2025 Summer Vacation: Las Cruces New Mexico

 Hello Again, Fellow Traveler!

In my last post, I mentioned we left Tuesday, July 1st heading to Las Cruces, New Mexico. If you've never been to NM, put it on your bucket list. The mountainous terrain set against a powder-blue sky is just lovely - clouds or not. We timed our departure as often as possible to drive 3-4 hours (5 max!) and arrive at the campground or RV park around 1 pm. 

Today we checked in to Hacienda RV Resort and let me tell you what a beautiful resort it is! All of the RV spots are paved and though they had no picnic tables, they were large enough to set up your own if you dared the heat LOL! Hacienda was pet friendly, with a fenced in dog park and a dog washing station. There was no swimming pool but a hot tub - which made no sense to me because, I mean, you are in the desert and it is hot, hot, hot. 

Regardless, the restrooms and showers were roomy with attached dressing areas and blow driers in each. Check out their gallery and you'll see why this lovely place had me siging a happy tune the entire time we were there.

We had dinner at a beautiful Mexican restaurant (what else? LOL!). I think it was El Sombrero but not positive, but the decor was simply astonishing.

The next morning we set out to our destination: White Sands National Park.

Imagine driving along a desert road and seeing sand as white as snow!

Still blows my mind thinking about it. Mississippi and Florida are the only places I've seen sand this pristine.

Neither of us felt like trekking up the dunes much less sliding down on cardboard or on a sled. Besides, I had my dog with me and he would have had to stay in the truck and it's just plain too hot for that.

We did take the 8 mile drive that leads from the visitor center to the heart of the gypsum dunefield. The first five miles of this drive is on paved roads. You traverse the remaining 3 on hard-packed sand. Stay on the road though, because vehicles can get bogged down in loose sand.

While there, we took a side trip to see the Organ Mountains - Desert Peaks National Monument.

These steep, rocky spires jut into the sky 9000 feet above the Chihuahuan Desert floor. Depending on what angle you're viewing, they do look like organ pipes. 

After a pretty full day of traveling, we managed to sneak a sit in the hottub, and you know what? It really wasn't all that bad!

The dry, desert air made it fairly comfortable once the sun went down enough for us to find a spot of shade. Especially nice when you're sipping a homemade Sangria Margarita 😅

After our showers in the luxurious bathrooms, we settled in for the evening, watched a little TV then went to bed ready to wake up the next morning to a new adventure.

I hope you'll check back in a couple of weeks and come along with us for the ride to Phoenix, Arizona with a stop off in Tuscon.

Until then, take care and be safe out there on the open road.

PamT

2025 Summer Vacation: Balmorhea State Park

We left San Angelo on Monday, June 30th headed for Balmorhea State Park in  Toyahvale, TX. This beautiful park is built around a natural spring-fed pool with water temperatures between 72 - 76 degrees year around.

We happened to catch the first bit of rain in our vacation at this time and it was a mite cool to swim.

For me anyway!

Not only deterred by the weather, the fact that swimming in this lovely, clear water involves close encounters of the marine kind was enough to keep me out of the water. Yeah, look closely at this collage, that's catfish and a soft-shell turtle!

Floating along with those would be uncomfortable enough but what really landlocked me was the fact that, although we didn't see any, there were signs indicating that water snakes might be found in there as well.

No Thank You!

The campsites were lovely too, with pretty little haciendas over the picnic tables. There were lots of grassy areas to walk the dog too and the people were very friendly and hospitable. All in all, we had a lovely stay at Balmorhea State Park.  We left Tuesday morning, heading to Las Cruces New Mexico and White Sands National Park. On the way, we stopped at a rest area about 30 miles east of Toyahvale which was very nice and clean, which as you know always has me singing a happy tune. 

Next time I'll share our visit to White Sands National Park. I hope you'll come along for the ride.

Until then, take care, God Bless and Happy Glamping.

PamT

2025 Summer Vacation: Bandera, TX

 

Oh my goodness, it's been a month since I posted last! I mentioned in the final installment of my 2024 vacation, that I would be alternating weekly between this and my spiritual blog and yet, I dropped the ball again in sharing my 2025 summer trip.

SO much happened in September, mainly me getting some kind of sinus crud on the 8th and then the tragedies of that week threw me for a loop. I wrote all about it HERE. 

Anyway, I'm back and still planning to post here bi-weekly. 

We left SFA State Park Monday morning and continued to Bandera, arriving at Bandera Pioneer RV River Resort where we would stay the next 4 days. 

This RV resort is really nice! The bathroom is spacious and decorated in western motiff benefiting Bandera's claim as the "Cowboy Capital of the World" and clean, clean, clean. Which, as you know, keeps me singing a happy tune.

It had been a while since I walked in the City Park and I was so excited the art carvings in some of the dead trees. IMHO it is so beautiful to do this and repurpose that tree instead of cut it down! This is only 1 photo but there were several with various designs. 

While in Bandera, we visited St. Stanislaus Catholic Church and the Adoration Chapel there. Other than one of the most beautiful churches you'll ever walk into, one of the most amazing things is that the Adoration Chapel is always open for prayer - if you know the security code to get in. The monstrance which houses the Body of Christ is not like any I've seen elsewhere. My cousin and I took pictures and, if you look closely, you'll see different colors along the metal casing surrounding the Eucharist. Nice, right? What was so strange was his pictures and mine showed different colors! A lady there said that the parishioners have come to believe the Presence of Christ causes the colors to change. I don't know but it's a fascinating phenomenon.

We stopped in at Arkey Blue's Silver Dollar Saloon for a drink then perused the Frontier Times Museum and drove out to Polly's Chapel and ate at OST on more than one occassion. Of course, we had to have dinner on Wednesday @ 11th Street Cowboy Bar where they furnished the sides, we cooked our own steaks and danced to live country music!

One day we rode over to Fredericksburg, ate German cousine, and laughed ourselves silly reading the quotes on dish towels, caps, yardsigns and napkins in the many, many shops along Main Street. 

If you know me at all, you'll know that I. Am. NOT. A. Shopper! I've been to Fredericksburg a couple of times so it wasn't new to me, but I enjoyed watching our traveling companions having so much fun weaving in, out and through the stores.

On the way home we had to stopp off in Luckenbach. Waylon, Willie, nor the boys were there, but a jam session was going on. Of course we had to drink a beer and listen for a while LOL! 

The souvenir shop in this tiny town is expansive and the ladies room - which had swinging doors on the stalls, a clean shelf for you to lay your hat or cellphone on in each one (be careful though, no lids on the toilets!) and this beautiful, old, mirror.

On Friday the 27th we left Bandera, heading to San Angelo for the annual Southern Drag Boat Association (SDBA) events held at Lake Nasworthy. We stayed at Concho Pear RV Estates and, yeah, don't believe the pictures you see on their website! The pool was filled in. NO bathrooms or showers. Dog rules were ridiculous. We'll probably never go to San Angelo like this again, but if I do, I can promise I will not stay at this place. 

We did enjoy stopping in at San Angelo's visitor center and thankfully they had a Best Buy because my computer screen crashed and I had to get a whole new setup. 

That wrapped up our first week of 2025 Summer vacation. Next we'll be heading to Balmorhea State Park and on to Las Cruces, NM so check back often and come along for the ride.

Until next time, take care, God Bless and Safe Travels!

PamT