Cloudcroft camping and site seeing--recommendations?

[songinthewind7]

You can get it for free in the slash pits here in Timberon. You've got to pick it up and cut it down yourself, but it's free.

[crazyme4878]

Thanks--umm, where are the slash pits?

[songinthewind7]

As you're coming into Timberon, take a right at the stop sign onto Sacramento. Take the next right onto Pawhuska. Follow it until it T's into Riverside. Take a right (on Riverside) and then your first left onto Southern Pacific. Keep following Southern Pacific (single lane), it will turn into Pioneer and the slashpit will be on your left.
There's a bunch of wood ready to be taken.

[songinthewind7]

I forgot to say that Southern Pacific doesn't have a sign but it's the first left after turning on Riverside.

[crazyme4878]

We are back from camping! We were in heaven in the trees and cooler weather. We ended up camping at Sleepy Grass CG--which was perfect for us, since we like quiet, rustic campgrounds. Deerhead was too close to the road and the best site was already taken by a large group. It was fortunate that we ended up going this week instead of last week, like originally planned. It rained all last week (there were even sandbags around the high school). Unfortunately, this meant that all the wood was wet--even the "dry" wood we purchased from the camp host. We don't usually pack lighter fluid, so we had boiled hotdogs for dinner the first night!

The next day, we first stopped in at my husband's potential new workplace. The woman he has been talking with was gone, but he did talk to her superior and it went well (as well as a five-minute conversation can go). Then we walked around town, played a lot at the playground, went to the Pioneer Museum, and drove by some houses that were for sale. It looks like we will probably have to give up having much of a yard if we move! There were some nice houses in our price range, but they were out of town, sometimes hard to get to. We hope to live in town, so that we can walk to work/school/playgrounds.

On our second day, we drove out to the Solar Observatory. Our son loves space and was so excited! You can go into two of the telescope buildings. The first one had an observing window, but no one was using the scope at that time. The second one was a spectrogram-thingy I think. It was the really tall one. They were using it at the time, and we got to go in and walk around the huge computers in the center, and you could see the pictures it was taking of the sun. It was dark and the computer(s) were clicking and whirring (which is impressive to a 5-year-old). The work station was also visable, with a couple of people working. Also impressive to a budding scientist. After the observatory, we had lunch at Bluff Springs. It is such a beautiful area! We walked up to the start of the spring, and looked out over the meadow as a storm moved in. Then we went to the playground, again. It was the only day it rained on us.

We saw a lot of elk (saw three while we were trying to pick out a campsite); we also heard them at night and on the last night, one went running buy our campsite. My husband saw a black bear, as well.

We ended the trip with a stop at White Sands and lunch at La Posta de Mesilla in Las Cruces. And it was so hot! We first really felt the heat in Las Cruces (I think we were just expecting it to be hot in White Sands, plus it was still morning when we were there), but when we stopped in Deming, it was 102 in the shade! By the way, if anyone is driving through Deming with kids, our boys loved the train at the Chamber of Commerce (we had to stop both times)--you can climb all over it and its free!

Thank you for everyone's help! It was a great vacation, and hopefully I will be able to post here in a couple months that we are moving!

[6 FOOT 3]

Sounded like a blast Crazyme !!! Hope all goes well for you !! I just love that mountain range .

[Sparkey]

What a great vacation for you, your DH, and your little crazies!

Ya'll know how to enjoy a mountain. If a move here is in your future, may your life here be as full and happy as your vacation.

[bemisyrojo]

Anyone know of rustic & beautiful tent camping (no rvs) in March near cloudcroft? ie 3/24 - 3/26

[6 FOOT 3]

Originally Posted by bemisyrojo

Anyone know of rustic & beautiful tent camping (no rvs) in March near cloudcroft? ie 3/24 - 3/26

You'll need to call the Forest Service for info.

(575-682- 2551) M-F 7:30-4:30

The best ones are off of state road 130 south of cloudcroft. Turn right at the Sunspot sign just as you enter Cloudcroft from Alamo and drive about 3 or 4 miles and you'll see them all along on the west side of the road.

Deerhead Campground
Sleepygrass Campground
Aspen Campground
Black Bear Campground

6/3

[chilegal]

Also ask about campfires. With it so dry they may not allow campfires until after we get more moisture.