Silver City - Mogollon Ghost Town

After leaving the Catwalk, we drove farther west to find a winding, narrow road up over a 7500 ft pass and then down into the Mogollon Valley, where and old mining town awaits our visit.

Although the drive up the pass tested our courage in a few spots, the rewarding views back behind us were worth a few stops "on the edge".

Farther along we start to see evidence of days past mining operations.

Upon arrival at the ghost town, we park the truck and walk the half mile or so up the small canyon through the old main street.

It's cold and dark in this crevice, not a sole in sight and dead quiet as we work our way past relics of by-gone days.  This truly is a ghost town today...what an eerie feeling!

Obviously the summer only residents have done an excellent job of preserving the look and feel of the original dwellings, adding to the charm of it all.

Relics of the past line the street as we proceed ----

------reaching the summit of Main St we climb a slight grade to the west, and get a nice view from atop an overlooking ridge.

As we walk back through the utter quiet of the past, I notice crumbling signs of the past.

Silver City - Gila Catwalk!

Today we decide to see another example of the many experiences offer by this area.  We're off wetward on Hwy 180 again, this time well past Bill Evans Lake and the town of Cliff.  About ten miles out of Cliff there is a Leopold Vista Pullout....am I glad we stopped!  In addition to getting a short history lesson on the naming of the wilderness, we enjoy those beautilful views this area is known for....

Another short drive and we are at the Catwalk!

The Catwalk is the result of a long elevated 18" diameter water line that ran for about a mile up the narrow Silver Creek Canyon to provide head for hydro-generation of electricity in the early 1900's for the tiny mining town of Silver Creek.  The pipeline had a wooden catwalk over the top to allow mine personel to service and repair the system.

Years after it's abandonment as a working water source, the National Forest Service replaced the original line with a series of elevated catwalks, providing one of the most rewarding trails in the area!
More of the history can be learned at http://www.oldwestcountry.com/tmpl1.php?CID=YQ3JG

It seems as though Kim has sharpened her focus on trees lately, especially since she's started water color painting.  These strange, twisted contrasting hunks of  wood offer a challenge to color and shading.  We're fascinated during the first few hundred yards of the trail by the striking examples of Nature's art....

Kim walks ahead to the first entry onto the Catwalk, with the spectyacular canyon towering high above.  It's an eery but delightful feeling as we enter this labryrinth.

Around every bend is a treat to the eye, with many small waterfalls in the creek's flow below.

Around turns, up and down, through mazes we go...what fun!

Up ahead is the "helicopter bridge" a huge steel arch spanning the width of the canyon --

We walk alongside the "swimming hole"  It's a long way down, no diving from up here allowed!

Just ahead a nice low overhang, reminds us of places where the Pueblo cliff dwellers like to build...

Kim finds the end of the trail a bit exciting, crossing the swinging bridge - what a finale'  wonderful hike on the Catwalk!

If you interested in seeing more, I found this nice video set to music on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ywpb334DGN0

Silver City - Hike Up Gila Box Canyon

After our visit to Bill Evans Lake, we continued west on Hwy 180 to visit the small communities of Cliff and Gila, home of quite a few of the artists that offer their creations for sale in Silver.  We stopped for lunch at the Village Market in Gila (excellent sandwiches very reasonably priced) and chatted with the rock shop owner next door.  He highly recommended the drive up the Box Canyon north of the town.

The Gila Lower Box Canyon is a true oasis in the desert. Since livestock has been prohibited in the river canyon since 1990, the canyon has grown into a lush thicket of cottonwood, willows, and other riparian vegetation. The area provides some of the best birding in New Mexico, and is habitat to many rare and unusual birds, including common black hawks, zone-tailed hawks, Bell's vireos, yellow-billed cuckoos, and hundreds of other bird species. The canyon also provides opportunities for canoeing, rafting during Spring runoff, hunting, and year-round fishing and camping. The river contains smallmouth bass and several species of catfish.

Among the many activities available in this area, rock-hounding is a great way to spend an afternoon.  Kim ound a few choice specimens along this expansive wash (remember Lucy & Desi's "The Long Long Trailer").

We hiked up the River Trail for about an hour, spooking quite a few mallards, and even spying a trout or two along the stream.  This are is truly amazing!

Silver City - Bill Evans Lake

We took a dive today west on Hwy 180 to this small 65 acre stocked lake high above the Gila River (yes, the water is actually pumped up about 800ft to the man-made lake!).  The project was started years ago buy a mining outfit in coordination with the Forest Service. http://www.silvercity.org/dest_Bill_Evans_Lake.shtml

In addition to holding the State record largemouth bass at almost 16 pounds! It boasts a nice population of other species including these nice rainbows caught by a local.

Kim was amused by this confused domestic duck, which had adopted the wild Mallards as it's family.

We Have Arrived! SILVER CITY, NEW MEXICO!

Yes, we've heard about it for 3 years....
Great small town with tons of things to see & do, arts, music, good food, sustainabilty, fabulous views, great year-round climate....
      
        This May Just Be The Place...for a Place! 

More to Come...

City of Rocks State Park

Lying about midway between Deming and Silver City is a unique outcropping of volcanic rocks left by ages of continuous erosion standing alone in a flat plain. Thanks to the State of New Mexico this feature is not only preserved for us, but also available as a campground - yes, you can actually drive your RV right up within the rocks and stay! 

Take a look here if you're interested in the geology of this treasure. http://geoinfo.nmt.edu/tour/state/city_of_rocks/home.html

We spent a late afternoon/early morning there, just enjoying the colorful views of these monoliths.  While I just wandered around in awe, Kim put her camera to excellent use as shown in the photo essay that follows!

Thanksgiving With New Friends!

It would be hard for me to say how much ham radio has enriched my life over the many years I've had a license (since age 10), but this Thanksgiving is just one example of how this unique hobby has led to many new friendships and experiences.

Several weeks before Thanksgiving, while we were camped at El Morro, I made several contacts with N2GG, Gil and Danna Gray, who were RVing at the time in southern California.  One discussion led to another, and we realized that we'd pass right through the small town of Belen, NM on our way to the Bosque del Apache for the upcoming Festival of the Cranes.  Gil graciously invited us to come and park the RV at their place for a few days, and in the process of further discovery (based on a comment about flying as a hobby) we were introduced to Ken (KS2R) and Janice Samuelson. 

To make a long story short, Ken and Janice offered to host us for Thanksgiving dinner Tuesday eve at their beautiful new log home in the Sandia Park area just outside of Albuquerque.

The home is filled with unique objects, and guarded by it's three true owners shown here!

The eve started with a roaring fire along with some special before dinner treats.  But, it wasn't long before Gil did a masterful job of carving the mouth-watering bird for the table.  What a great feast with great friends...

The next morning was spent walking off the past night's indulgence, with a two mile stroll in the national forest bordering their backyard.