2013-12 Las Vegas New Mexico

2013-12

Las Vegas New Mexico

75 miles on down the road

Campground:  Storrie Lake State Park. Las Vegas NM 87701, Phone Number(505)425-7278:  $4 elect.  Regular price:  $14 w/water/elect.  Only two miles into town but far enough out to be surrounded by Mts and farms.  Ps the lake has pretty much disappeared due to drought conditions.

view from my Ramada (covered picnic shelter) at Storrie Lake

Distance traveled:  75 miles.

Not much distance traveled to get to the next destination, but here I am at Storrie Lake where the lake has disappeared.   New Mexico has had quite a drought over the last couple of years making for a very parched landscape.  I’ve noticed the cattle ranches have no new green grasses and what they did have has been nibbled on by the cattle right to the ground.  I’m sure most the cattle have since been sold at a loss.

this hotel has recently been purchase and is expected to be renovated and reopened.
It's right next to the Amtrak Station

 

Here in Las Vegas New Mexico (not the casino town) the town has a lot of history as it was a major stop along the Santa Fe Wagon Train Trail and was also along the original Route 66 in more recent times.  When the trains came through, it grew even more.  With a current population of around 13,600 it’s a nice size town, especially for us campers.  the town has a ton of historical buildings, everything from Victorian to Romanesque, Spanish, Tudor to traditional adobe construction, even a Carnegie Library that’s still in operation.  You know, Carnegie was one of the Railroad Robber Barons and to help redeem his greedy ways, he funded libraries across the country.  Saying that education and knowledge would lift the poor out of poverty.  It’s also a university town with the New Mexico Highlands University established in 1893.  It’s been featured in about 4 movies.

a cafe on the plaza with working looms

statues, carved from dead cottonwood trees in plaza

Artist touching up his artwork

Unfortunately it has closed down.  Originally a popular local cafe.
  

Interesting how some areas handle traffic.  Here in Las Vegas they love speed bumps to slow speeding autos down.  Some of them here in the park are quite large, making for camper stuff bouncing around even with a show maneuver over those bumps.  And many more are scattered throughout the town.  

I had my stitches removed today from when the cyst on my back was removed two weeks ago.. The Dr,. a black man with dreadlocks and a soft spoken personality did the job near the end of the day.  Around 5pm.  Come to find out, his office is open until 8pm, probably due to the fact that he’s right next to the hospital here.  He was quite chatty and bent my ear so to speak for quite some time after the stitches were removed.  I had the time so took the time to talk about the area and Rv traveling.  He wants to buy a Motorhome that has a built in garage for small car.  

I've had the chance to experience virga. Do you know what that is? It's when it rains but never reaches the ground, as it evaporates before touching ground. Yesterday, dark clouds formed all day long and I could see the rain coming down in sheets, but never reaching the ground. What a site. One local guy was carrying his umbrella, sure it would rain. It didn't. This happens often out west and I'm sure the locals are disappointed each time it occurs.

I’m enjoying Las Vegas NM as it’s an easy town to get around in.  Love driving around on the side roads and seeing the diverse architecture of the homes and buildings.  I haven't done hardly any exploring and my next post will explain why.

What could it be,,,,, hmmmm.  You'll find out next week.