Square Dancing with Ron and Anita

We try to find square dances as we travel. From Benson, AZ (covered in a previous post) we moved to Deming, NM. Arriving on Saturday, we picked up a square dancing friend, Bill, and drove another 60 miles to Las Cruces for the Southwest New Mexico District dance. The Southwest District consists of clubs from Alamogordo, Las Cruces, Deming, Truth or Consequences, and Silver City. Seven clubs were represented at the dance. Rusty Wright was the caller, and Jim and Linda Klein cued for the round dances. Dancers filled the floor at the Belton Bridge Center, home of the Blue Bells Square Dance club.

Later in the week, we danced with the Good Time Squares at Deming. Several years ago, while staying in Deming, we saw a flyer for 3 free square dance lessons. We decided to give it a try, and had our first five square dance lessons with the Good Times Squares and their caller, Rusty Wright. We try to dance with the group each year as we pass through. A small club, we only had one square this week.

While in Deming, and the next week while staying in Silver City, we danced with the Silver City Squares. Fred Beem is the caller. This area has lost 3 callers in the past five years to retirement or death, so Silver City is encouraging several of its members to become club callers.

Before leaving the area, we spent a few days in Las Cruces and danced with the Crossfires, a Plus Club, and the Circle Eights.

The Crossfires meet at the Belton Bridge Center in Las Cruces:

The Circle Eights meet at the Munson Senior Center:

Ted Clements calls for both the Crossfires and the Circle Eights.

Hiking in the Organ Mountains

Friends, Bill and Anne, moved to Las Cruces this year; we spent 5 nights there, visiting. Our visit included two hikes into the Organ Mountains; browsing the local art galleries at “Art Ramble”; attending an ‘open mike’ music night; and experiencing the Cinco de Mayo Festival.

The Organ Mountains, named from the resemblance of it’s peaks to the pipes of an organ, are considered one of the steepest ranges in the western U.S.

Over a distance of only 3 miles, the peaks rise more than 4,000 feet, topping out at 9,000.

A primitive campground is situated among the boulders, and there are several hiking trails throughout the designated National Recreation Area.

We chose the Pine Tree National Recreation Trail, a 4.5 mile hike, a circular route around a mountain basin. The elevation climbs from 5,900 ft to 6,900 ft at the summit. Ron and I were not used to the elevation change, coming from Yuma (elevation 200 ft) just a few weeks previously. By the time we reached the highest point, we were both breathing hard.

The hike afforded wonderful views. In the foreground we could see the White Sands Military Establishment, and in the distance, the White Sands National Monument, more than 30 miles away.

We took our time on the hike, stopping often for photo sessions, and about half way through from lunch.

Pena Blanca

A couple of days later, Bill and Anne introduced us to the Pena Blanca area, one of two professionally excavated prehistoric sites. The Pena Blanca rock shelters were excavated in the 1980s. In them was found the earliest known cultivated corn in the US.

We drove out a gravel/dirt road, then walked about a mile to reach the mountains.

The climb was at times steep, with no trail, but alongside striking rock formations.

Holes, assumed to have been used for grinding corn and grain, were abundant.

We found several chips of “worked” flint and stone, either parts of arrowheads, or the discarded fragments.

We ate our lunch in one of the naturally carved shelters, wondering, had families eaten their meals here, centuries ago? What would it be like to live in such a manner for your whole life?

The Organ Mountains are a place of ruggedness, wild beauty and mystery. Hopefully, we’ll return again to explore here.