On to Albuquerque, NM

Sunday March 4th

Sunday morning we packed the car and departed for Albuquerque.  While the precipitation was forecast to arrive late in the day, the wind was blowing, and increased throughout the day. Leaving Silver City, we passed the Chino Copper Mine.

Silver City and the Chino copper mine

 The drive through the Mimbres Mountains was filled with hairpin turns as we passed in the shadow of Seven Brothers Peak, 8547'.

Looking south from the the overlook at burn areas of the 2013 Fire (Full Resolution Link)

Map of the 2013 Silver fire

We were glad we'd driven to the Catwalk yesterday - there was too much wind.  As it was, I wondered if I'd be blown away when we stopped at the overlook at the top of the pass. The wind was approaching 30 mph, and gusty. As we drove through Kingston we encountered an increasing number of bicycles  - we've seen bikes sloughing uphill every time we've climbed a peak  - but a few turned into more and more.  It was an uphill race  between Hillsboro and Kingston with race officials to control  traffic where SH 27 joined our road. Other than the wind, it  was a great day, but doing an uphill race at 5000' into a stiff head wind seemed like work.

One of the marinas on Elephant Butte Lake

With no major stops along our route, we took our time, and the back road to Truth or Consequences, stopping for lunch at Elephant Butte Lake State Park.  There is a dam on the Rio Grande at Elephant Butte, forming a significant reservoir with 2 marinas and several launch ramps.  As the  photos attest, the lake level has been falling for years, and down considerably  Although we were on the leeward side, the wind driven white caps were everywhere, and only a few brave souls were boating.  The park also has a number of RV sites, some going for $90/day, making our Airbnb stays seem a real bargain, especially given the nightly low hovering around 30F.  The surrounding landscape was treeless and bleak.

Elephant Butte Reservoir  - note the low water level

20 year difference in lake levels 

About 30 miles south of Albuquerque, the visibility dropped and tumble weed began blowing across the road.  We'd heard there was concern about the fire hazard the tinder dry tumble weed presents as it is blown into big piles on the landscape.  We arrived in Albuquerque around 1700, happy to stop after a long drive.