Bottomless Lakes State Park

Sunday and Monday

March 11 and 12, 2012

Not wanting to stay at the RV parks in town,
I decided to drive the extra miles
 to check out Bottomless Lakes State Park.

At first I was thinking that it would be a waste of gas

 to stay there for just one night while passing through town.
I would be driving southeast of Hwy 285 to get to the park,
going in the opposite direction of my route
and would have to backtrack in the morning to get back to Hwy 285.

To offset the extra fuel,
 the rates at the State Park are less than the RV parks in town.
 And the State Park is a nicer place to stay for a few days.

I did not have reservations and did not call to see if they had available sites.

I still had more than 2 hours of daylight,

 so I decided to drive out to the park and hope for an RV site.

If none were available, I would go back to one of the "RV Resorts" in town.

"Bottomless Lakes are a chain of eight lakes that are actually sinkholes that range from 17 to 90 feet deep.  They were formed when circulating water dissolved salt & gypsum deposits to form subterranean caverns. Eventually, the roofs of the caverns collapsed from their own weight. Sinkholes resulted & soon filled with water & formed the existing lakes.

Bottomless Lakes State Park is huge and the scenery and atmosphere are as quiet and serene as the Wildlife Refuge.  I lucked out and there were several sites still available, these are water and electric sites and are only $14 a night. I liked the park so much that I paid for 2 nights because it was getting late and I wanted more time to explore this park. New Mexico State Parks have an annual pass available, you will end up saving money if you stay at the parks more than 21 nights per year.

Large sites

Beach

Lea Lake Recreation Area, at the south end of the state park, has a beach and swimming area. Fishing is not allowed at Lea Lake.  Fishing is allowed at some of the other lakes in the park. During the summer months paddle boards and pedal boats are available for rent. The buildings surrounding the lake and beach are very nice.

On Sunday evening, I walked around the lake to watch the sunset.

 

On Monday morning, I walked all around the very large day use area of the park and hiked along the Ridge Trail.  I enjoyed the warm afternoon sun at my site, reading and just taking in all of the surrounding scenery. 

On Tuesday morning,

 I continued my journey North along Highway 285 in New Mexico.

Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge

Sunday

March 11, 2012

After visiting downtown Roswell, I had a choice of going to the Art Museum or driving out to visit the Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge.

I decided to head out to the refuge.  It is 7 miles east of town on a "paved" bumpy road. I was glad I made the decision to visit the refuge. The refuge has "one of the most diverse dragonfly communities on earth". July and August has the peak Dragonfly population and I would like to come back and visit during that time. You can check out www.friendsofbitterlake.com for information on the Annual Dragonfly Festival.

"Like an oasis in the desert, Bitter Lake NWR is one of the most significant wetlands of the Pecos River watershed. Set between the Chihuahuan Desert and short-grass prairies of the Southern Plains, Bitter Lake NWR plays an important role in providing wintering habitat for thousands of lesser sandhill cranes, Ross's geese, and other waterfowl species."

"Bitter Lake NWR acquired it's name from the largest natural body of water on the 24,536 acre refuge.  In the late 1800's ranchers likely named this lake because of the distasteful alkaline waters. High in mineral salts, this natural lake can often exceed twice the salinity level of seawater."

At the end of the road, as I entered the refuge, I immediately felt the calm, peaceful and quiet environment.
I wanted to camp here, but camping is not allowed.  I walked along some of the trails and sat for a long time on the covered shaded porch of the Visitors Center, which is closed on Sunday.

I did not drive out along the 8 mile gravel road.  It was a bumpy road just to get to the refuge and I did not feel like bumping along the gravel road in the motor home. If it had been earlier in the day, I probably would have walked a part of this road.  The first viewing station along the road was only a mile from the start of the auto tour. There is also a 2 mile bike path, but it was very warm and sunny in the middle of the afternoon and I was feeling too lazy to be out in the sun and relaxed in the shade of the porch.

I did not have a reservation for a campground in Roswell and could not stay at the Refuge for too long. I needed to get back to town and decide where I was going to stay for the night.  I drove through a few of the parks in town and was not thrilled with any of the parks.

I found a place to stay that was just as scenic as the refuge.

To be continued.......