The Catwalk, City of Rocks, Slot Canyon, and a Nope Rope

Hello New Mexico!

We have a love/hate relationship with New Mexico. We love the awesome scenery, the fantastic parks, the vast array of outdoor activities. And we hate the wind. It seems like whenever we’re here it is blowing crazy sideways. Every. Single. Time. I know springtime in the desert and wind are synonymous, but we also visited in the Fall and it was same same. Could you calm down just a little?  Please.

We arrived on Saturday, 4/4, (Happy Birthday, Mike!) at Bighorn Campground just outside Glenwood, NM. Bighorn is a tiny (only six sites!) NFS campground that is first come/first served. Since we were arriving on a Saturday, Plan B was the private RV park next door. No need, only two of the spots were occupied and we could easily fit into several that were open. The sites were large and spread out, so we tucked into site #1 which was off to itself. The campground has no amenities other than a vault toilet, but it’s free with a 14 day stay limit. I was shocked that it never filled up. And, it’s just across the road from the turnoff to the very popular Catwalk Recreation Area. Score.

 

Bighorn Campground is a hidden gem! 

After setting up camp, we drove through Glenwood to check out the town. Rog was interested in a local shop, Udder Delight, that sold handcrafted goatmilk products – soap, lotions, etc. He’s a goat soap fan and they delivered. They also have a “soap museum”, several cases featuring vintage soap products that was super fun. We now have enough goatmilk soap to keep us smelling good for the rest of the trip. Lol.  

Udder Delight!

On the Catwalk. The next day we headed to the Catwalk. I was really looking forward to this, and it is not to be missed! The Catwalk National Recreation Trail is a hanging walkway that winds up the narrow, spectacular Whitewater Canyon. The 2-mile roundtrip trail follows the path of an 1890's water pipeline that supplied water to an ore processing plant in the former town of Graham. The Catwalk refers to the original plank-board walkway placed on top of the steel water pipe, which was suspended above the canyon floor to avoid washouts. You can still see the foundation of the mill, which processed gold and silver ore from the nearby Mogollon mines. The Catwalk Trail was improved by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930's and again by the Forest Service in later years. 

The Catwalk is affixed to the canyon wall.

There are two options for the trail, one is paved and the other is a more rocky strenuous hike – both connect to the metal catwalk. Of course we chose the more difficult (and less traveled) path. Lol. The canyon is truly stunning with areas of huge lavender pink boulders. 

The trail to the Catwalk was lovely!

 

A glorious day for a hike.

The weather was beautiful and we crisscrossed over Whitewater Creek a few times. The catwalk has been rebuilt, no sketchy wooden planks, it’s all sturdy metal girders securely attached to the sides of the canyon. It’s a super fun and absolutely gorgeous hike. We went to the end of the developed trail, you can hike further into the Gila Mountain Wilderness area, but we opted to turn around and head back.

The catwalk curves along the canyon wall above the creek.

Turtle stepping stones and more catwalk.

So much better than any fashion show catwalk!

We took the “easy” path on the return and ended up on the wrong side of the creek at the picnic area. We managed a final scramble across the creek on rocks and logs. Ta da! No wet feet. 😊   (Note: the trail is dog friendly, but we left the pups napping in the RV.)

 

The end of the trail.

Gorgeous views coming and going.

This section of the trail was paved.

Careful... careful... Ta Da! I made it!

City of Rocks State Park. Our next destination in New Mexico has been on my wish list for quite a while. We arrived at City of Rocks State Park on Monday, 4/6. I think I have a new favorite campground! It’s at least going into the top ten. The name refers to the “city” made of volcanic formations featuring large, sculptured rock columns, pinnacles and boulders, rising up to 40 feet and separated by paths or lanes resembling streets. It’s like a giant playground!

There are 10 water/electric sites near the entrance, but trust me, you’ll want to pick one of the dry camping areas tucked into the rocks. We were in site #16 and it was amazing. The picnic table and firepit were tucked in an alcove surrounded by huge columns and boulders. The wind was howling when we arrived (surprise!), so Rog oriented the coach to act as a wind block for the patio side. 

What an amazing campsite!!

The views were fabulous everywhere you looked. We also had our first snaky encounter while setting up. Rog walked around the side of the coach to set up the Starlink and came to an abrupt halt. There was a 3-foot-long snake right next to the rig (just where I’d been kneeling to check the jacks earlier!). I didn’t have time to get a pic, but we’re pretty sure it was a Desert Kingsnake. They are non-venomous snakes that grow up to four feet long. This guy was about three feet, which is plenty big enough if you ask me. They are constrictors and eat mainly rodents, lizards, and other snakes. Kingsnakes are immune to rattlesnake venom and will hunt and kill them, so they are good neighbors to have around.

View from our campsite.

 

Bonus Points. Our campsite was right next to the Hydra Trail.

We had some light rain on our arrival day. On Tuesday, the weather was cool and (you guessed it) windy, with huge thunderclouds threatening on the horizon. We weren’t sure if we were going to get drenched, but decided to chance it and rode our bikes five miles on the Hydra Trail around the park.

That does not look promising. Stay or go? GO!

Some parts of the trail were pretty sketchy for my limited mountain biking skills, but I made it without crashing (although there were a few close calls, Lol.). It’s humbling to watch Rog effortlessly weave back and forth, negotiating the loose rock washes with ease. While I’m white knuckling it, thinking oh shit, oh shit, oh shit. It’s not fair that he makes it look so easy!  The weather gods smiled and the storms passed by without dumping on us, although they did get the last laugh. As soon as we’d gotten the bikes loaded back on the rig, the sun came out. How’s that for timing?

