After our three day stop in El Paso we continued our journey west driving through the Chihuahuan Desert in New Mexico. Our plan was to cross a good portion of the state via the desert—intersecting with Route 11 before turning north and exploring the western portion of the state.
As part of the crossing we wanted to find the KIlbourne Hole. The Hole is a volcanic crater estimated to be between 24,000 and 100,000 years old and in the middle of the Petrillo Volcanic Fields. The crater is 1.7 miles long, a mile wide and from 300 to 400 feet deep. The crater was caused by a massive volcanic explosion which occurred when the underlying magma heats groundwater to the point where the resulting pressure literally blows the ground upward hundreds of feet into the air.
While it may sound funny, finding the hole required Maria’s expert navigation skills. Yes—the hole is over a mile long and wide—but driving on the flat desert floor provides no landmarks or rises from which to visually identify the crater.
The crater is impressive for both its physical size and the sense of complete isolation that you feel while gazing out from the rim. The force of nature required to create this crater boggles the mind.
From there we continued west along the boundary of the designated wilderness area. As mentioned earlier, we were hoping to cross the desert until we intersected with Route 11 which is the north/south route from Chihuahua. The road became particularly rough and we opted to find a route south to connect with the pavement of Route 9 — so we fell about 20 miles short but had no regrets about our decision.
After reaching Route 11 we turned north for our night’s destination. Having worked up a thirst in the desert we decided that a bit of hydration was required. Fortunately for us, the Luna Rossa Winery is located in Deming along the way.
Paolo D’Andrea emigrated to the United States in 1986 from Italy and founded Luna Rossa Winery in 2001. The winery specializes in Italian varietals, and currently produce about 8000 cases of wine per year. In addition to the winery, they own and operate a pizzeria in Las Cruces, New Mexico.
We enjoyed a tasting of a number of their wines (purchasing several) and meeting some fellow travelers from Louisiana before departing for Rockhound State Park.
Rockhound State Park sits at the northern end of the Florida Mountains and in the foothills of the southern end of the Little Florida Mountains providing impressive views across the canyon in between. The Florida range is only twelve miles long but nonetheless quite impressive with peaks that sit at 5000 to 7000 feet above sea level. The surrounding flatlands serve to accentuate their prominence. Our campsite provided us with a spectacular view of the northern most peaks in the range.
The next morning we drove across the valley floor to access the Spring Canyon Trailhead. The Spring Canyon Trail winds its way up through the canyon until you reach the spring. But alas, the spring was already dry for the season. Nonetheless, it was a good hike providing solitude and great views to the north on the return back to the trailhead. The site of the spring where we stopped climbing is at approximately 5700 feet above sea level. Breathing hard!
Our next stop was in Maywood at the City of Rocks State Park. The City is just one square mile in size and sits at 5200 feet above sea level in the northern reaches of the Chihuahuan Dessert. This area surrounding the rock formations is more reminiscent of grasslands than what we usually think of as desert. The rock formations are the result of volcanic activity 35 million years ago and the subsequent erosion of the rocks creating the pinnacles that exist today.
This state park offers primitive camping among the rock formations. We enjoyed a beautiful sunset and night sky before turning in for the night.
The following morning we traveled to Silver City – as the name infers, this area is a mining district. We spent the afternoon at the Tranquil Buzz Coffee Shop drinking coffee, meeting local folks and listening to live music. Eventually, we made our way outside of town to boondock in the Burro Mountain area of the Gila National Forest.
In our next post we will chronicle our stay in Silver City and our journey northward in scenic Western New Mexico.
Be seeing you!
ON THE ROAD with Maria + Stephen 