Out and About with Ruthie (aka Nickie) and Jimmy: Aliens Galore! Roswell NM 4/5

20120408

Aliens Galore! Roswell NM 4/5 – 4/8

From -- Bottomless Lakes St Pk, Roswell, NM --

Thursday was a long day’s drive on secondary roads, but what a show the wildflowers put on for us – wow! – from Hwy 29 out of Burnet, to Hwys 71 and 87, tho by the time we got to San Angelo, the dusty west Texas blahs took over. We change drivers every couple of hours, so neither of us gets too tired, and the drive was pleasant. We like these back roads much more than a busy megalopolis such as Houston (miles and miles of urban sprawl and freeways with too-skinny lanes).

Eastern New Mexico is fairly colorless, too, and Hwy 380 is a steady incline almost to Caprock. We hadn’t really planned to drive all the way to Roswell, but when we gained that hour crossing into Mountain Time, it seemed feasible! So, we aimed for Bottomless Lakes St Park, just east of the city and were delighted to find sites available on Lea Lake with W/E for $14/nite and no worries about being kicked out for Easter weekend. We could stay in our site for 21 days if we so chose. We signed up for three nights and picked a cozy spot situated between salt cedar “trees,” where we watched black-throated sparrows flit thru the branches from our dinette window. Neat to see a handsome yellow-headed blackbird perched on a close branch in front of that window.

Two pictures of mirror lake. Small lake can support game fish, big lake (with sign) is too saline for these fish to survive.

This one is called Devil's Inkwell. Look at that bluff. Jimmy under the arrow overlooking Lazy Lagoon (on our bike ride).

Friday morning we hopped on our bikes to explore the lakes, which are actually sinkholes nestled along the red gypsum bluff, that range from 17 to 90 ft deep. They aren’t bottomless, tho way back when cowboys first tried to measure their depth using two lariats tied together and didn’t reach bottom, they decided “there weren’t no bottom” - hence the park's name. It’s a chain of eight lakes and we rode a 10-mile loop to check ‘em out. Love the cliff faces and colors! These are definitely NOT Florida sinkholes. Swimming and scuba diving, canoeing and kayaking are allowed only in/on Lea Lake where we’re camped. The water is clear and cold, so we stayed on land. We enjoyed a stimulating bike ride (read: hills)! Later, we were treated to a colorful sunset, followed by spectacular full pink moon rising over the hills, spreading gold across the sky. Really something to see.

Another peek at Lazy Lagoon and the road that twists over the bluff. Tergel (under arrow) parked @ Lea Lake in Bottomless Lakes C/G.

Saturday we drove into Roswell… a funny place with all that UFO/alien stuff. I took most of the pictures at the Visitor’s Center! Walked thru the Museum and Art Center next door and spent a bit of time at the Spring River Park and Zoo. Also visited the Walker Aviation Museum and Research Ctr at the airport. All free – good for Roswell. Weather was an about-face from yesterday – cool and cloudy and quite windy today. Wanted to eat authentic Mexican food while here, and Tia Juana was recommended. Food was very tasty; we’re still full!