Hidden among a typical Southwestern landscape of mountains and desert wilderness is New Mexico’s unique City of Rocks. In fact, until reaching the top of a rise in the access road, no one approaching the site for the first time would even have an idea that this curious complex is located here. Through millions of […]

One of the nation’s more remote park sites, Gila Cliff Dwellings was named a National Monument by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1907. From Silver City, four-hour round-trip via a scenic and winding mountainous highway. Motorcoach tour groups should plan for a full-day trip and bring a picnic lunch. Facilities of a modern Visitor Center, but […]

With the discovery of silver in the area after the Civil War, Silver City began life as a typical Western mining “boom town.” Silver City avoided the “ghost town” fate of many similar New Mexico communities after the silver market crashed in 1893 by reorienting itself to cattle ranching, shipping and education. Mining in the […]

I’ve spent the last couple of months as an interpretive volunteer at magnificent White Sands National Monument, 13 miles south of Alamogordo in Southern New Mexico.  This monument showcases the largest field of dazzling white gypsum sand dunes in the world. It not only offers a one-of-a-kind visitor experience, but its convenient location has allowed […]