Local Color

I haven't talked much about the park and the surrounding area, except for the Luna Mimbres Museum.  If you have any interest in the Indian wars and the Old West, this is a good place to be.

North of the park are the remains of Fort Cummings and the Butterfield Overland Mail Stage Road.

Fort Cummings

There are lots of folks in the park who have 4-wheel drive ATV's and Fort Cummings is a popular destination.  I am thinking when I return to the park next fall I will look into getting one, as there are lots of places accessible to the 4-wheelers but not to a nice Jeep Grand Cherokee.  And I can just picture the dogs riding shotgun.

If I had a 4-wheeler, I could pull out of my drive, turn right, and in 100 feet enter the wash.


Farther north of Deming is Silver City, one-time home of the notorious Billy the Kid.

Silver City and Billy the Kid

Silver City is a quaint little town and home to Western New Mexico University.  Lots of little shops, eating places, and activities associated with the university.

Western New Mexico University

Hidden Valley Ranch Overview

Here are a few photos:

Clubhouse

Since the park is remote from town, the clubhouse, laundry room/showers are open 24 x 7.  They do ask that you not do laundry after 8:30 pm or before 6:00 am.  Fat chance.

This is the main room of the clubhouse, complete with pool table, piano, and lots of tables.  The Friday night potluck dinners are held here.  

As you can see, they have hundreds of books, magazines, DVDs, CDs, etc.  There is a group of mad jigsaw puzzle workers who are usually at the card table.  Makes me think of Susie Cape and Grandma Shrum.

 Shanon (the owner) added this nice barn and corral area last year, replacing an old wire fence.

 He also runs a few head of cattle mostly for his family.  He told me it takes 70 acres per head to graze cattle out here.

Shanon and Jolene seems to attract strays and orphans.  The mini burro in the pen is pregnant.  Her mate has been moved to another area, as he is a pain.  See the small goats?  And in the pen to the right are llamas.  I expect an elephant any day now.

This is a roping steer, one of several left by the previous owners.  High school rodeo is a big deal in this part of the world.  Taylor and Tyler, Shanon and Jolene's identical twin sons, are getting big enough to want to participate.

The above two photos are my lot here at the park.  I am thinking of adding a small tool shed and perhaps a deck.  (It's a matter of time until I fall down the RV steps...the deck may keep me out of a cast).

My next door neighbors are from Michigan and arrived at the park a couple of weeks ago.  They went into Las Cruces to trade their old truck for an almost new 2014 Yukon.  As I have mentioned, the park is 7 miles off the highway on a country road which traverses BLM land.  A local rancher has registered Angus cattle (which are solid black) on the open range on both sides of the road.  They came back down the ranch road after dark (it is pitch black after sundown) and in a torrential rain shower.  They were moving slowly but a cow materialized right in front of them.  The cow was pregnant and had to be destroyed.  Jim is hoping his car insurance will pay for it.  

Shanon is capable of fixing just about anything and he has every piece of equipment and tools you can imagine.  There was a leak somewhere in the water lines yesterday.  One of the great things about this park is the owners live here.  Problems get immediate attention.  

Life in the Old West is very tiring for small dogs