Adios New Mexico!

Northern New Mexico was forecast to be too cold for our thin blood. Albuquerque, Santa Fe & Taos will have to wait until Spring when we head from AZ back to CT.So after T. or C., we turned south and spent a couple of days at the Las Cruces KOA campground again. We spent more time with our friends Tony and Chris, the owners. Here they are with the display of southwestern merchandise in their KOA store.


Tony & Chris took us for dinner to Chope's Bar & Cafe, an authentic local Mexican restaurant. Located in La Mesa on Rt.28, about a 15-20 min. drive from the KOA, we were impressed with the excellent quality and low prices. Ed had a combo platter and a frozen margarita, I had a quesadilla appetizer that was big enough for an entree (as it turned out), plus a chile relleno and a glass of sangria, and our bill was about $20.00 plus tip.

On the way to Chope's, Chris pointed out the pecan trees lining the road and Stahmann's Country Store, part of the grove. Stahmann's is the largest privately owned pecan grove in America. We decided to come back the next day to shop at the store. This photo is from the Stahmann's web site.


At this time of year, of course, the leaves have fallen and the pecans have been harvested. But the pies, dark chocolate pecan bark, and cinnamon-coated pecans are all marvelous. Naturally, we had to conduct our own personal quality-control inspection! Everything is freshly made on the premises. The web site has a mail-order catalog so you can check it out if you're a nut lover.

Yesterday, we drove to Willcox, Arizona, about 200 miles west of Las Cruces. Today we visted the Chiricuhua National Monument, also known as the Wonderland of Rocks. As soon as I get a chance to sort through nearly sixty photos, I'll post a few! Tomorrow - on to our final destination for this Fall 2006 Adventure, Tucson, Arizona.