Alamogordo to Las Cruces, New Mexico – 30 March 2024
As we drove over the hill and saw the city of Las Cruces laid out in front of us, we were surprised to see how large it looked. The compact houses scattered below the mountain range looked like the type of houses you would see in the mediterranean. We parked at the Sunny Acres RV park, a small but well looked after park. It was quite windy and overcast the day so we just walked around the neighbourhood with Jax. It was very industrial and there were many homeless in the area as there was a large shelter.
The following day was my birthday. After coffee and breakfast by Chef extraordinaire Derek we drove to the Organ mountains. We had hoped to hike to Dripping Springs but dogs were not allowed, so instead we hiked to the Fillmore Canyon to see the Falls which unfortunately were dry. There were remnants of an old mill and lead mine which dated back to 1855. We did have fantastic views of the surrounding mountains and the City of Las Cruces from the trail.
I had a hankering for Mexican food for dinner but after reading reviews of the top restaurants, it seemed there were many complaints about the spiciness of the food, and also because my birthday happen to fall on Easter Sunday, most of the Mexican restaurants either closed at 12pm or shortly thereafter. I wanted some good vegetarian food so we ended up at the Taste of India. This small cafe style restaurant offered a very tasty set meal (Thali) in both vegetarian and non vegetarian options. I loved the food which was very flavourful (and not too spicy) and offered salad plus 4 different dishes, basmati rice and a rice pudding which tasted of cardamon. This washed down with some authentic chai tea and I was a very happy camper.
After dinner we took a quick drive to Mesilla, a small historic town with quaint shops and restaurants. During the Civil War, Mesilla briefly served as capital of the Confederate Territory of Arizona. One of the gift shops was actually converted from an old courthouse where Billy the Kid was supposedly tried.
