We left Alamogordo yesterday morning (Sunday) and moved a
little west to Las Cruses, maybe a two hour drive. We are 15 miles north of Las
Cruses at Leasburg State Park. We
arrived early enough to beat the strong winds that had been fore casted. It did
get very windy yesterday afternoon, a lot of dust was being blown around. We
did drive into town to replenish our food stock and to stop at a large flea market
that we had seen earlier on our way in along the freeway. The flea market was a
bust because of the wind and the dust that was everywhere; we left without a
purchase hoping there would be other opportunities for these huge sales.
This morning we woke to a mostly overcast day. It was
strange not seeing the blue sky. It did clear up however and the wind kicked up
again, not as bad as yesterday but still windy. We drove back into town to explore
the area. Just south of Las Cruces we found the historic village of Mesilla,
where Billy the Kid stood trial. Now the plaza of Old Mesilla is home to quaint
shops offering crafts from local artisans as well as numerous restaurants
serving authentic New Mexican cuisine. We
walked through the plaza and visited many of the shops. In the center of the
plaza sits the San Albino Catholic Church. Another beautiful church we found, although
not in the Mesilla area, was Our Lady of Health.
Our plan for now is to leave here in the morning and head an
hours north to yet another one of New Mexico’s wonderful state parks.
Our campsite
Wind and sun protection
Mesilla Plaza
Interesting entry
Old town, old car
San Albino Catholic Church
Inside San Albino
Our Lady of Health
