Two Down - Two Wheels Down Under

The meeting with Dr. Gleason at New Mexico State University went very well, more about that later. I left Las Cruces about noon and stopped on my way out of town to take a shot of the city laid out at the bottom of the Organ Mountains. My next stop was in Deming, NM at Deming Cycle, my favorite BMW/Moto Guzzi shop. The owner Don Cameron is always smiling and has helped me out of several jams. I wish I had more time to visit but the road awaits.	Las Cruces and the Organ Mountains
The City of Rocks	I had decided to spend the night in Silver City but on the way I detoured to the City of Rocks. When you first see the rocks, they doesn't seem too impressive but as you get closer you realize the small pile of rocks you are looking at are really huge monoliths of stone. The City of Rocks rises from the desert like high rise apartments and office buildings, forming an island of civilization in a sea of flat wind swept sand.
The closer you get, the more impressive they are. Spread out over 40 acres are rocks of incredible shapes that can rise to over 50 feet. The park is on the edge of the Chihuahuan Desert at an elevation of 5,000 feet. The odd shapes are the result of volcanic activity followed by erosion. As the solid layer of volcanic rock cooled, it cracked and splintered. Rain, snow, sun and wind eroded the material into the shapes we see today.	The green bush in the center is a full grown tree
Big Ditch Park	Another 30 miles down the road is Silver City . In 1870, silver was discovered in the hills here. In ten short months, Silver City became one of the biggest mining towns in the area. Billy the Kid, Judge Roy Bean and Geronimo frequented this area. Silver City has recently experienced a resurgence of activity by artists and is becoming a mecca for creative talent that is bringing in tourist as well as new residents. There are about 10,000 people here today. Less than in the mining heydays but better than some of the other mining towns in this area that house only ghosts and memories.
I walked the length of the historical downtown district and browsed the renovated shops that house galleries and trendy restaurants. I kept noticing signs a block of the main street and finally investigate. The arched signs said 'Big Ditch Park'. This required investigation. Part of the sign was right. It was a big ditch. I think the days when it was also a park are long gone but I walked around in the ditch anyway. If you close one eye and squint through the other you can almost see a beautiful stone lined walkway meandering beside a cool stream, covered by green willows shimmering in the breeze. Well almost! Silver City was a mining town and still is if you count the huge copper strip mines only a few miles out of town. Evidence of the mining days abounds. The ore in this old mining car shows a lot of color. I'm pretty sure it's copper and not silver but it's beautiful to look at.	Ore from the mines

3-27-97