picture errors

Dang it! I uploaded some wrong photos, then cancelled them (so I thought), but they still showed up in my Magdalena post. Annoying. So the non-Hwy 60 ones are the cat, the adobe house and my Day of the Dead altar! Oh well.

Magdalena

On the way back I went west out of Socorro onto Hwy 60, what a beautiful ride. Vast grasslands, craggy hills, wide open skies. I was on a mission to find Pie Town, a real place where some man had started a cafe back in the 1930's I think for east/west travellers. It was a long drive only to find the cafe closed. Bummer. I was craving pie! But as luck would have it, I was passing through a sweet village called Magdalena and found an open cafe called the Bear Mountain. The nice women who run it served me a delicious lunch capped off by a rich piece of chocolate pecan pie. I was in foodie heaven. And they also had a gallery next door full of beautiful arts and crafts. I definitely want to come back here and explore some more. There is a ghost town called Kelly I'd like to see, just 3 miles from here.

I also drove past the VLA (Very Large Array). It was way in the distance but so eerie. Are they trying to commune with outer space?! And I drove through Datil (don't blink or you'll miss it), the former home of Frances Nunnery a rancher and all-around adventurous woman who moved to New Mexico all by herself when she was 21 in the 1920's.

Truth or Consequences

Well, I did a little road trip last month, headed down south to Truth or Consequences (formerly known as Hot Springs) just cause I loved the name and wanted to check it out. I love being on the road, pooch at my side, wind in my hair, my time is all mine. Took 5 hours to get there. T or C is south of Albuquerque. Got its name from Ralph Edwards of the tv show who said he'd promote a town which would change its name to T or C. Then he lived up to his promise and went back there every year for 50 years! Very cool. The town itself isn't much to look at, except it has the Rio Grande flow right through it, the Raph Edwards Park is right on its banks, very nice. It's kind of a small desert town, quite a few shops closed, boarded up. But I hear the folks there are hopeful because that Space Port thing is supposed to be built nearby.

I found a great little place to stay, Blackstone Hot Springs. Perfect. They have a room that allows dogs, and you have your very own tiled tub that you can fill up with the hot springs mineral waters. Wonderful to soak in after a long drive. The room itself was pretty and colorful, very folksy. I had a full kitchen, a nice round table with a bright oilcloth tablecloth, tv, music, and it was right in town so I could walk to restaurants (some very nice ones too) and shops. I think I must have some gypsy in me, could easily spend my life on the road.

And its funny, I just picked up a book someone left at work and what's it about? Gypsies in France.