Bonus NM (10/9/23 Mon)

Coffee at campsite, talked with camp host who gave me some great ideas of places to see in NM. Packed up and got on the road to Ruidoso, NM; the suggestion of the students from TX. Rt48 into Ruidoso was a nice winding moutain road. Having breakfast at Pena's Place, which was rated highly in Google maps. On route I saw a NAPA, and stopped to see if I could loose the gallon of waste oil. They didn't take it but O'Reilly on my way out of town does. Sure hope nobody steels the $32 jug of oil on my pillion while I eat...

Pena's Place was excelent. I saw the chef and told him how great the pancakes tasted. He told me about an old fire tower overlook called Monjeau Lookout. He said it was his vavorite place if you didn't mind a dirt road. He had me at view and dirt road. The pictures will reveal it was a great view just as he said, as well as a fun winding dirt mountain road. Finally remembered to snap a photo of what I call a boney road. The specific place I picked was tame, but you should get the idea.

Another surprise from Pena's was the restroom. Beautiful tile job and decorated very well, but what put it over the top was two woden shelf peices artfully designed from natural tree parts and thick apoxy coatings. Very artful and in the same style as the table I sat at in the dining area. Turns out the chef also did all the woodworking, the natural logpile outside is a stockpile of his raw materials.

Before doing the offroad mountain lookout I dropped my oil of at O'Reillys. Went smoothly until the guy had my follow him to the back to dump the oil. He was dancing through the store. I asked if I needed to walk like that, because I didn't think I could. He said I was only there to dispose of oil, not be a smart ass. I suggested I could probably do both. I don't think he was amused.

A ways out of town I passed a billboard from the Apache nation thanking me for my visit, using their work "Ixehe". I like that word a lot.

Next on my GPS target list was a tresle bridge over a canyon called Trestle Vista Observation Site. I think I picked the wrong location, because it was an old historic train tresle and not what I expected. However on my way to that location I came upon PistachioLand. I had to stop, buy stickers, eat samples, buy pistachios, take a grove tour and finally eat a brownie sundae with of course pistachio ice cream. The tour was very good because they gave the history of the worlds largest pistachio sculpture, and why and how they started growing these trees. Best part of the tour was a stop at a tree where the driver picked us each a nut to open from husk to nut. Very interesting and tasty stop.

I passed through Hope, NM on my ride today. Remembering Hope, AR; I now wonder if any town of Hope is nice? This one was very depressed. Outside of town I swear I saw a large flame and black smoke. I felt certain something in town would be on fire, and I wanted a picture of whatever it was. But I passed through and found nothing. I probably should have taken some pictures of that nothing because it was a particularly good representation. There was an old filling station garage with no garage doors, just an open husk of a building. New Mexico does appear to be tagged and vandelized accross the state. It is sad.

Staying in White City RV Park. That sounds easy, but it isn't. The big sign for the RV Park is a strip mall. There is a sign on a door of one of the shops that says if the store is closed register at the Roadway Inn. Only there is no Roadway Inn. It's call White City Inn. Once over that hurdle, it's easy to find soeone to pay your $26 to. You get a receipt to display somewhere, otherwise they say some dude shines lights and knocks on your tent in the middle of the night. With your reciept you also get a quick look at a map, and instructed to go up the street and left at the sign onto a dirt road, then keep right into the tenting area. Only tent on the outside of that loop, not in the center on the grass. Well that outside is a big hard gravel drive with 1.5in rocks embedded in most places. Not exactly where I wish to tent. There are grills and tables wtih roofs over them. I picked one on the loops return side to be out of late night traffic. That side has no lights.

Piled my stuff on the picnic table, switched to sandles and started setting up my tent in the smoothest area (up against the picnic table and fire ring). Heading back with the poles

I saw someting moving in the 2.5 feet from my tent to the fire ring. It was a small (maybe 1.25in) scorpion. This isn't NH. Scorpions move relatively fast, so I decided a well placed step would get rid of that one. I've been on the lookout for more.

I found a bathroom near the start of our loop, maybe 500 feet from my tent. Inside they had showers. So I walked back to my bike and grabbed my bath kit. The showers are four heads in a big tile room, like a mens locker room shower. Only there is one built in bench just outside the shower that could hold at most two sets of clothes. However the shower worked well. I was alone until the end of my shower, then another guy arrived and ducked into a toilet stall untill I finished. Back in my tent and ready for bed. Scorpion count remains at 1, or perhaps I should say RedAnt 1 vs Scorpions 0.