Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument

Silver City, NM: Picked up Floyd and Terry this morning at 10:00 and headed to the Gila Cliff Dwelling National Monument. Was a long drive but really scenic. We stopped at the property they bought in Membres, NM, which is about 30 miles north of Silver City. They have 10 acres and are going to put a house on the property next year. Really pretty area. Had lunch at a really cute restaurant on the way and then continued on. The hike up to the cliff dwellings was not as strenuous as the Cat Walk and it was a really pretty day for a hike. We saw a few forest fires on the way up there. And the gusty winds today didn’t help anything. After hiking around the cliff dwellings we headed back to Silver City and had some drinks at a restaurant in the old historic part of Silver City. Then back to our place and played Hearts until about 9:00. Tomorrow we leave for Tucson. Today is the 65'th anniversary of D-Day.

Emory Pass

Little Cafe in Hillsboro

Former Conoco Station

Lake City Ghost Town

Fri, 6/5/09

Silver City, NM: Did the laundry this morning right here in the RV park, since the laundry is just across from our site. They have a really nice laundry here and the restrooms are fantastic. Each one is a separate room with a toilet, vanity and sink, and huge walk-in shower. Pretty nice. After finishing the laundry we headed over to the Black Range Scenic Byway (Rt. 152). A beautiful drive. At first we were driving through lower mountains covered with buffalo grass and some stunted cedar trees (more like bushes). Then we climbed steadily into a beautiful area heavily forested with pines and cedars. Really beautiful with some amazing rocky buttes and fantastic views. Crossed Emory Pass (8200 ft.) and then steadily down hill. Back into the foothills covered with buffalo grass, cactus, and mesquite and into the cute, historic town of Hillsboro, NM. We stopped at a little café there and had a wonderful lunch. I had a grilled chicken sandwich with cucumbers and Mike had a burger called El Gordo—burger with mushrooms, bacon, peppers, and cheese. This café was a stage stop, a general mercantile, and a drug store. There’s a bunch of historic memorabilia displayed inside. After lunch we walked around this cute little town and checked out some of the shops. They have a very large artist community here and their artwork is for sale in the various shops in town. Very talented people. After browsing we headed back via Rt. 27 and stopped at a ghost town which used to be Lake City. Walked around that for a while. We were wishing we had more time. Had to be careful walking because there were signs around that there were snakes in the area and the nearest medical facility is over 50 miles away. At one time this was a thriving community of 4000 because of the silver mine there. Then the government went to the gold standard and the town started its decline. The wind was really blowing and whistling through the abandoned buildings giving it a really eerie feeling. Left there and drove back to the RV park. Terry and Floyd came over and we played spades for a while.