October-November in the Southwest

Thanks for all of your comments over the last month. Many of you have said that you missed the words that go with the slideshow, so here is a little catch-up of some thoughts on New Mexico, as well as Arizona.

New Mexico, the 47th state, “The Land of Enchantment” is a special place and is indeed enchanting. We were blown away by New Mexico. New Mexico presents an adventure of discovery - from the old Indian Pueblos dating back to days before European colonization, to pine-covered mountains, to deserts of white sands, to the old town plazas of Santa Fe and Albuquerque. There are rich Native American and Spanish cultures steeped in history with houses and towns pre-dating Plymouth Rock!

The New Mexico State flag

The Zia Indians of New Mexico regard the Sun as a sacred symbol. Their symbol, a red circle with groups of rays pointing in four directions, is painted on ceremonial vases, and drawn on the ground around campfires. The number four is embodied in:
• the four points of the compass (north, south, east, and west)
• the four seasons of the year (spring, summer, autumn and winter)
• the four periods of each day (morning, noon, evening and night)
• the four seasons of life (childhood, youth, middle years and old age),
The Taos Pueblo is a multi-storied set of adobe buildings that have come to represent the SW culture. It appears much as it did more than 500 years ago when the Spanish explorers first reached this region. Some sections may be up to 1,000 years old.

Lincoln, NM was the “most dangerous street in America” according to President Hayes, and is where Billy the Kid (William Bonney) was held, sentenced, and escaped at the age of 21 before he was found and shot by Sheriff Pat Garrett in1881. The entire town of Lincoln is a museum containing the courthouse/jail and original buildings.

The town of historic Mesilla is where the Gadsden Purchase was signed in 1854, annexing disputed lands in southern NM and AZ for $10 million. Mesilla was considered to be the capital of the NM & AZ territories. We visited the historic plaza which was once on the route of the Butterfield Trail (predecessor to the Pony Express) and also had the courthouse where Billy the Kid was tried and sentenced in 1881.

We have seen so much cowboy and Indian history in the Southwest that it is difficult to look around on this desert terrain with its cacti and hills and rock outcroppings and not look out for an impending ambush of outlaws or Apaches. In the SE corner of Arizona is Chiricahua National Monument which is leftover volcanic rocks with quite unusual rock formations. We went on to explore many old mining ghost towns, the most famous being Tombstone. It’s called the “town that wouldn’t die” as the spirits of Wyatt Earp and Doc Holiday and the events of the shootout at the OK Corral continue to live on there. It is an old west, living museum town with wooden boardwalks, period costumes, saloons, historic bordellos, horses and stagecoaches, and the periodic shootout at the OK corral.

Another cowboy place is Old Tucson Studios which is a recreation of Tucson in 1836 and is the set where scads of western films were made, most notably with John Wayne.

Saguaros only grow naturally here in the Sonoran desert (part of AZ & CA & Mexico) which receives more rain than any other desert on earth. Saguaros are the largest cactus in the US and are perfectly adapted to the Arizona lack of rain and its heat. They are protected since they are so fragile and a permit is required before digging one up. After they first get established (from a seed the size of a poppy seed) they will grow only 1” per year. They live to 200-300 years old and don’t start growing their “arms” until they are 75 years old. Such majestic plants! Unlike the Chihuahua and Mojave deserts, the Sonoran has two rainy seasons (one from the Pacific and one from the Gulf.) This increased rainfall contributes to the bountiful plants and wildlife in this desert.

We will postpone exploring other parts of Arizona until February when we return from Hawaii. We will spend December and January Island-hopping to the four main islands of Hawaii. We spent time in the Phoenix area in November to get organized for our trip – things like packing, finding a storage area for the truck/camper while we’re away, and transportation to/from the airport. Therefore this blog only covers part of the southwest that we will be seeing and will be continued after blogs about Hawaii. To you all our best wishes for a Happy Thanksgiving and much-too-soon Holidays that follow.