Enchanted (New Mexico, pt. 1)

Each time I visit New Mexico I become more enchanted by it's beauty, the people and everything the state offers.

This visit was no different; begining with my first night.

 

New Mexico offers shaded respite, along Interstate 10. You can overnight at these rest areas and I did. (Thanks, FreeCampsites.net!)

I continued on to Truth or Consequences and was, again, enthralled by New Mexico. For some great information and pictures about T or C check out Happy Trails' post about their home town.

Truth or Consequences seems to be very RV and Van Dweller friendly. One morning, I was walking Stumpy and there was a Class A rig, parked on the side of the road, it's generator and a propane tank were set out on the sidewalk. I also noted a couple of vans and a fifth wheel parked in the same spot, by the river, almost the entire time I was in town.

My first night in T or C, I stayed in Elephant Butte State Park.

 

At $6.00 a night for primitive camping and $10.00 for the amenities, including a shelter and fire pit. This is a nice little wayside camping spot. The campground overlooks the Rio Grande River. It's open year round, has 17 (I think) shelters, is big enough for most rigs and has porta potties and restrooms/showers (only open from May through October).

I was thrilled to see my first Great Blue Heron, in two years.

The Rio Grande was not so grand, at this point. People were fishing and it was teeming with birds but was not running and was murky and algae-filled. Stumpy didn't care. She would have swam in it in spite of being advised not to, by the locals.

Had I not already made reservations, elsewhere, I would have been happy to stay here for the duration of the 14 day limit.

The campsites are first come/first serve and can't be reserved. I arrived on a Saturday around 4pm and only 4 of the 17 campsites were occupied.