back on the road

On Friday, November 7, we left Ruidoso and drove southwest to visit the ghost town of Lake Valley (west of Hatch, and northeast of Deming) before starting back to Texas.

Climbing out of the White Sands valley toward Organ and Las Cruces.

At Rincon, we caught a BNSF local departing for Belen.

A steam-era water tower at Florida, NM (between Hatch and Deming)

Another view of the Florida water tower.

Cattle pens at Florida, NM. This is the former BNSF Deming Subdivision, which -- when completed in 1881 -- helped form the second transcontinental rail route across North America. A shortline company, the Southwestern Railroad, now operates the line.

Santa Fe - style station sign at Hatch.

This poster in a Ruidoso restaurant beckoned us to the town of Hatch. Hatch is located in the Rio Grande valley north of Las Cruces, a productive agricultural region well-known for its chile peppers.

One of several chile shops in the small town of Hatch

"Chile Fanatic" gift shop -- Hatch, NM.

Next... a visit to the Lake Valley Ghost town.

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np: Webb Pierce - "Yes, I know why"

NM mini re-cap

It's Wednesday morning as I type this, and my 2-week vacation is about two-thirds complete. Here's a quick look at how it's gone so far...

Clockwise from top left: highway scene near Lake Valley, Whiskey enjoys a Blake's Lotaburger in Los Lunas, fall color along the Rio Grande, Miss C. gets to know the railroad west of Clovis.

Miss C. joined me for a trip to New Mexico from Sunday through Saturday. Highlights included fall color along the Rio Grande south of Albuquerque, a drive to the Monjeau Lookout near Ruidoso, a visit to the ghost town of Lake Valley, sunny skies, fine dining, great music, and lots and lots of trains. Check back in a week or so for a "real" update as I begin the full trip report. It'll take several posts to do justice to our trip in words and photos. Until then...

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np: Banjo & Sullivan - "I'm at home gettin' hammered (while she's out gettin' nailed)

New Mexico highways, El Paso streets

Time to wrap up the New Mexico trip, considering it's been about 30 days since it ended. Here are a few scenes taken along New Mexico highways, and on the streets of El Paso. Enjoy...

Sims Auto Salvage - Roswell, NM

US Post Office / Bowser Company rooftop ad - Picacho, NM

UFO Museum - Roswell, NM

Golden West Flour - Texico, NM

Marcas del Prestigio - near the international bridge in El Paso

The border town of El Paso is one of my favorite cities anywhere... I'd move there tomorrow if I could. Full of friendly people, the city is blessed with captivating mountain and desert scenery, and what I consider to be a near-perfect climate. Scenic highlights include a picturesque downtown skyline and the UTEP campus perched atop a hillside -- complete with the Sun Bowl football stadium. Recessed into a natural depression in the side of a mountain, the Sun Bowl is one of the coolest settings anywhere for a football game.

And then there is Mexico. Larger than its sister city on the north bank of the river, Ciudad Juarez on the Mexican side is home to over one million people, with more arriving every day, hoping to find a better life in this huge city on Mexico's northern border. Drive west along I-10 at night and see if you don't feel the energy of this thriving metropolis as you look down on millions of sparkling lights lining both sides of the Rio Grande. West of downtown El Paso in the daytime, you can look right across the river into Mexico at boulevards, mercados, barren soccer fields... and farther west, at the shantytowns lining the hillsides outside of Juarez -- an eyeful of poverty and the contrast between America and Mexico that must be seen to be believed.

And you don't even have to cross the river to appreciate the rich Mexican heritage and culture of the borderland region ... flip through your radio dial and get an earful of that conjunto music blaring from the stations on the Mexican side. Drive around the city -- on the American side -- and count the number of signs that are in displayed in both English and Spanish... or sometimes, Spanish only. There are plenty of places that leave you feeling as though maybe you crossed the river without realizing it! One particularly colorful part of town is the retail district (illustrated in the photos shown here) located south of downtown near the El Paso del Norte international bridge. Consisting largely of businesses like shoe shops, lingerie shops and run-down second-hand clothing stores, it's clear that the average customer patronizing these shops isn't coming from the American side. Grab some lunch at a nearby tacqueria -- along with a Mexican bottled Coke -- and enjoy the show!

Ropa Usada - El Paso, TX

Zapatos / Baratos and street vendor - El Paso

alley - El Paso, TX

Black Jack Grocery - El Paso

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np: Tom Russell - "Tonight we ride"

return to Hurley

On March 19, I visited the copper mining region (what's left of it) near Hurley in southwestern New Mexico. I hadn't been to Hurley in five or six years, so it was interesting to go back. With the downscaling of the region's copper mining operations, the town and its railroad (the Southwestern) have really fallen on hard times.

The town's landmark smokestacks no longer loom over the copper smelter... they were demolished in 2007.

empty tracks and idle locomotives at Hurley, NM

Southwestern 2164 - Hurley NM. March 19, 2008

long hood of Santa Fe GP-7 # 2211 at Hurley.

The main attraction at Hurley, since the Southwestern started up in the early 1990s, is the SW's fleet of former Phelps-Dodge GP30s, which still occasionally operate. These were the only GP30s built for an industrial customer rather than a line-haul railroad.

GP30 #30 appears to have been out of service for a while...

... but the 28 still operates.

GP30 # 25 still wears its Phelps-Dodge paint scheme.

Symbolic of the line's hard luck: station sign at Whitewater.

In 2001, Southwestern acquired the BNSF Deming Subdivision (Rincon to Deming) which allowed SWRR to diversify its traffic base and gain some overhead traffic between BNSF at Rincon and the UP at Deming. Now their fortunes are no longer subject exclusively to the production fluctuations of the copper industry. If the Southwestern's operations in this part of New Mexico have any sort of future, this is where it will be...

The only train I saw moving on the SWRR on March 19: a westbound, powered by a pair of GP40s with 18 cars in tow, passes the siding of Mirage a few miles northeast of Deming.

We're not through yet... I've got plenty more from New Mexico and El Paso to share in the days ahead. Stay tuned...

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np: the Greencards - "Far side of the hill"

Spring break winter fun

Whiskey and family at Ski Apache near Ruidoso, NM...

The snow wasn't that great so we only skied one day this year. We put M in a beginner lesson. Both kids did great. Despite not having skied in 3 years, L didn't even need a lesson.

L is ready...

"No falls, no...." uhh, how does that go again?

K

M rides the lift

This looks awkward...

M discovers that snow angels are as much fun as skiing.

Taking a break with Dad

In the car on the way home...

Later in the week, I took the kids to a snow-tubing place. It was just as much fun as skiing - maybe more.

M lugs his tube uphill...

L picks up speed on the big hill...

Coming next, a trip to El Paso...

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np: Mr. T Experience - "Sackcloth and ashes"