White Sands, Black Lava

Situated in south central New Mexico is the white Sands Missile Base.  The site for the base came not long after the Trinity testing of the first atomic weapons.  The desolate area covered in clean silica dust runs for over 100 miles south of the volcanic remnants of the Valley of Fire.   

Kathy and I had visited the Valley of Fire several years prior to our volunteer commitment at Bosque del Apache.  One Friday afternoon after Thanksgiving, we drove from the Ruidoso area just to see what we could see.  This was a lovely family trip from Texas with Kathy's mom, Evelyn and Sandy, a dear family friend.  We borrowed a friend's cabin for the holiday and would be borrowing it again sometime during this adventure in New Mexico. Thanks again for the great memories, Colleen and Jerry!

The Valley of Fire is a wonderful black lava flow frozen in time.  Trails go through the black rock, allowing you to feel like you might be swallowed up by it.  On this trip, the valley was a welcomed restroom break for our day trip.  We'd planned the trip pretty much as soon as we got to BdA because Joy discovered a blue sliding saucer in the lounge area of free stuff. She latched on to it and waited for the appointed time and day.  

We decided on a day trip because other volunteers had made it a day trip instead of camping so we knew it could be done.  Our friends Mary and Faye volunteered to walk Keila so she could stay home and remain comfortable so this would be the first time traveling with Frances as a solo dog.  We knew it would not be the last.  Keila's old muscles and bones were tired and her hips hurt when she climbed the stairs into and out of the RV.  We had to pick her up to put her in the Jeep and the bumpy ride was never something she enjoyed. Frances is portable as a nine pound dog and she loves the adventure of travel although she prefers to ride in a lap rather than the back seat area.  

We arrived at the dunes and took turns peeking in the visitor center as one of had to stay outside with the dog.  The visitor center had warnings about people getting lost in the desert just a few miles from major roads.  Often people don't realize how dehydration sets in so quickly because the temperatures don't seem all that severe.  Unfortunately, we just read a few weeks ago about a couple who died hiking in the dunes because they simply weren't prepared.  Luckily, their son survived but what an awful tragedy it was.

The center also had interesting information about the flora and fauna in the area that had mutated to adapt to the beautiful white sand.  One type of lizard had muted pigment so that it match the lighter color sand while just a few miles away a genetically similar lizard was darker in color.

We drove into the park and sure enough the white dunes of sand glistened like snow.  We passed ten or eleven other vehicles and saw families and teens enjoying sliding down the hills of sand.  We found a secluded inlet and parked near a picnic table.  There was an abandoned sliding disk near it.  It had a crack but Joy figured she'd give it a try.  We waxed the little saucers, thanks to our friends Mary and Fay who gave us wax after their trip to the park previously.  We climbed the hill with our disks and Frances. Kathy went first with Frances in her lap and slid down.  I followed. The yellow saucer's crack was troublesome as it caught the sand and stopped forward momentum.  We had to go back and share the blue disk.  A few more climbs and slides and we were nearly exhausted.  We had forgotten how much exercise you get sledding - you know, what comes down must first go up!

We sat at the picnic table for a few minutes and watched a young family who parked near us.  Their young children squealed with delight!  Although our trip was short we had a long drive back.  Our friends who had made it a day trip had more modern cars then our four cylinder Jeep and could cover more roadway faster than we can.  

On our way back to the refuge, we stopped at a local rock vendor who sells the only known samples of Trinitite.   He obtained them from a man who literally went out to the Trinity site a few weeks after the testing until they closed the area.  The man picked up pieces of rock and sand that had melted and fused together with other materials in the area of the blast. He named these chunks Trinitite after the site.  He later died of cancer from his repeated exposure.  The store is located just over a hill from the Trinity Site and we wondered how much radiation still remained in the area.  

The store had all kinds of geological samples including fossils.  I did not purchase a piece of Trinitite as it was priced higher than gold per ounce but I got to see and touch it. So far - no indications of radiation exposure. Ha ha 

As we drove home we stopped to watch a spectacular blood moon rise over the lava beds of Valley of Fire.  The desert I all her glory is such a wondrous sight and so far we were really enjoying living in it.

Ojo Caliente

One of the things I miss from our sticks and bricks home is a bathtub.  I love to light a few candles, throw some lavender Epsom salts into a steaming hot tub and scrunch down into the water until I'm entirely immersed to soak as long as I can stand it.  When we hit the road, Kathy promised me I'd get a bath or at least a swim every few months.  When learning about the geothermal dimensions of New Mexico, I was excited about all the natural hot springs throughout the state.  I researched and found Ojo Caliente in northern New Mexico to be an Internet reviewed favorite.  Ojo Caliente is a spring, a resort, and a New Mexico location. The location is merely a few B&Bs and restaurants and it's not even an incorporated town.

