We took a great trip today, leaving home in the late morning and heading into the hills west of
town. We had been seeing this huge construction in the distance for the past couple of weeks and couldn't figure out what it was. From the brass plaque near the top, we finally figured out that it is the Poncy Mud Valley Dam. Not a drop of water behind it, but apparantly during a flash flood, the dam protects the town from the rushing waters. It's a spillway of sorts with concrete baffles to slow the water in its descent. We followed the road up the edge of the valley behind the dam through more dry desert with rocky outcrops.
This plant looks like Crown of Thorns. It has tiny leaves, huge sharp spines and yellow flowers at the tips of its branches. After looking it up on line, we finally found out that it is an Ocotillo Cactus.
The views along the way were spectacular, but so vast it's hard to contain in a photo. We stopped repeatedly to pick up rocks from beside the road. I really need to get some gloves, as it's impossible to hold a rock for more than a few seconds without juggling it from hand to hand to prevent third degree burns on the digits. Mud Mountain loomed above us, but we didn't think the Chrysler was up to the climb.
Returning to town we headed south for Hillsboro for lunch then south again to Lake Valley, a ghost town that mostly burned to the ground in 1885. The famous Bridal Chamber Mine, one of the richest silver deposits in the world, was located
near here. Hard to believe this was once a town of 4,000 souls. On the way we saw 5 Mule Deer beside the road. We also saw a couple of Roadrunners. (actually running in the road! Imagine that.) Above Lake Valley, looms
Lizard Rock. It doesn't take a lot of imagination to see where the name came from. There are all kinds of roads through the desert, because all you have to do is drive a cat with the blade down to knock over the very sparce vegetation, and Presto... a road. No frost heaves, only the danger of a washout wherever you cross a natural water course. There are numerous signs indicating that dips in the road are subject to flash floods. We dodged thunder showers all afternoon, with lightning flashing to the west, south and north, but managed to avoid any serious rain. Nutt, NM used to be the end of the line on the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad. Now it's just an intersection with a closed Bar called the Middle of Nowhere Tavern. The road then heads east into Hatch, home to cottonfields, miles of Chile Peppers, and cattle feetlots you can smell for a mile before you see them. Got home around 5:30, just in time for a nap before supper. Boy Howdy, there's sure some interesting country around here.
town. We had been seeing this huge construction in the distance for the past couple of weeks and couldn't figure out what it was. From the brass plaque near the top, we finally figured out that it is the Poncy Mud Valley Dam. Not a drop of water behind it, but apparantly during a flash flood, the dam protects the town from the rushing waters. It's a spillway of sorts with concrete baffles to slow the water in its descent. We followed the road up the edge of the valley behind the dam through more dry desert with rocky outcrops. 
This plant looks like Crown of Thorns. It has tiny leaves, huge sharp spines and yellow flowers at the tips of its branches. After looking it up on line, we finally found out that it is an Ocotillo Cactus. 
The views along the way were spectacular, but so vast it's hard to contain in a photo. We stopped repeatedly to pick up rocks from beside the road. I really need to get some gloves, as it's impossible to hold a rock for more than a few seconds without juggling it from hand to hand to prevent third degree burns on the digits. Mud Mountain loomed above us, but we didn't think the Chrysler was up to the climb.
Returning to town we headed south for Hillsboro for lunch then south again to Lake Valley, a ghost town that mostly burned to the ground in 1885. The famous Bridal Chamber Mine, one of the richest silver deposits in the world, was located
near here. Hard to believe this was once a town of 4,000 souls. On the way we saw 5 Mule Deer beside the road. We also saw a couple of Roadrunners. (actually running in the road! Imagine that.) Above Lake Valley, looms 
Lizard Rock. It doesn't take a lot of imagination to see where the name came from. There are all kinds of roads through the desert, because all you have to do is drive a cat with the blade down to knock over the very sparce vegetation, and Presto... a road. No frost heaves, only the danger of a washout wherever you cross a natural water course. There are numerous signs indicating that dips in the road are subject to flash floods. We dodged thunder showers all afternoon, with lightning flashing to the west, south and north, but managed to avoid any serious rain. Nutt, NM used to be the end of the line on the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad. Now it's just an intersection with a closed Bar called the Middle of Nowhere Tavern. The road then heads east into Hatch, home to cottonfields, miles of Chile Peppers, and cattle feetlots you can smell for a mile before you see them. Got home around 5:30, just in time for a nap before supper. Boy Howdy, there's sure some interesting country around here.
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