Socorro, New Mexico

A Three Hour Tour

 The sandhill cranes migrate to this part of New Mexico between November and the end of January. We were too early for the Sandhill Crane Festival but not too early to visit the wildlife refuge. I made reservations for the 8:30 am 3 hour tour (Mike mentioned "Gilligan" when I told him how long it was). The twice a day free, naturalist-led tour of the birds, reptiles, and mammals who call this refuge home only has room for 8 people.

Before starting our tour, we could hear the cranes singing to each other.

 We were ready to get out and walk after two hours but our guides were great teaching us so much about the management of the area and identified so many birds that several "birders" on the tour were able to add new birds to their lists. 

 Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1939 to provide a stopover for migrating cranes, geese, and ducks who winter here each year as they follow the Rio Grande River.

 The refuge staff manages water to create seasonal wetland habitats that year-round and migratory wildlife need to thrive, like before men "tamed" The Rio Grande River.

Cranes

 Snow geese and ducks before eagle.

 After the eagle arrived.

 A javelina sighting.

A smart turkey hanging out on the refuge in November. Not only is he protected, they grow food for him. 

 The Sandhill Cranes can stand 4 feet tall.

A cool mural in downtown Socorro

San Antonio, NM

  When Frank Chavez came home to San Antonio, New Mexico, in 1945 after serving in the US Navy during the “Big War”, he and his wife, Dee opened a little bar in the grocery store operated by Dee’s father since the late 1930’s.

Soon after the Owl Bar opened, it became the hangout of a handful of so-called prospectors who had moved into the tiny community. These “prospectors” were actually atomic scientists who would later activate the famous Trinity Site explosion, the first test of the atom bomb used to end the war with its devastation of two Japanese cities. At the request of the “prospectors” and other patrons, Frank put in a grill behind the bar and began cooking hamburgers.

With a history like that, we had to try it out. Our green chile cheeseburgers came out on small Melmac (a plastic) plates from days gone by. The burgers were so good with just enough zip to make my lips know the chiles were there.

The bar itself, originally from Conrad Hilton’s first rooming house in San Antonio. He would carry suitcases from the train to his father's hotel.

The Box, Socorro, NM

 The 640-acre Box Recreation Area is a scenic, rugged area which is very popular for rock climbing and bouldering with five cliffs on either side of this box canyon.

 There is a 14 mile hiking trail somewhere in the Box but we kept running into fences and starting over on another trail to get in our 5 miles. Nothing was marked but we managed.

 This was as high as we were getting up the wall. The only people making it to the top were carrying ropes.

 We came across this rig with a couple from Germany camping in the Box. Now that is a getup. 

 San Miguel Mission

  In 1598 Spanish explorers, accompanied by two Franciscan priests came to what is now known as Socorro where they found a friendly tribe of Indians who furnished them with a supply of corn,
 (as their provisions were running very low.) The two priests, with the help of the Indians, built a modest little church which they replaced with a larger building in 1626, and which is the present church.

 Heading south.