The theme for our journey is petroglyphs, intaglios, and ruins. A: “It is the Road to Ruins Tour.” We read in the guide book that the country’s largest number of petroglyphs are near Three Rivers, NM. It is BLM land and “the parking lot may be used for camping.” Time to check the publication date on the guide book. The parking lot has evolved into a sweet campground. $3.50 / night. As we are selecting our site we see a quail family group of 7 parading through the campground/parking lot.
We settle in and do both hikes. A short distance from the campground is the original Jornada Mogollon village site, a few foundations are evident. A mile hike goes up into the boulders where >20,000 petroglyphs can be seen.
The Ranger recommends viewing the petroglyphs by sunset light. Most of them on are west facing boulders.
It is an easy drive south past Alamogordo and the White Sands. Adventurous Alex climbs the dune that buries the fence to get a terrific photo.
The drive north to visit the famous Gila River cliff dwellings takes us through Hatch, NM.
After a brief stop at Hatch, NM, for dried chilies, we continue north and then west towards Silver City. The time warp factor allows me to let you know that hummingbirds will fly into Q to investigate bright red peppers. The bees, however, will come for water.
The drive is over Edmonds Pass and the view point credits Edmonds and Kit Carson, but features mainly Aldo Leopold for helping us appreciate the beauty of this place. The view is east across desert plains and mountains.
The drive is over Edmonds Pass and the view point credits Edmonds and Kit Carson, but features mainly Aldo Leopold for helping us appreciate the beauty of this place. The view is east across desert plains and mountains.
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