I called Ojo Caliente Spa and resort for reservations since they also have an RV park.  The phone rang to an answering machine so I left several messages but never got a return call.  We took our chances and headed there anyway. We figured we could find another campsite if necessary.  Luckily it wasn't.  Upon our arrival, I asked to speak to the manager about the telephone issue.  He was very apologetic and said weather had been disrupting their service.  He asked if our purpose of visiting was to soak in the hot springs. When we responded yes, he gave us both free passes for the evening.

We drove through a narrow gate and circled around a dirt roadway to our site.  The place was comparatively empty when compared to the resort parking lot we had just driven through.  Our wooded site was close to a small creek and felt very secluded.  After setting up camp and having a light dinner, we ventured out into the chilly air and headed to the springs.

We entered the springs through the hotel lobby.  There are lockers available in the bathrooms for clothes and personal items.  You can rent a lock or bring your own.  The waters have been used for medicinal reasons for centuries and their website will tell you more.  

We changed into our suits and headed out toward the large Kiva pool.  It is filled with spring fed waters containing arsenic and iron.  Next to it was a mineral spring that was advertised as being good for arthritis.  The temperature was 107.  We joined the four others already soaking and it was perfect. We watched as one man began talking to another about aliens and unusual occurrences around the area.  The other man became uncomfortable and left.  When he began talking to us, we decided to go check out the other pools as well.  Although the mud pool was closed, we tried all the others and came back to the Kiva pool for its perfect temperature and wonderful view of the stars.  

Once soaked thoroughly, we went to the sauna.  It was a short lived trip because the man with the inappropriate stories followed us in.  We decided it was time for a shower and to get back to the puppies. The final dog walk of the evening was short lived as the dark seemed ominous in the deserted and quiet campground.

The next morning it was puppy time and we took them on a nice long walk.  We made the campground loop, followed a dirt road away from the campground and happened upon a wonderful national historic site.  The Ojo Caliente round barn was built in 1924.  It was in wonderful condition and reminded me of the round barns in Minnesota.  After exploring the area, Keila and I decided to walk the meditation path.  She didn't quite understand how staying to the path would get you where you wanted to be and pretty much walked wherever she chose.  I found it quite rewarding and can feel the presence of my meditation as I write this nine months after it occurred.

This was a great discovery and I highly recommend a visit.  We certainly plan on returning sooner than later.

Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge

Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge was our wintering volunteer gig. It was chosen for several reasons:

1: it allowed us to be close enough to Kathy's mom if her health issues diminished and we needed to return to Texas quickly.
2: it would be warm enough for Joy yet be close enough to the mountains so Kathy could enjoy some snow.
3: it was close enough to a town instead of a sixty mile drive for groceries like the offer from Choco Canyon, near the Four Corners region of New Mexico.
4: cellphone service! 
5: BdA offered lots of amenities for volunteers, including a lounge with pool-table, piano, shower,  kitchen, and laundry as well as free wi-fi.

We were excited again, after our touristy side trips, to get back to a work setting, so we pulled in a few days early to introduce ourselves and see the refuge. When we walked into the Visitor Center, four volunteers were standing around the counter. They were all friendly.

Ranger Christina came out, introduced herself and offered us our site early. We took it!  Fellow volunteer Jim took us to our site, which was an unusual one that required us to pull in at an angle in order to reach the utilities. While we were setting up, two other volunteers, Mary and Fay, came over to explain the site had previously had an out building on it and had been overgrown with brush and low hanging branches.  They had diligently cleared the site and were a wonderful welcoming committee.  Who knew these two fun ladies would become such good friends!

We really liked that our site was further back in the volunteer RV village and that we only had two neighbors.  The Volunteer RV village has two "loops."  Our loop had five spots but there were never more than three regular volunteers housed there during our stay.  The first loop had 17 volunteer sites. There are also two portable buildings which house one maintenance ranger and various visiting biologist and presenters. The seasonal maintenance ranger, Andrew, seemed to enjoy his time with the volunteers during campfire gatherings and other celebrations in the lounge.

Over time, because we were basically parked in the sand, the nose of the RV would sink and make us unlevel.  Since we planned on visiting other parts of the state on our days off, re-leveling wasn't too big of a deal.

We were finally able to meet Ranger Chris Leeser, the volunteer coordinator, who we had been corresponding with via e-mail for a few months.  As we gradually met the other volunteers, we began to put the pieces of the puzzle together of what life would be like living just south of San Antonio, New Mexico.

