Still in New Mexico-City of Rocks

Today we thought we would leave our campground, Elephant Butte State Park, in Truth or Consequences, New Mexico and drive to the Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument.  Gila is pronounced Hee la.  On the map it looks like it is about an hour and a half drive away.  Wrong!  This is a twisty mountain road that has an average speed limit of 25 miles per hour.  In some places the speed goes down to 10 mph.  This drive was really life on the edge, literally. 




This is the Garmin image of one small section of the

road.  Please note the speed is 25 and Al is going

23 mph.  And that is not the slowest he had to

drive to make the hairpin turns.



This view is out the passenger window.  Al was
reminded that if my side of the van went over the edge,
his side came along.



We began our drive and it went on, and on, and on.  Then we saw a sign that told us the Gila Cliff Dwellings were another 2 hours from that signpost.  Yet on our map it was 35 miles.  Revision of plans-we didn't have enough time in the day left to go so we turned south and opted to camp at City of Rocks State Park.




Sid hopped up into a hollow.

  There are really unusual rock formations.  They look like they just popped up.  They were created by a volcanic eruption and then wind and water eroded them into pillars and other unique formations.  The non-electric sites were the best, most scenic, so we stayed in one stellar site. 




Our site for the night.

 




Thumbs up for this park.



 Because we're in the desert, this campground had pit toilets.  Yuck.  The flushers and showers were located in one central building and the water came on when you pushed a button.  Then it stopped, all too soon.  Not even enough time to get wet.  They practice water conservation here.