105 to Snow
Snowflakes… on a day where the forecast didn’t even call for rain it had begun to snow. We simply had to laugh as we huddled in the Minnie in Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument. Less than a week ago it was almost too hot to move, but spring is fickle, so we simply hunkered down with crosswords and books and sticks rummy. The campground was one of the prettiest we’ve ever stayed in even though we only got to enjoy the view from inside.
In December we bypassed nearby White Sands National Monument when a winter storm dropped the temperatures below freezing. Visiting these giant gypsum dune fields required a day both without wind, which is harder than one might think, and without bombing practice on the nearby missile range. We got our chance on Monday and scooted over the mountains, arriving just after noon. The sun was blinding on the snowy dunes and most folks were content to sled down the dunes; we set off to hike the Alkali Flat Trail. Trail is a generous descriptor. Really it was a bunch of bright orange sticks meant to keep you from getting wildly lost. No matter, we walked off into the disorienting landscape at high noon and didn’t see but a few others along the way. After about a mile and a half, we decided to turn around. The reflection off of the dunes was giving us both headaches. We’re good hikers that way, knowing when turning around might be the best way forward.
Night found us camped alongside a lake on Holloman Air Force Base. We haven’t camped on a military installation before, but we felt right at home when we pulled in and saw that our neighbors had set up their spotting scope to birdwatch. A large flock of american avocets plied the water and the shoreline. The wind arrived soon after we did, and we could see the sand blowing in the monument from our campsite.
As we watched the sunset on the Organ Mountains that evening we debated heading up there. We knew it'd be colder, but it was on the way and it looked beautiful. Long a hiking destination for the residents of Las Cruces, President Obama created the Organ Mountains monument in 2014. We found a beautiful site right at the base of the mountains and met a family from SF who were just embarking on their own year long road trip adventure. As we debated setting off on a hike, the clouds rolled in with rain and the aforementioned snow. The next morning we hung out for a while hoping the skies would clear but to no avail, so we headed down the mountain to warmer weather.
Though we headed into Las Cruces to explore the farmers market, we ended up at COAS books, which for SF friends, is similar to Green Apple. Everything used under the sun! The market was a bust—too early in the season, so north we headed to Hatch, New Mexico, a tiny village with an outsize reputation for green chiles. Our own stash of chiles was running low so we stopped in for a resupply and lunch. Early spring is a sleepy time for the town, but we had a great lunch and enjoyed shopping in the sinus clearing chile stands.
Our final destination in March was the Bosque del Apache NWR. We’d so loved our time there in December and couldn’t wait to come back. The cranes and snow geese have already headed north, so the refuge is a much quieter place, and the slow green of spring was creeping across the landscape.
Without the loudest residents taking all of our attention, we were able to see things we didn’t notice on our first visit, like how the waterways are lined with native desert willows with their multicolored stems. The refuge has done a ton of work to remove the highly invasive salt cedar trees so prevalent in the southwest and restore the native plant communities. We watched great blue herons and great egrets flush out of the reeds, and listened while unknown birds called from deep within the marsh. We whiled away hours driving and walking the refuge, grateful for the stillness and the beauty.
As March came to a close, we laughed when we realized we drove over 3,000 miles in thirty-one days! Perhaps we got a bit stir crazy this winter and needed March to shake off the doldrums! Whatever the case, we started at the coast of California, went all the way to the south of Texas and now find ourselves in the northern half of New Mexico. We doubt we will rack up so many miles in April, but who knows since the only plan we have is to wake up tomorrow and see what the day brings!
