Alamo Mtn, NM.

I have been telling some of the folks here in the RV park of places to go and things to see in the area, both on and off the beaten path. One of the areas is Alamo Mtn, located south of Alamogordo, NM. What is unique about this mountain is its location and contents, it is located on one 1.2 million acres of BLM land called the Otero Mesa and it contains 10,000 ancient petroglyphs. Due to it's location it is seldom visited by anyone and I have yet to met anyone who has heard of it......my kind of place.
Saturday, myself and fellow fulltimer Ed went for a drive out to show him the Mesa and petroglyphs.

Once leaving the pavement, our destination was in sight, a mear 60 more miles of dirt road.

Along the way we ran across a small heard of Antelope.

Almost there.

Arrival. There's a small parking area and access gate. Unless you know exactly where your going it's pretty difficult to find, hundreds of miles of county dirt roads and no signs.

 First stop, the old Butterfield Stagecoach Route Stop ruins. There are a couple of remaining foundations, stone walls and the remains of a stone fireplace. The first photo shows a stone marker. On top of the marker is a engraved compass.

 After the ruins, it was a good hour of bushwacking (since there are no trails) up the mountain, before we came across our first petroglyph.

 After the first one, we found a few other small ones, then hit paydirt with one of the largest on the mountain.

 Right behind the large one was this smaller yet still good sized artwork. By this time we had been hiking for a good 3 or so hours, up and around the mountain. A cold wind was blowing and we were starting to wear down.

Another hour or so hike down to the parking area and we were headed home. Coming down off the mesa, you are greeted with this stunning view of the mountains to the west.

We had a great day out, a little tired as it's been a long time since I've done much hiking like that. On top of that, while hiking down, I twisted my knee pretty good, so a few days of rest our in order.

I was asked a couple of times about Sheryl's surgery from last post. She has been living with a hernia for a couple of years now as a result of her heart surgery. She finally decided to go ahead and get it taken care of, as long as were here, plus it's been bothering her more and more. It was a pretty basis surgery so she is doing well now. We look at it as another check off the list so we can head back out on the road.

Trying to make the most of our time here, and showing folks some of our favorite areas is a great way to spend it. Hope to get out on a few more adventure before we leave and open up a whole new box of adventures.

Take Care and see you back here soon.