Bob & Elizabeth's Excellent Adventure

We went to the state park on Friday for a nice hike on the Luchini Trail.  This water-view trail wound its way through the scrub and cactus for nearly two miles.  After six months in AZ. where we saw very little wildlife we were ecstatic to come across one roadrunner, three jackrabbits and three herds of mule deer varying in size from three to seven deer.  Awesome!  Elephant Butte Lake got its name from a huge rock formation which some believe looks like an elephant, what do you think??   The lake was created in the early 1900’s by damming the Rio Grande.  With 40 miles of shoreline, this is the largest lake in NM.  Both the lake and the river are a beautiful shade of green.  A quick stop at the Visitors Center gave us a glimpse into the history of the area – this Tyrannosaurus jaw was  unearthed here in 1985.   A mastodon jaw was also found here.   

On Saturday we took a nice bike ride over to T or C. This tiny little town(don’t blink or you’ll miss it) used to be called Hot Springs because the entire downtown area of the city is located atop a supply of hot mineral water which is available at the surface through wells or natural springs.  The town is dotted with bath houses and spas, earning it the title of “Hot Spring Capitol of the World”.  ‘However in 1950, Hot Springs New Mexico, was plodding along slowly and fairly comfortably, much the same as hundreds of other small resort cities.  Tourist trade, practically speaking, was the city's only industry.  The majority of visitors here sought the town's health facilities and found the little community offered more for their money than they found almost anywhere else under the sun Visitors and residents alike did, and still do, relax in the healing, naturally hot mineral baths, bask in the almost ever present sunshine, fill their lungs with the fresh, pure air that envelops the city and surrounding areas, fish a little, and play dominoes and shuffleboard at the Senior Citizens Recreation Center.

Another pastime years ago was sitting in groups on the sidewalk benches to watch a few travelers as they passed on the highway, usually without stopping, (trust me, there’s still not many who stop!! We only saw one other sightseeing couple during our tour.)  Recreation back then was undeveloped to its full potential and the town was lost among hundreds of other " Hot Springs" scattered all over the United States; the name indicating nothing more significant than the likelihood that some hot springs were located in the area. Then  NBC television and radio producer Ralph Edwards, on the 10th anniversary of the Truth or Consequences radio program, called his staff together and said, "I wish that some town in the United States liked and respected our show so much that it would like to change its name to 'Truth or Consequences.'" Here was an opportunity to advertise the city and its resources free of charge. So, in a special city election, 1,294 of the town's residents voted for the change to "Truth or Consequences”’ Having heard that story I just had to visit. How could you not stop and see a town that would change its name to attract visitors? I guess I’m just a sucker for marketing ploys. We walked through the downtown, poking through a shop or two, moseyed through the Ralph Edwards Park on the banks of the Rio Grande and then hopped back on the bike for a trip out to the dam site.  The route took us along the Rio Grande for a few miles. Then we started climbing and winding our way up through the hills to get to the overlook.  Finally, as we were riding shoulder to shoulder with a buzzard, we reached the top and a spectacular view awaited us.  From this vantage point we had a panorama of the lake, dam, river and the famous rock which named Elephant Butte.