Bev and Jim were nearly permanent residents as they had been on the refuge for over a year. They both helped with office work. Our closest neighbor, another Jim and an enthusiastic birder, was married to Kathleen, the mother of three dogs with their own folding lawn chairs and pen. John, an avid photographer, was married to Betty, the social coordinator for the volunteers, and both were avid card game players.   Wayne organized the shared library and specialized in jigsaw puzzles.  He lead hiking tours through the canyon and assisted with birding tours.

Mary and Fay became our best friends during our time in New Mexico and we have kept in touch with them, and have actually seen them, since leaving the refuge. Mary drove the refuge tractor and worked on various maintenance projects and Fay worked the fee booth with Kathy. Both are avid cards players and after whooping them several times in spades, we finally had to learn canasta so they would have a chance at winning for a change.

Not long after our arrival, Ranger Chris hosted a volunteer ice cream social which allowed us to meet the rest of the other volunteers. Bill and Cheryl, first time volunteers, had just come from working at a campground in the Rio Grande valley of Texas. Joe and Margaret, volunteers with over 2500 hours for US Fish and Wildlife, came ready to work but had to leave early due to a family emergency. James and Diane came in late in the season to take over for Margaret and Joe when they had to leave, Paula worked with Joy at the visitors center while her husband, Bud, worked with Mary in maintenance.

There were also four singles ladies.  Vickie, who left not long after we arrived; Priscilla, a repeat volunteer; Elzie, a biologist looking for work; and Carrie, who moved into Kathleen and Jim's site after they left. The volunteers actually outnumbered the employees at the refuge, which says a lot about funding for our federal lands.  The staff rely heavily on our abilities to work independently and get things done.

Celebrations on the refuge ranged from regular Tuesday night social gatherings to large pot luck Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners to volunteer recognition ceremonies. NWR volunteers receive free annual interagency park passes for 250 volunteer hours per year. Volunteer Coordinator Ranger Chris does an excellent job honoring the volunteers by tracking hours and handing out recognition pins after staff contributed meals. It's nice being recognized for hard work in this way. Our work at BdA consisted of customer service, cashiering, and interpretive roving. Kathy worked in the fee booth, a 8' X 10' building at the entrance to the 12.2 mile scenic driving loop.  Joy worked in the visitor center, a large building with museum-like displays, a gift shop, meeting rooms, and staff offices. As volunteers, we were the front line staff of the refuge. We greeted visitors, assessed their needs, provided them information about local current wildlife and sent them on their way to explore. 

During our shifts, we were allowed to drive the refuge and meet with visitors as they sought wildlife. This was a great opportunity to photograph landscapes and wildlife ourselves, as well as to learn about the variety of flora and fauna with which we were not familiar.

In November, The Festival of Cranes is THE big event and after a brief orientation we were allowed to sign up to work at different workshops and events.  Joy signed up for several workshops held at the fie house in San Antonio, NM, a small town 8 miles north of the refuge. The workshops were presented by private groups, such as Hawks Aloft, who talked about local hawks and their behaviors, using several live birds of prey for demonstration.  We both worked the "fly in," which we had heard about for weeks.  We rode on refuge buses out to the "flight deck" area of the refuge and walked back into a closed area about a half mile off the main road. As the sun set, the birds began to arrive. Slowly, in small groups at first, but then more frequently in larger groups.  The sky filled with prehistoric shapes of large winged animals, legs flowing behind as hundreds of sand hill cranes flew in and landed on their overnight roosting spots. It was an experience we will never forget.

Meeting visitors on the refuge is sometimes fun and other times tumultuous. It's fun showing excited birders a new species for their lifetime checklist or having them report unusual sightings, such as bobcats and mountain lions. It can sometimes be tumultuous when dealing with an overzealous photographer trying to get his or her money shot, disregarding boundaries and the animals they seek out. Sometimes we ended up being the Blue Goose police. The "area closed" signs have the USFW logo of the Blue Goose and we remind visitors that the signs reflect boundaries established to protect wildlife. All in all, most everyone visits the refuge for the animals so they get the idea that it is really a sanctuary area.

Obviously, the refuge mission has worked in restoring riparian habitat so the varied waterfowl species continue to flock to an area that is otherwise desert. Wet soil management is the major function of BdA because of the extensive use of the Rio Grande River water by farmers. Bosque del Apache is the premier refuge to see both greater and lesser sandhill cranes, as well as light geese. People literally come from all over the world to watch these glorious birds on their wintering grounds as they fatten up in preparation for the spring mating season. In fact, the oldest fossils found in New Mexico are thought to be sandhill crane bones. As you can see from our pictures, this is a wonderful area in which to spend winter and we absolutely loved it.