Warm and dry is better than icy and muddy when you are living in the VanMan with a dog, so we headed south to Truth or Consequences. Mission accomplished: 75 degrees and sunny. We stayed for three nights at Elephant Butte State Park on a huge reservoir created by a dam on the Rio Grande. A really awesome place - acres of beach and sand dunes for Ruby's frolicking pleasure - and very quiet this time of year.
T or C itself doesn't appear to have much going for it, first pass though. Its claim to fame is its many hot springs resorts, most of which were built in the 30's during the Depression. They were very basic, typically motor court motels, maybe with a little bathhouse in the middle, or individual soaking tubs In each room. In the following decades, like hot springs resorts everywhere, they fell into disrepair or closed up entirely. But today, it looks like T or C is coming back into its own, with many of the resorts being renovated and reopened. I use the term "resort" loosely. In almost every case, they are being restored In the same modest style as when they were built, in the same buildings using the original names. The result is a quirky, funky little town. There are a number of artists, galleries, a juice bar-natural food store and two great little bookstores. We found it to be quite charming, in spite of the many trailer parks and the Walmart on the outskirts.
As a result of our heading south off the high plateau, we're going to miss some of the big things on our list: Grand Canyon, Chaco, Canyon de Chelly, and the Hopi reservation in northern Arizona. I'm not disappointed; it's the itinerary for our next trip! From here, we'll head a little further south, then west and finally north.
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