Abandoned or preserved

On Tuesday March 16th, I left the Gila National Forest in search of a ghost town and a hot spring.

This state is too god damned beautiful to stay in the car.

The Lake Valley ghost town off of Route 27 was practically on my way, so I decided to check it out. Ignoring the "Closed to the public on Tuesdays and Wednesdays" sign just enhanced the creepiness.

The only problem I found with exploring Lake Valley on my own was that I had no guide to explain the presence of a few houses which had clearly been lived in recently. Not knowing that, despite half a century of dwindling prosperity, the last Lake Valley resident had not abandoned their property until 1994 meant that every porch with rotting couches from the 80's sent chills down my spine (not to mention that banjo tune from Deliverance into my head). I kept my distance from these inexplicably modern houses and took my pictures quickly, finding solace in the fact that there was no cover in these wide open plains (being an easy target just means that no one can sneak up on you).

After leaving Lake Valley, I headed north to Truth or Consequences, a small town known for its naturally occurring hot springs and for changing its name to that of a radio quiz show (in 1950, the host had agreed to air his then-popular show from the first town to change its name to "Truth or Consequences"). Unfortunately, I was unable to find a hot spring which had not been incorporated into a pricey hotel or spa, so I ended up just doing my laundry there. As the sun began to set, I made my way to Elephant Butte Lake State Park to spend the night by the shores of the Rio Grande.

Enjoying a bland New Mexican beer and If Chins Could Kill before falling asleep in my car.

I slept pretty badly, but the price was right. Plus, I got to wake up to this:

I began my St. Patrick's Day by driving to the Basque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge near San Antonio, NM.

Since most of this Wildlife Refuge was designed to be driven around, I started itching to get outta the damn rental car and stretch my legs. Luckily, I found a trail through a canyon, but as I approached it I discovered the following flier:

WARNING: NUMEROUS MOUNTAIN LION SIGHTINGS. If you see a mountain lion:
- do not approach it
- do not run away from it
- do not crouch into a ball
- try to appear as large as possible
- do not hike alone

I swallowed hard, but decided the risk was worth what was sure to be a beautiful hike.

Considering I saw not one, not two, but zero mountain lions, I'd say my hike was well worth the risk.

I went on to the Valley of Fires and then Roswell later that night, but that's a story for my next post.