Thank you, Paul, for this love letter to Las Cruzes. Never been there, but Tucson was on our horizon for a time. Going there to check out houses, etc., showed me how raw a town could be. Too many western towns are dressing up to gleam in the sunlight of progress, erasing their pasts, even if those pasta are just a few decades old. Californication obviously hasn't reached some places in the interior West.Your photos show a place that's raw and real, dusty and yet alive as the afternoon wind. The stories of your travels intrique me and this one most of all, probably because you paused your nomadic life long enough to fall in love.
Thanks, Sue. I have a thing for Tucson, and it's still dusty and ragged around the edges, no matter how hard they try to dress it up. There's an interesting arts scene there, as well. As with most places I love out west, the water situation freaks me out, but life does seem to persist. Phoenix, I'm not so sure. I still wonder how Vegas and Phoenix are going to do unless or until the Colorado River picks up again in volume.
Oh my goodness, what a stunning piece! Thanks so much for transporting me to another place, time & mindset this morning, Paul. & thank you for the fabulous "El Paso" keyring which you brought me back from this trip. It still resides in the alcove of kitsch in our apartment & I cherish it.
As always I get much joy from your writing and photos. We spent some time in the Las Cruces area in spring 2023 and really enjoyed it. We've been talking for a couple of years about where our new home base should be, if we can ever sell our dang house, and we agree it should be at a higher elevation and not desert, somewhere that's not 100 degrees in the summer. On the subject of looking for a new home town, back in the 1990's Jacqui and I were thinking about moving somewhere very different from Grand Junction, CO and we agreed to do some research separately then get back together and discuss the towns we chose. After a few days we revealed our choices and, remarkably, we both chose Glasgow, MT. We never did go there to look around but I guess it's not too late.
The summer heat leaves out Las Cruces as a base but we could still explore there in fall/winter/spring. I'm still a desert rat, though, and the two towns my mind keeps coming back to are Las Cruces and Barstow, CA. Both are near active railroad corridors. I'm guessing the food is much better in Las Cruces but I've spent most of my adult life on the west side of the Continental Divide. Seems like a silly distinction but for some reason it keeps coming back.
Thank you for the road stories and photos, they offer inspiration as well as a happy distraction from some other things going on. Best wishes in your travels and searches.
Thanks, Jeff. Have not been to Glasgow in a million years. I love much of Montana and try to ignore some of the "Montana is being overwhelmed with tech money" stories that I read in the news more and more. It can be cold up there, but you do have water. I like that, politically, New Mexico goes their own way and does not fall sway to some of the more radical right extremes that you can find in other parts of the west. It's a poor state, but so rich in people. The medical care is one thing that freaks me out about New Mexico. It's not great. Only one Level 1 Trauma unit and that's in ABQ. Now, there are other areas, notably in the hills around Santa Fe, that are nice in terms of climate. More fire hazards there, though. I'm riffing quickly cause I have to go out, so please don't hold these thoughts against me. There was that whole Silver City scene, but that didn't do it for me as much. We seriously thought about Socorro for a while, but I'll tell you my thoughts on that some other day. Ended up counting it out. I love Albuquerque, but it's not for everyone. You know what? I just love New Mexico. Could not ever live in Hobbs or Clovis or Deming, but I'd be happy with most of the rest of the state. We need to get a coffee. Might be out west in July, but might not be wandering around too much due to possible heat. More later.
How interesting to see Cruces through the eyes of someone else. I'm 2nd generation born and raised there and spent my entire life trying to get out and get to anywhere else. Escaped about 10 years ago and live in the beautiful, magical south where everything feels warm and wonderful and cozy.
I do miss browsing through Coas and the green chile sundaes of Caliche's (originally Scoopy's; in the old Blake's Lotta Burger building) sometimes - but, every time I go back to visit family, I can't ever leave fast enough and always having this weird worry about getting trapped there again.
