Treasures in southern New Mexico
Gems of culture and history highlighted this part of Lynne and Fred’s trip
As we left Texas, we called old friends Paul and Lynn (from Sunny Acres RV Park in Las Cruces) to make sure there was room for us at the park. We first met them in 2002, just after they took over an old worn-out mobile home park. They’ve managed to transform Sunny Acres into a welcoming spot for RVers to come, visit and even stay on for an extended period of time.
The history, archeology, mix of cultures and people all contribute to making New Mexico a very special place. It is one of the most diverse and fascinating states in southwestern U.S.A. There is so much to see and explore but it does tend to be cooler than neighbouring Arizona or Texas and is often overlooked as a winter retreat. We tend to visit New Mexico often and for shorter periods of time.
Las Cruces, in southern New Mexico, is in the Mesilla Valley where agriculture flourishes and chili pepper farms, cotton fields and huge pecan orchards line both sides of the roads. Roadside vendors and open-air markets are sprinkled throughout the entire area and the valley is enclosed by the Organ Mountains.
Discovering Mesilla and other treasures
During the Civil War, Mesilla (a village very near Las Cruces) was named the capital of both New Mexico and Arizona and has managed to retain much of the sense and feeling of the Mexican/American history. The market in the village square is surrounded by shops, historic buildings and sites that highlight its diverse past. Adobe buildings, cobblestone streets and the infusion of colour permeate the entire village.
The Missile Museum, the While Sands National Monument and the White Sands Missile Range are east of Las Cruces. The public is not allowed on the missile range at all. There are some great stories about gold treasures hidden in the range area that they expect will never be found but the museum has an exhibition park where they show off their missiles of destruction.
The White Sands National Monument is a vast gypsum dune field that, on first encounter, looks like the snow on the prairies (except it’s a lot warmer). They actually close the park when they launch a missile and we missed that but did manage to be there in an absolutely freak hailstorm—there we were in the middle of this huge white desert being pelted with dime-sized hail.
Truth or Consequences is a small town north of Las Cruces. It used to be called Hot Springs because of the healing mineral baths but took its new name after the TV program offered to pay a town to change its name to Truth or Consequences to mark the show’s 10th anniversary.
T or C actually has a great little museum that houses mining artifacts and a rather extensive collection of pottery from five or six different tribes.
To get to Truth or Consequences from Las Cruces, we took the back road through the pepper growing areas. There are red chili peppers and green chili peppers but in fact they are the same thing—except the green chili peppers are picked early and roasted. The red chili peppers are left to dry on the vines and then ground for powder or put into sauces. The red chili peppers tend to be hotter but the heat depends more on the variety. I didn’t know this, but the heat comes from the veins rather than the seed. The red dried chili peppers are also used a lot for decorations, woven and hung on doors or made into wreaths.
Along the Geronimo Trail, there is an old stagecoach stop at Cuchillo, now a chili outlet packed with umpteen dozen types of chili peppers, history, recipes and crafts.
Travelling further north in New Mexico offers so many more exciting places to explore but the time limit on our travel medical insurance wasn’t going to let us revisit some of our favourite ancient ruins and native sites, like the Gila Cliff Dwellings and the Pueblo of Acoma (Sky City)—so we headed for Arizona.
