... with three eggs in it!

Monday 8:30 AM - up and out early - for us! and heading for the White Sands visitor center. The visitors' center is in a 1920's adobe building - beautiful, and cool! Their gift shop is stocked with a nice array of Native American arts, and the information center has a great selection of books for adults as well as a wide variety of books and activities for children.
We picked up a great slow-cooker cookbook: Southwest Slow Cooking by Tammy Biber and Theresa Howel  - can't wait to try out some of the recipes! The displays in place are currently "place holders" as they are in the process of installing new state-of-the art displays. We'll have to catch those the next time we're passing  through.

Check the album for a few more photos.