Oases in the Desert

Before writing this, I did not know what the plural form for the word "oasis" was. Apparently it's "oases", which I had never heard before in my life! It's hard for me to talk about Caballo Lake without also mentioning Elephant Butte Lake. The two are less than 20 miles apart, and are both dammed resevoirs fed by the iconic Rio Grande.

There is a cansus-designated place in New Mexico called Caballo, which has a very small population. But they do have a post office! The name is shared also by the Caballo Mountains range and Caballo Lake. As a title for this album, it is used loosely to refer to that whole region.

Caballo Lake State Park is a peaceful place. There are small gardens of cacti in various spots, with picnicking, fishing, and camping areas with spectacular views of the Caballo Mountains. In my time spent there, I saw a lot of families enjoying themselves, fishing, grilling, and chilling out. I was camping on a rocky shoreline of the lake, and a man was walking with his dog. His dog excitedly ran over to my campsite to greet me, and his owner followed and we chatted for a while.

He was an interesting character, telling me stories of him being a self-described con artist. He likes to sit at intersections in the nearby town of Truth or Consequences, writing carefully phrased signs for panhandling. He pointed out to me that he takes great care not to lie. While he may be asking for money, he does not claim to be homeless or in danger, but he tries to appeal to folks who do help the homeless. One time, someone gave him money and said very sternly "this is for your dog, not for you.", and he said that he listened to that demand. He came back later and gave me a real wooden walking stick, colored like lapis lazuli. I still have the walking stick, though I never preferred using it over my trekking poles. It does look quite lovely though.

I have enjoyed kayaking on the lake. One morning I brewed myself some tea on the shore and enjoyed it while slowly floating about. I spent a couple days camping in the same spot, and there was another family nearby on the lake shore. We never talked, but we were able to see what the other was doing at camp. They spent a lot of time fishing. After a couple days, I decided to pack all my backpacking gear onto my kayak so i could cross the lake and camp on the other side. I found a nice sandy alcove with cottonwood trees, bordered by some steep bluffs that led out to the desert at the base of the mountains. I enjoyed a night of solitude, slept in my tent, and returned to the park the next morning.

When I got back, the family I was camping near at the park was concerned that I had went missing. They asked if I was okay, and if I hadn't showed up earlier, they would have asked the rangers to find me and see if I was alright. They didn't expect me to leave like that and thought i got lost or hurt! I told them I just wanted to camp on the other side, and they understood. They were very kind and I appreciated that.

When I was hanging out by Truth or Consequences, I found some unpaved roads on my atlas that led to the east side of the Caballo Mountains, "behind" the lake. The roads traversed southward along the valley, and then had turnouts that went west towards the mountain range. I found a cool spot to hang out and do a little mountain biking. I didn't go all the way to the peaks, but the views were really nice anyways. You can see the distant Elephant Butte Lake, from a high vantage point that made it look quite small. Sadly I did not feel like taking a lot of pictures in this area, but I regret that and want to go back to do more photography, and then go to the peaks.

The east side of these mountains are where you can find the Jornada del Muerto. It is a very dry, sometimes red-colored stretch of desert that challenged Spanish travelers with a waterless 90 mile stretch. Along the highway south of Engle, I found some access points where I walked the old trail and hiked up to Point of Rocks. Here you can also find Spaceport America.

The areas around Truth or Consequences and Caballo have turned into one of my favorite regions of New Mexico. I have spent a lot of time here enjoying the Chihuahuan Desert. I feel very welcome and comfortable there and will surely be back in the future.