Thank you, Paul, for this love letter to Las Cruzes. Never been there, but Tucson was on our horizon for a time. Going there to check out houses, etc., showed me how raw a town could be. Too many western towns are dressing up to gleam in the sunlight of progress, erasing their pasts, even if those pasta are just a few decades old. Californication obviously hasn't reached some places in the interior West.Your photos show a place that's raw and real, dusty and yet alive as the afternoon wind. The stories of your travels intrique me and this one most of all, probably because you paused your nomadic life long enough to fall in love.
Thanks, Sue. I have a thing for Tucson, and it's still dusty and ragged around the edges, no matter how hard they try to dress it up. There's an interesting arts scene there, as well. As with most places I love out west, the water situation freaks me out, but life does seem to persist. Phoenix, I'm not so sure. I still wonder how Vegas and Phoenix are going to do unless or until the Colorado River picks up again in volume.
Bravo.
Thank you
Merci, Maestro!
Bravo and Oh my goodness. I can't add to that, Paul. Maybe, it helped me breathe, a deep breath always good to start the day. And a work of art.
Thank you, Connie! Your presence here always makes me smile. xoxox
Oh my goodness, what a stunning piece! Thanks so much for transporting me to another place, time & mindset this morning, Paul. & thank you for the fabulous "El Paso" keyring which you brought me back from this trip. It still resides in the alcove of kitsch in our apartment & I cherish it.
Thanks, El. You and Jan may need to do some more borderlands weirdness one day.
As always I get much joy from your writing and photos. We spent some time in the Las Cruces area in spring 2023 and really enjoyed it. We've been talking for a couple of years about where our new home base should be, if we can ever sell our dang house, and we agree it should be at a higher elevation and not desert, somewhere that's not 100 degrees in the summer. On the subject of looking for a new home town, back in the 1990's Jacqui and I were thinking about moving somewhere very different from Grand Junction, CO and we agreed to do some research separately then get back together and discuss the towns we chose. After a few days we revealed our choices and, remarkably, we both chose Glasgow, MT. We never did go there to look around but I guess it's not too late.
The summer heat leaves out Las Cruces as a base but we could still explore there in fall/winter/spring. I'm still a desert rat, though, and the two towns my mind keeps coming back to are Las Cruces and Barstow, CA. Both are near active railroad corridors. I'm guessing the food is much better in Las Cruces but I've spent most of my adult life on the west side of the Continental Divide. Seems like a silly distinction but for some reason it keeps coming back.
Thank you for the road stories and photos, they offer inspiration as well as a happy distraction from some other things going on. Best wishes in your travels and searches.
Thanks, Jeff. Have not been to Glasgow in a million years. I love much of Montana and try to ignore some of the "Montana is being overwhelmed with tech money" stories that I read in the news more and more. It can be cold up there, but you do have water. I like that, politically, New Mexico goes their own way and does not fall sway to some of the more radical right extremes that you can find in other parts of the west. It's a poor state, but so rich in people. The medical care is one thing that freaks me out about New Mexico. It's not great. Only one Level 1 Trauma unit and that's in ABQ. Now, there are other areas, notably in the hills around Santa Fe, that are nice in terms of climate. More fire hazards there, though. I'm riffing quickly cause I have to go out, so please don't hold these thoughts against me. There was that whole Silver City scene, but that didn't do it for me as much. We seriously thought about Socorro for a while, but I'll tell you my thoughts on that some other day. Ended up counting it out. I love Albuquerque, but it's not for everyone. You know what? I just love New Mexico. Could not ever live in Hobbs or Clovis or Deming, but I'd be happy with most of the rest of the state. We need to get a coffee. Might be out west in July, but might not be wandering around too much due to possible heat. More later.
How interesting to see Cruces through the eyes of someone else. I'm 2nd generation born and raised there and spent my entire life trying to get out and get to anywhere else. Escaped about 10 years ago and live in the beautiful, magical south where everything feels warm and wonderful and cozy.
I do miss browsing through Coas and the green chile sundaes of Caliche's (originally Scoopy's; in the old Blake's Lotta Burger building) sometimes - but, every time I go back to visit family, I can't ever leave fast enough and always having this weird worry about getting trapped there again.