It's always a pleasure to visit the Texas "hill country" in early April. The bluebonnets, and other wildflowers, can be breathtakingly beautiful. In places, it can appear to be a bright blue lake hidden in the woods. The year 2003 seemed to be a good one for wildflowers, so we spent a week enjoying the display. I'll share just a few photos here.
There are several varieties of bluebonnet, all a sub-species of lupine. Individual petals were thought to resemble the bonnets worn by pioneer women as protection from the sun. Indian paintbrush and other wildflowers may be seen intermixed among the bluebonnets. Lady Bird Johnson, wife of President Lyndon Johnson, spearheaded a national campaign to plant wildflowers along the nation's highways. The effort was particularly successful in her home state of Texas, so much so that vehicles stopping to enjoy the Spring bloom can be a hazard along the highways.
Following our time in Texas, we moved on to New Mexico, stopping first in Roswell. It was near here that people reported seeing a UFO crash in 1947. The Air Force reported it was a weather balloon that had crashed, but witnesses did not accept that story. Conspiracy cover up theories and other speculation persisted, mostly that the government was hiding the fact that alien bodies had been recovered from the site. Roswell took advantage of the story and created a UFO Museum, encouraging the notion of UFOs and aliens.
Ruidoso is a small town in Lincoln County, where Billy The Kid gained notoriety before being killed by Sheriff Pat Garrett. A participant in the Lincoln County War, Billy killed eight men before his own death at age 21. Ruidoso Downs is a village, now incorporated, that is famous for its race track that claims to host the richest quarter horse race in the world. I was more interested in driving to the top of Sierra Blanca Mountain, at just under 12,000 feet the highest mountain in southern New Mexico. The mountain is on the Mescalero Apache Reservation and home to a ski resort and casino. About thirteen miles long, the scenic road is one of the curviest roads you'll find.
New Mexico is known as the "Land of Volcanoes", having more in its history than anywhere else in North America. Many of its volcanoes are young and well preserved, leading to much study by volcanologists. Valley of Fires is one of several areas set aside for public access to huge lava fields.
Nearby, the Three Rivers Petroglyph Site offers some of the best access to a large number of images pecked into the volcanic rock. A half-mile trail passes more than 21,000 petroglyphs created between 900 and 1400 AD. While there, we enjoyed meeting the older couple who volunteer to manage the site all summer, living in their RV. They said they love that desolate location so much, they keep coming back to it every year.
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