 

He makes it look so easy!

This vulture was waiting patiently for me by the trail.
He obviously knew an easy meal when he saw one. Lol.

The Hydra Tail also went through the park's Botanical Garden.

We made it back without getting drenched. Yay!

Later in the afternoon, I took Raney for walkies. At City of Rocks you can go on an adventure hike without leaving the campground! We had great fun scrambling through the formations and girlfriend was a trooper. We had a few hours of sunshine and then the thunderclouds came back with lightning later in the evening. But the storm passed us by again, so no rain in the City.

Pretty Raney is a good trail dog too.

Raney and I had fun exploring the campground. 

After a brief respite, the thunderclouds came back.
This time with a light show.

Leasburg Dam State Park. On Wednesday, 4/8, we left for Leasburg Dam State Park in Radium Springs, NM. We stopped on the way to give baby a bath, a half hour and $15 in quarters later, she was squeaky clean. Unfortunately, when it comes to campgrounds you can’t hit a homerun every time. We’d gotten a notification that the comfort station and dump station would be closed for renovation at Leasburg Dam. No worries. Then just a day before our arrival, Rog saw on the website that they’d also closed the day use area and access to the Rio Grande. Ugh. And when we arrived, the road into the park was completely torn up and the detour was a dusty dirt road. So much for baby being squeaky clean. Sigh.

Baby gets a bath!

The campground itself is very nicely laid out with spacious sites and nice views. We had three days booked here in hopes of getting some kayaking in, but with the Rio Grande nearly dry and no access from the campground that was a bust. We still found plenty to do however. The rules of the road are go with the flow and consider it part of the adventure.

Raney’s Day Out. On Thursday, we loaded Raney into the pupwagon and headed to Las Cruces. We ran some errands and then took Raney to the Spotted Dog Brewery for lunch. She was a good girl, although the staff do not need to worry about sweeping. Miss Hoover took care of any stray French fries. Lol.  Do not feel bad for Riley, he would have been miserable in the heat and the pic shows how he spent his afternoon enjoying the A/C. Silly boy.

Raney at the Spotted Dog Brewery.

Awwwww, Riley.
My old man loves his couch and A/C. Lol.

We also upped the game on my new vice! We looked for paletas for dessert and found a place called the Paletas Bar. You choose your paletas (tons of flavors), then pick your dip (white, milk or dark chocolate), then your topping (nuts, candies, all kinds of goodies) and then add fresh fruit if you want. Oh boy! Talk about amazing. I chose a Reese’s Peanut Butter paletas, dipped in dark chocolate with chopped peanuts. Rog opted for a coconut paletas, dipped in dark chocolate with almonds. Can you say Almond Joy? Both were decadent and delicious. Next time maybe I’ll try a more traditional Mexican flavor, but it’s really hard for me to pass on peanut butter and chocolate. Lol.

Talk about raising the bar! 
This is a must do if you get the chance.

I ended back up in Las Cruses on Friday to do several weeks’ worth of laundry and then spent the rest of the day cleaning. Rog did some maintenance on the RV and worked on his bike. In the evening, the wind kicked up a dust storm and visibility dropped dramatically. No mountain views or starry skies tonight.

Have I mentioned the winds? Lol. 

Slot Canyon Heaven. We were scheduled to leave Leasburg on Saturday, 4/11, but decided we had time for one more adventure before we left. There was a slot canyon just a few miles from the state park and I LOVE slot canyons! Look for an unmarked green farm gate along Hwy 185 just a few miles past the state park. Crawl over (or under) the fence and follow the dry wash to the canyon. There are lots of social trails, but the way is pretty well marked. (Many thanks for the stone arrows!). 

Even I can follow this trail. Lol. 

The slot canyon is probably about a half mile long and the walls are a conglomerate rock that really looks like it should be soft and crumbly, but is hard as cement. As you walk deeper into the canyon, the walls get steeper, taller, and closer together. The twisting path was carved over eons by rushing waters. Evidence of more recent flooding indicates that mother nature still considers this a work in progress.  

The deeper into the canyon you go, the taller and narrower it gets.

Love the twisties.

A little bit of scrambling is fun too.

Around one last curve and then we come out of the canyon.

When you exit the canyon, you can hike to the top of the mesa for a 2.5 mile loop trail. We opted to go back through the slot canyon. That’s the thing about narrow, twisty, curving slot canyons – the view changes every few feet and looks totally different coming and going. Something about slot canyons just brings out the kid in me, so apologies for the photo dump. But isn’t it cool?

Climb to the top of the mesa or back through the slot? 
You know what I picked!

One of my happy places. :) 

Don't forget to look up!

Back through the canyon we go.

Last one, I promise!
Do you see tiny Rog in the canyon?

After our hike we got the rig ready and headed out for our next stop. As we exited the park, one of locals came out to say good-bye. I’m just glad we saw him from the comfort and safety of the RV. Made me wonder just what I missed while walking the pups in the scrub in the middle of the night. Yikes! 

Danger Noodle. Nope Rope. Spicy Worm.
Whatever you call him, I'll pass.

Coming up next – a Harvest Host stop with an unexpected treat, bull riding!