Fun in New Mexico Part Three

We were able to spend six weeks this year and were able to enjoy some new hikes in addition to going back to some previous favorites. We were on the east side of the valley this year so a favorite evening activity was to drive east toward the Organ mountains outside of Las Cruces and wait for the sunset. We had a particular spot with a close up mountain view and no human habitation around. In fact one evening we heard a pack of coyotes or a den of howling coyotes close by. We were treated to a couple of beautiful panoramic sunsets there. The color was most often to the west away from the Organ mountains but occasionally there would be some color in the clouds right over the sillouette of the Organs off to the east.

Driving through the valley near the Rio Grande is where all the agriculture takes place. I liked this tree lined private drive in between the fields. The pecan tree orchards are bare at this time of the year but are starting to be pruned and irrigated in preparation for the coming growing season. A whole orchard is flooded section by section using the irrigation canals that surround each one. 

One day we drove twenty miles on dirt roads to the west and south of the city to check out the Aden Crater area. It is a volcanic area and once we found it we hiked a mile or so over to go inside. It was our favorite hike of the season. We were the only ones there besides the cattle grazing nearby. It was a beautiful wind-swept day. The black volcanic rock rises up to form a circular crater but not a dome. Inside we found some early blooming flowers in a sheltered spot. There are some crevaces in the rim but mostly the center is filled with grasses and cacti.

The first two weeks of March are the start of Spring in Las Cruces and we enjoyed the flowering trees around town. I had to get a picture of one of the water towers because they all have murals depicting historical scenes. They are artfully done. 

The only downer of our stay was that I had to make a couple ER visits to get checked out for dizziness and for the doctors to put me on and then adjust medication for hypertension. I had to get a digital blood pressure cuff and start monitoring. I felt pretty awful and tired on starting the meds and couldn't do much for a week or so. I am still working on all that now that we are back in Wyoming.

New hikes that we went on this year were about a mile up the Baylor Canyon Pass Trail (before it started to rain) that crosses over the Organ Mountains and a Chihuahuan Desert Discovery Trail near the smaller Dona Ana Mountains. We enjoyed them both.

Lastly, here are a few photos of the little rental house. It really worked out very well for us, but it might be fun to try something new next time.