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Leasburg Dam and Percha Dam State Parks

Leasburg Dam State Park just north of Las Cruces NM sits above the Rio Grande with great views of the Organ Mts. and surrounding hills.

The trails are easy and plentiful through the whole park.

A word of advice e/w spaces 25-29 is right next to a railroad track that is busy. As in 4:00 AM busy. It doesn’t show on the map of the park.

Percha Dam State Park

Another nice park on the Rio Grande River with easy access.

Rio Grande River

Right after taking this photo a huge Bass jumped, I sat with camera ready till it got dark but he must have been camera shy, never jumped again.

Both parks have a lot of Humming birds.

Hummer nest in Mulberry Tree.

The Rio Grande River Trail goes from north of Elephant Butte to Las Cruces and beyond. I took the picture of the nest along the trail north of the dam, I would probably not have seen it if I hadn’t been noshing on Mulberries, took me back to my childhood. The trail was blocked by debris just north of the area.

I spent 10 days at Percha Dam and except for the weekend, the park is quiet with a really nice bird alarm clock in the morning.

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Columbus, New Mexico & Palomas, Old Mexico

Pancho Villa State Park has a great museum on the history of the area and 63 camping sites. 30 and 50 amp, E/W and water only and tent sites are available.

If you plan on spending time in New Mexico the state park pass is a bargain, out of state visitors pay $225 for a year and only $4 for e/w, $8 for full hook ups and $0 for boon-docking sites. You can stay up to 14 days. I have stayed at 2 parks so far this year and my pass is half paid for.

Campground

Coote’s Hill looking towards Columbus

The pioneer museum in the old depot admission is by donation and worth it.

Make sure you stop by the Patio Cafe for breakfast or lunch homemade food at its best.

This is what I found exploring.

highway art

forgotten shrine

I was anxious about going into Mexico by myself , so I reread a book that everyone, woman or man, who travels alone should read.

Fear Less vs Fearless The Journey of a Lifetime by Malia Miles Lane. Available on Amazon.

Palomas Mexico is 3 miles south of Columbus and the only 24hr border crossing in New Mexico. If you don’t want to drive in to Mexico there is a pay lot $5 or you can park at the Family Dollar like the locals do for free, a purchase would be a nice thing to do.

Pancho Villa
behind the Pink Store
more behind the Pink Store
in front of the Pink Store

I got a free eye exam and got new glasses ( no line Varilux) for under$150.

I walked around town and had lunch at the Pink Store and 2 hours later picked up my glasses.

a beautiful park
colorful stores

art in Dr.Garcia’s office.

I had a wonderful day in Mexico and plan on returning to Columbus.

Sunrise through my windsheild
Palomas from the campground at night.
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Rockin and Rollin at Oliver Lee Memorial State Park

I stayed during the “Bomb Cyclone”, don’t you just love all the new words for bad weather.

I bought an Annual Camping Pass $225 for out of state which allows me to stay for free if I don’t want hook ups or $4 for w/e and $8 for full h/u where available. So this 10 day stay was free.

Oliver Lee Memorial State Park is 12 miles south of Alamogordo NM and is a beautiful place on the edge of Dog Canyon. Plenty of hiking and history.

Dog Canyon

The story of Oliver Lee depends on who is telling it. He was a rancher and maybe a bit of an outlaw. He did have a really cool ranch house, which you can tour. The restored home is full of period pieces from the area and the self-guided tour of the grounds will show you ranch life in the desert.

All of the campsites are on the hillside and mostly level with picnic tables and fire rings. Every site has a great view.

Out of the 10 days, most were windy and overcast. The day of the bomb produced a full 24hrs of wind and a little hail.

It is almost always windy in the valley so keep that in mind when parking on a hillside, orient your rig facing north or south, out of 10 days I only had 1 day of winds from the west that really rocked me.

This was also my first time using my solar more than just a day or two, everything worked perfectly and considering the amount of time it was overcast I had no problems.

Yucca almost ready to bloom.

Safe Travels