Enter The Land of Enchantment
We drove into the dry Chihuahuan desert of southern New Mexico on a windy, hot day. Already we could tell the place had a unique charm. By charm I mean the stark, bleak, remotely “out there” kind of charm that would grip the heart of a mother’s love. This is a place where few may come, yet all who do remain enchanted. It’s the land of the weird, the wonderful, the spiritual and the just-way-way-out-there.
And there’s more than enough substance to support all that.
New Mexico has 22 local indian tribes (all with their own, sovereign governments no less), many historic Pueblo’s, dramatic landscapes, towering mountains, hot desert, majestic caverns, ghost towns and even UFO’s. Oh yeah, baby. You may need to do a bit of looking to find those special, hidden spots, but when you do they’ll be just spectacular. And as you might well imagine, I looove the wierd and the wonderful!
But that’s not all. This place is a DEAL! You can camp in New Mexico State Parks for all of $225 for a YEAR (yes, actual camping all year), or you can explore BLM land, National Forest and dispersed camping for even less.
All this is right up our alley, and I have to say our first days here have not disappointed. We’re in a remote and simple State Park campground in Carlsbad overlooking a lake. We’ve been splashing in the water, exploring the nearby Living Desert, walking the gorgeous trails and enjoying stunning sunsets with very few folks around.
I’m ready to get into the lotus position, close my eyes and open up my spirit to whatever may come my way. Let the enchantment begin!
Wow Nina, your pictures are beautiful! Thanks for the info on NM state parks, I have it bookmarked for future reference. Love reading your adventures! karen
Thank you 🙂 So happy you’re enjoying the blog! Nina
We need to add an option to take this whole blog journey and download into a book – I know I’d buy a copy! Everyday has been an escape for me. What a deal on the campsite…a whole year?!!! WOW!! Your living my dream!
Yeah, isn’t the camping deal great!! The $225 covers all basic camping fees at all the State Parks. You pay a little bit extra for hook-ups ($4/day for sewer or electric), but it’s still outstanding value. Nina
You got that close to a mountain lion?!? Wow.
Bit of a cheat that one 🙂 We saw the Mountain Lion at the Living Desert Zoo and Gardens. Excellent little place to visit. They deal only with rescued animals. Nina
We are planning our ft rv adventure to start in 3 years…posts like this might accelerate our start! Beautiful
Come and join us 🙂 Would love to see ya out here! Nina
N.M is a beautiful State, try to visit Ghila Hot Springs and Carlsbad Caverns among the others.
Enjoy.
Daniel, Yup and yup…both are on our list (we just went to Carlsbad yesterday)! Thanks for the tips!
Nina
I have spent a month there this year and plan to spend several more months later this year. New Mexico is fabulous, lots to see and do, history at every turn and the folks are nice too! Have fun and tell us all about your adventures.
I have to admit I’ve been surprised at how much there is to see here. We originally planned a short stay, but have extended it to 6 weeks because of all the stuff to see…and we’ll barely touch the surface!! I can totally see how you can spend several months here. Nina
We do love that state, and further west is our beloved home state of Arizona, but we’ll be leaving tomorrow morning for five months in Nevada and California.
Cool! Can’t wait to read about your adventures. I do love the SW! Nina