Arizona

After leaving the friendly scenery and faces in Albuquerque (what a great town!), we headed south and west to beloved Arizona (we lived in Tucson for almost 5 years, where Jess was born).  The first stop was Elephant Butte Reservoir outside of Truth or Consequences, NM.  The town was originally named Hot Springs but in the 60's agreed to change its name to Truth or Consequences as an advertising stunt for the TV game show of that name!

We camped on the shoreline loop at Elephant Butte State Park - however the shoreline was almost a mile away as the water level has dropped one hundred feet from full!  We only spent one night there and were blessed with one of the most spectacular sunrises we have ever seen. 

The normal water fill is to the top of the white area on the rocks	View from the campground	This should be under water!
Sunrise Pictures! >>>>>	>>>>>	>>>>>
>>>>>	>>>>>	>>>>>
>>>>>	>>>>>	>>>>>

After Elephant Butte we headed down to the Las Cruces area, staying at the Leasburg Dam State Park (gorgeous desert landscape!) for several days, then heading across the border into Arizona.  We wound up at the Patagonia Lake State Park after a long day of travel, and subsequently “fell into” another volunteer opportunity, this time to act as Interpretive Staff for the park.  Patagonia Lake is a hot spot for serious birders, so we learned so much about these wonderful creatures of the air and gained a new appreciation for the hobby of birding.  Pictures to come…