Over the Christmas weekend we went for a short and nearby camping trip: Truth or Consequences, Elephant Butte Lake, The Gila National Forest, and Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge. (All within about a 150 mile range of home. We're still not back up to our full energy and vitality since having COVID in mid-November.) 

It was fun, and yet we took it very easy.

We stopped for a hot spring soak at the Charles Motel and Spa in Truth or Consequences.

Elephant Butte Lake

And while driving to the Gila National Forest, we passed through the little village of Cuchillo, NM.

It had snowed 2 days earlier in the National Forest. It was a great place to visit on Christmas afternoon.

And the day after Christmas we spent the afternoon in Bosque del Apache. We have been there several times before and have always loved it. 

This bridge is over New Mexico Highway #1 a few miles south of the Bosque's visitor center. NM1 is the old paved highway that roughly parallels the old route of the Spanish colonial Camino Real.

Bosque del Apache

A mating pair of Bald Eagles

Hawks

Goldfinch

Black birds in a bare tree

Javelina

Tres Javelinas

Dancing Sandhill Crane

Snow Geese

Snow Geese in Flight

 For a video of the Snow Geese in flight, click here. 

Moonrise at sunset

Sunshine on the power lines driving home along NM1

Oh, and we hope you have a very Happy New Year.

 

We did an 8 day trip out to Las Vegas, NV and took some pictures along the way:
 

Dennis washing the blankets before we left. It was supposed to get cold on this trip. 

The open road in eastern Arizona between Wilcox and Safford. 

Those are the Graham Mountains ahead of us. 

The view down out of the Graham Mountains looking down upon Safford, AZ.

A Vermillion Flycatcher at Roper Lake State Park, Safford, AZ 

Chocolate Cake for dessert.

Evening showers over Roper Lake and Safford.

Bridge over Burro Creek. Burro Creek Campground was a lovely, small BLM campground down in the canyon. We were about 7 miles west of Nothing, AZ.

Burro Creek Canyon in the light of the full moon. 

A fellow traveler at the truck stop east of Kingman, AZ. 

Red Rock Canyon and Campground just outside of Las Vegas, NV. 

Full moon above Red Rock Campground.

Sunrise at Red Rock Campground. 

And then, into Las Vegas.

Fremont Street is the old downtown gambling area. It has been turned into a pedestrian mall of 4 or 5 blocks covered with an LED lighted canopy. It is a fascinating walk, with tourists and performers and beggars and trollops all about. 

For a video of the lighted canopy visit https://www.youtube.com/shorts/WSc2ALEWY30

The Lobby of the Wynn Hotel, on The Strip.

The reality of The Strip.

Mike's vision of The Strip.

The lobby ceiling at Bellagio: Glass Sculpture by Chihuly.

And we saw "O" at Bellagio as well. It was hypnotizing. 

And then we headed back for home. This is the dry river canyon of the Little Colorado River at the Homolovi State Park, Winslow, AZ

Sun setting on a tree at Homolovi. 

Cholla Power Station at Sunrise. (This is where the exhaust fumes from all of the electric cars go.)