A Day-Trip to Cloudcroft, NM

 

 Over the weekend we took a short camping trip to Truth or Consequences, NM,  Elephant Butte Lake, and the  South Monticello Campground. From there we did a day trip to Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge and up into the Black Mountains and the Gila National Forest. Hope you enjoy a few pictures. 

Sunrise over Elephant Butte Lake. 

Moonset from South Monticello Campground. 

Sharp-Shinned Hawks at Bosque del Apache. 

Ducks on a pond in the early morning.

Bosque del Apache. 

Mule Deer buck in the brush. 

Snow Goose.

Another Mule Deer buck.

Redhead ducks. 

At the eastern edge of the Gila National Forest, looking towards the Black Range and the Aldo Leopold Wilderness.

Looking eastward from the foothills of the Black Range, near Winston, NM.

Snow and ice in the Gila NF.

Dennis in the Gila NF.

An Elk skull and wild Indian gourds hung on a Ponderosa Pine tree.

In his retirement, Mike has been thinking of stopping rustlers for a little extra income.

An abandoned washing machine outside of the Winston General Store. 

An old, weathered cowboy at the Charles Motel and Hot Springs, Truth or Consequences, NM. (One of our regular getaway spots.)

Moonrise over Truth or Consequences, NM.