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| no partners | | A quick road trip to Silver City for night one, then a drive along NM 152 over Emory Pass with stops at Kingston and Hillsboro on day two. After that, it was on to Las Cruces for night two, before heading home Monday. This little trip is what I salvaged after pulling the plug on a trip to the Roswell UFO Festival. I had set some of that up several weeks before, but as the dates got closer I decided I didn't really want to be there with all the crowds and uncertainty over health and potential security issues, given the angry/crazy state of the country these days. So that entailed cancelling motel reservations, etc. while I hatched a new plan. One reservation I had made at the Best Western in Las Cruces could not be cancelled, so I built this little trip around that. I generally hate holiday weekends anyway, but wanted to do something.  I like fireworks shows and have attended many over the years, but this year given all factors and out of respect to what the West is going through, I decided no fireworks shows (many were cancelled anyway).
The UFO Festival in Roswell is pretty cool and I have been to several (last in 2007), but as I have grown older the appeal of being a part of gatherings such as that has pretty much gone away. That goes for any events, be it attending a baseball game, street fair, beer festival, whatever. That is just my nature, I'm just not much of a group activity person and like to avoid crowds. However, in 2007 when I was last at the festival, one of the high points was getting to meet the late Stanton Friedman at the book signing at the Museum. 
Anyone who has checked out my posts over the years knows I love New Mexico. So for the last several months, it has been tough for me watching what they have been going though with those two monster fires.  One of the things I wanted to do this trip was to drive scenic NM152, now that the rains have finally tamed the Black Fire nearby, and the fire crews have left. I didn't want to go to Silver City or do the drive until they left. Motels would be booked, and roads congested (again crowds). As it turned out, things were about back to normal and there was virtually no fire related traffic.  The fire didn't reach this section, unlike 2013, but it got as close as Hillsboro Peak and on the east flank down to around Ladder Ranch. I knew they were going to do some trimming, chipping, and cleanup along the highway corridor, and I will say everything looks nice right now.
Another thing I wanted to see is the bridge replacement project along Percha Creek between Kingston and Hillsboro, now that it is finished. Very well done! In Kingston I stopped at the cemetery for some photos, then drove into town briefly, where I had a pleasant conversation with a friendly gentleman regarding the area and visiting the museums (not this trip). Lots and lots of mining history in this area, as well as Lake Valley to the south.
I didn't see anything fire related to upset me this trip, because I wasn't in the new burn zone, however that will not be the case, when I eventually make my way up to Northern New Mexico to see the aftermath of the Calf Canyon/Hermits Peak Fire. Another beautiful area dear to my heart, and the fire ravaged it and took out lots of homes and will have a such an impact on the watersheds, etc. I am sure I will get pretty choked up when I see that firsthand. I might wait until next year, out of respect for what those folks are going through. It has been really tough for me watching those daily Facebook Live briefings by the fire teams for 3 months now, especially early on in April and May, when one day the fire raced across about 30,000 acres of countryside!   It has been very educational however, seeing how all the various agencies and local authorities worked together to provide the area residents with updates, evacuation notices, and other important information in as timely a manner as possible, given the chaos and complexity of such a situation. And the boots on the ground? What can I say about the work of those firefighters: "Awesome" doesn't come close to doing it justice!   Thank you.
Highly recommended reading: "Black Range Tales" by James A. McKenna (it's a gem)
Wikipedia entry for Kingston, New Mexico has some great historical info.
So does: sierracountynewmexico.info/attractions/cemeteries/ |
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