Our next destination is a bit of a mystery. We selected Elephant Butte SP a while ago, based solely on the criteria that they had sites available over the US Thanksgiving holiday.
So we packed up our bags and left Brantley Lake State Park at a reasonably early 9:30 am (reasonable for us) as is was going to be a longish drive. We have found that we need to add a couple of hours to the drive time estimated by Google Maps due to: (i) driving slower than the speed limit (Rosita doesn’t seem to like going faster than about 65mph, she gets a bit twitchy above that, so the 75 mph highway speed limit is right out); (ii) stops for gas; (iii) stop to pick up groceries.
Driving south on hwy 62 we pass the southern edge of Guadalupe mountains and they are quite beautiful (sorry no photos, but if I ever get around to editing my dash cam footage and find any good shots I will post them).
It took ages (ok, it was only 1/2 hour or so, but it felt like ages) to drive through El Paso. There were traffic lights every 500′! El Paso was larger and more spread out than I imagined, and lots of new road construction, so hopefully they will create a path through the city with a few less stops.
More beautiful mountains near Las Cruces (sorry again, didn’t stop to take photos).
Got a little lost getting into the campground at Elephant Butte State Park as it is a huge park with several camping areas. We are staying at the South Monticello campground and finally arrived before the sun set (not really keen on backing Rosita into camp sites in the dark).
The park is incredible. Situated on a plain that is surrounded by mountains. Some lower mesas and buttes. In the distances higher peaks that got a dusting of snow one day when we got rain in the campground.
Here is a 270 degree video of the surrounding mountains, taken from behind Rosita’s camp site:
American Thanksgiving tomorrow, so off to the local Walmart to pick up turkey and all the fixings. Apparently, waiting until the day before Thanksgiving has some drawbacks: the Walmart is packed; and the turkey selection is limited to 20 lbs and up which are still frozen and look like they would take a week to defrost. As we were looking for something we could cook in Rosita’s toaster oven tomorrow it looked like turkey dinner may be Swanson TV dinners (bummer, I am not a turkey fan to begin with).
As we perused the Walmart meat coolers we happened upon… ground turkey. Problem Solved! Turkey meatballs, with canned gravey, StoveTop stuffing and mashed spuds is the new menu.
Rosita’s induction cooktop and InstantPot worked overtime and delivered a most delicious Thanksgiving meal (I even liked the turkey this year). Pumpkin pie (store made) and whipped cream (from a can) topped off a most excellent meal. The dogs liked eating whipped cream from the can the most!
The campground is very nice, sites a spread out and the views are incredible. The dogs are happy as there are bunnies in abundance. Washroom is a bit of a hike, but there is a closer vault toilet in case business is urgent. Main washroom has nice showers (single button, but pressure and temperature are good).
We can hear coyotes in the evening, and occasional gunfire from a nearby military training area.
Drove into the local town “Truth or Consequences” to do laundry, take the dogs to the in-town dog park for some socializing, and pick up some groceries.
The laundromat was a wee bit sketchy. Located next to a trailer park in the less affluent section of town, it was not well maintained (B. hurt her hand banging the coin push lever to get it to start), and many machines were inoperative. One of the ladies in the laundromat (no other men in evidence) told B that there used to be another laundromat, but that it was temporarily closed as the owner was in jail. Anyways, the people were all very nice and helpful, so the laundry was eventually done, now time for the dog park.
After running around in circles for a few minutes trying to follow Google Maps directions, we finally found the “Carole Wheeler Dog Park”. The description looked great: 3 separate areas for different sized dogs, and running water. There was one large dog, two medium dogs, and one small dog in each of the areas. When we went to the large dog area, the owner asked us to wait until he removed his dog, so no socializing for Lump and SweetPea ;-(
The inside areas were mainly hard-packed dirt (probably due to the lack of rain in this area). Lump and SweetPea ran along the fences to greet the dogs in the adjoining areas. The owner of the two medium (and I use the term loosely, as I thought they were small dogs) agreed to bring them into the large dog area to play with Lump and SweetPea. One of the dogs got grumpy and had to have a time out, but SweetPea had some fun with the other dog.
Playtime over, so back to Walmart for groceries. Much quieter in the store today, and lots of pies on sale (no I did not buy another pie, but I wanted to).
The Walmart had something we had never seen before: the entire parking was covered in solar panels on fixed stands. These stands/solar panels also created shaded parking spots, great for keeping the truck cool for the dogs while we shopped!
A quick note on the town name: Truth or Consequences used to be named Hot Springs. In 1950 the town voted to rename itself after the host of the radio show Truth or Consequences said it would broadcast the 10th anniversary show from the first town to rename itself. Hot Springs won the contest and has kept the name of Truth or Consequences (aka T-O-C) ever since.
The town of Elephant Butte (right on the edge of the park) normally has a population of around 1500. On holiday weekends during the summer about 100,000 people visit the park. I bet it is a zoo!
There is an 11 mile long trail that starts from the campground. Well maintained and easy walk. We did a couple of miles and then returned, a bit warm for the dogs.
The water level is quite low in the lake. We saw a floating diving board that was stranded 10-15′ feet above the water line. The boat ramp looked huge and it no longer touched the water (water was about 100′ past the end of the ramp).
This would be a great place to own a jeep or other 4×4 off-road vehicle. There are lots of places that allow off-piste driving. We took the dogs for a walk down a dirt road and found a place for a quick swim.
We were originally planning on staying in Elephant Butte SP for 5 nights, but added another 3 because we like the park and surrounding area. Also, the park is nearly empty, so booking additional time in the same site was not a problem.
On the way out of the park we stopped in at the main park entrance. This is where the marina is located, as well as a beach and another camping area. We are really glad that we camped in the South Monticello campground as the main campground is nowhere near as nice – it is close to a housing subdivision and there seems to be some “semi-permanent” campers scattered around. The beach was nice and the dawgs got in a wet romp. Noticed a car bogged down in the sand nearby. It appears that you can drive on the beach (but you should have the right kind of vehicle!).
We took the southern route as we did not want to cross the mountains (worried about weather in the higher altitudes).
Trip Summary:
Depart from: Brantley Lake State Park, NM
Depart time: 9:30 am
Odometer: 128276 miles
Arrive time: 4:45 pm (Elephant Butte State Park, NM
Odometer: 128597 miles
Gas Summary (fill-ups):
Odometer: 128478 miles, 23.1g @ US$3.30/g (US$76.14)
T-O-C (Nov 27):
Odometer: ??? miles, 14.9g @ US$3.80/g (US$56.70)