In early October, 2009, I took an opportunity to explore southern New Mexico. The trip started by flying into El Paso, TX and driving west to Silver City, an easy drive with plenty of time to pick up provisions and make a few preliminary side trips. Our base of operations became Bear Creek Cabins in Pinos Altos, NM (An old gold mining, ghost town) a few miles north of Silver City. The photos begin in City of Rocks State Park and the mining regions around Silver City and Hanover-Fierro. Main points of interests in the area were: Gila Cliff Dwellings Nat'l. Monument, Mogollon ghost town,and The Catwalk Nat'l. Recreation Trail. Headed east, the trip continued through Hanover, Emory Pass, Hillsboro and south to Lake Valley (Ghost Town) and Hatch for some of their famous green chili cuisine.

Then we headed north to Socorro with visits to Elephant Butte Lake S.P. and Bosque del Apache (too early for most of the migratory birds). While in Socorro we visited New Mexico Tech's mineral and mining museum, the old Kelly mine and ghost town near Magdalena and the Nat'l. Radio Astronomy VLA Telescope. From Socorro, we headed east thru San Antonio and Carrizozo and south to Alamogordo, with stops at Trinity Site marker, Valley of Fires Nat'l. Rec. Area, and Three Rivers Petroglyph Nat'l. Rec. Site. Alamogordo became base for visits to Cloudcroft, Sunspot Nat'l. Solar Observatory, and White Sands Nat'l. Monument.

The final leg of our trip took us east through Artesia and south to Carlsbad. Visits to Carlsbad Caverns Nat'l. Park, Guadalupe Mts. Nat'l. Park and Sitting Bull Falls Nat'l Rec. Area concluded our trip.