In fact, there is so much to see and learn here that it was kinda hard to organize this post. So let's start at the Visitor Center.
Inside are multiple displays documenting the colorful past of this area.
Right behind the Visitor Center is the start of the Dog Canyon National Recreation Trail. This butt kicker of a trail rises over 3100 feet in 5.5 miles. So a round trip is a leisurely 11 miles.
Looking behind as you climb gives a nice view of the campground.
That is the Visitor center on the right and below is a close up of the group shelter where Freddy and I camped.
The campground consists of over 40 sites, almost half with electricity and 4 of those can be reserved. Most have shade shelters. All have great views.
In the middle of the two loops is a modern restroom with hot showers.
Below the campground is the restored Oliver Lee ranch house.
Guided tours are offered most weekends at 10:00 am and 3:00 pm. Check at the Visitor Center. It is worth it.
Not all the furniture is original. Some of it was taken from his house in Alamogordo. The tour guide will tell you the whole story about Oliver Lee and his pal Frenchy. Very interesting. Suffice it to say that he had the perfect qualifications for his later political career.
Anyway, just below the Visitor Center is a desert garden with about a million species of native plants.
Freddy liked the bench.
Next to that is the remains of Frenchy's cabin.
And one of his fences.
Seriously, Frenchy was a fence building machine. Several of them climb hundreds of feet up the slopes of the mountains. I guess if you live in a little stone shack you need to something to do to keep you sane. Same applies to little trailers.
The reason that Dog Canyon has been inhabited for hundreds if not thousands of years can be attributed to one thing.
Water.
Both Oliver and Frenchy diverted water from the natural springs to create orchards. A nature trail follows some of the flow but recent floods have wiped out part of the trail.
The cut bank on the right used to have a trail on top.
But you can follow the wash to the water.
Or maybe even find some interesting rock formations.
Yeah, when I took Freddy on his morning walk I would go up the left side and follow the loop on the right back to our camp. He gave me strange looks.
Our site was huge. As I mentioned, we stayed in the group site.
We had nine picnic tables and the puppy took a nap on every one.
We also had guests. Freddy's girlfriend Abigail stopped by for a visit. Her humans are the camp hosts at Cimarron Canyon.
They played ball and had some tugs of war.
A group of star gazers stopped by to gaze at the stars.
They loved Freddy.
And the stars.
But for some reason they didn't like the flash on my camera so I put it away.
Freddy likes to howl at the moon anyway, not the stars.
The eastward views of the Sacramento Mountains are ever changing.
We preferred looking west. Especially when a storm blew through.
Folks who have been following my New Mexico blog know that Freddy and I love sunsets. We both watch them, thinking our own thoughts. Wondering what the future will bring. So bear with me as I share some of my favorite ones from my stay here.
Not much more to say except that you definitely need to visit and explore the wonders of this area. Legend has it that Frenchy buried some gold in the hill above Dog Canyon before he was killed. Once every 20 years a rainbow will appear in the canyon and the southern end will point out the location.
We only took a little bit. There is plenty left.
Regards,
Greg and Freddy
