New Mexico Stops

It was nice to be back in New Mexico, as we haven’t been through this state since 2020. Our first stop was Las Cruces, which we had been in 2018 when we were visiting Mike’s sister, Mary Jo. We mostly just relaxed, and enjoyed the local biking trails and Mesilla Valley Bosque State Park.

Elephant Butte, NM was a new location for us, and was just beautiful. Elephant Butte Lake State Park is the largest lake in New Mexico. The reservoir is 40 miles long and has more than 200 miles of shoreline. Mike also got some birding in at the nearby Fish Hatchery Recreation Area.

On our way to Albuquerque, we stopped at the Bosque Del Apache National Wildlife Refuge in San Antonio, NM. We parked our RV and disconnected our tow vehicle, and drove our truck on their auto routes to see wildlife. It was not a good time of year to observe birds, but it was still a great experience. The best part was stopping at the nearby highly acclaimed Buckhorn Tavern, which supposedly has the 7th best burger in the USA. The buckhorn burgers are huge, very filling and delicious!

Albuquerque was a quiet stop for us. Unfortunately, this city has quite a high crime rate. Mike did go birding at the Rio Grande Nature Center State Park.

Santa Fe is definitely one of our favorite cities in New Mexico, and we were glad to have the opportunity to explore again. The churches alone are worth the visit; The Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assi, Loretto Chapel and the San Miguel Chapel. The historic area is very charming and has lovely shops and restaurants. Mike also went to the Randall Davey Audubon Center and saw some really cool abert’s squirrels.

Our final stop was a small town called Raton, with a population of around 6,000. The Capulin Volcano National Monument was nearby, and a lovely surprise. I did not like the windy and hilly drive up and down the mountain. The view however, was amazing. You could see Colorado, New Mexico, Texas and Oklahoma due to the high elevation and rural landscape.

Next we are doing the Denver and Colorado Springs state park shuffle; staying two weeks at each park through August. Great parks, with full hook-ups, plenty of space, inexpensive and great views of the mountains. We love Colorado!