Tom and Ginnie's Blog: Surviving Memorial Day

It's Tuesday after the Memorial day weekend, which we managed to survive. Last Thursday we traveled from Leasburg State Park to Silver City, New Mexico. We stopped in at the Gila Forest Service Office to get camping information, and with that as a guide headed for Mesa Campground in the Gila Forest. We thought we wouldn't have much problem finding a campsite being it was only Thursday, but when we got there after an adventurous 29 miles on a twisty narrow mountain road, there were only three remaining sites available, and none of those had electric. We did manage to pick one that shaded the camper a bit in the afternoon. Fortunately the very low humidity mitigated the temperatures during the day.

Our location was without cell phone, and internet and we could locate only one radio station which played music only. We were pretty isolated.

When the revelers started arriving, the campground really filled up, with multiple families on each campsite. We visited the Gila Cliff Dwellings on Saturday. This is the third cliff dwelling site that we've visited. They are all pretty similar, most amazing is that they were inhabited for only about 30 years at the end of the 13th century. Life was tough then, beyond our imagining.

Sunday and Monday we hiked a so called "loop trail" We should have been able to complete the hike in one day, but the middle of the trail is no longer maintained, and it began to peter out, so we reversed direction returning the same way we came. The second day we started the loop in the other direction and hiked quite a distance in a canyon. When the trail left the canyon, pretty soon we could no longer distinguish a clear trail, so decided the prudent thing to do was reverse direction again and return the same way we came.

By evening Monday, the campground had almost completely emptied. It's just us, a couple from Texas and a family, probably starting a summer vacation. Quiet, quiet, quiet...

We have a long shopping list, so drove into Silver City to find a laundromat for our 10 days worth of dirty close, and then a shopping list for Walmart. We hope to find a good Mexican Restaurant for lunch, maybe dinner. Also picking up some supplies for the couple from Texas and our Campground Host.

We are undecided as to whether to stay another day at Mesa Campground or not, but in any case will be heading northward a bit and probably drifting into eastern Arizona tomorrow, Wednesday or Thursday. Cell coverage and lack of internet access will limit our ability to communicate.

Having a great time so far.