January 30, 2023

Two weeks in Las Cruces, NM with temps just starting to rise today. Lows in the 30's this week with highs in the 60's , hooray!

This past week week we managed to hike Dripping Springs Park in  the Organ Mountains 3 times averaging 3 miles each time. The last hike being 3.4 miles and uphill for the first hour. We climbed a little over 600 feet on that hike and I could really feel it. 

 View of the Organ Mountains as you drive up Dripping Springs Road.

Diane needed a closer look.



Easy looking trail but rises 600+ feet in elevation and went for a mile and half.

About 1910, Dr. Boyd constructed  the sanatorium, building a wood-frame kitchen, dining hall, a caretaker’s house, a guest house and “ephemeral,” or short-term, patient housing. The sanatorium would shut down within a few years. Eventually, rancher A. B. Cox would acquire the Dripping Springs land, using the water for his livestock.



Van Patten's Mountain camp. This resort had 32 guest rooms, dining room and featured a full-size piano. this place is a mile and half up the mountain. There was also a mercantile and stables. Amazing what they build in this mountainous terrain.

Only intact building from resort
                                        
Just some stone walls left of the main resort building.

Diane had me stand by the sign which read "End of Trail"; think she was trying to tell me something.
   

    Last weekend we did some exploring the countryside finding dirt roads through open ranges heading to the mountains. We had to open several cattle gates to get access into some areas. We hit several dead ends also. We were out for several hours. 


Friday night we went for pizza and wine at a local restaurant close by the campgrounds, Luna Rossa Winery & Pizzeria. When we got back to the RV I thought I would open a bottle of wine I have had for some time. It tasted like vinegar, as did the second bottle I opened, had to pour both down the drain. Going to have to visit some winery I suppose.

Interesting/fun fact:

The Organ mountains are shown in the window of the Wicked Witch of the West's window. She said the City of Oz is on the other side of that mountain.


Jeff Daniels was on a recent edition of "Finding Your Roots". His 8th great-grandfather, Thomas Chander, testified against Diane's 8th great-grandmother, Mary Ayer Parker, during the Salem Witch trials. She ended up being found guilty and hung as a witch on Sept. 22, 1692.





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