Day 23: Exploring Las Cruces (1/28/22)

 We must admit that our expectations of Las Cruces were low before we arrived. Phil had talked about the high crime rate, and we knew it was a dry, dusty locale. I had pictured something like Corpus Christi, with lots of poor, tumbledown wooden shacks huddled against the winds.

We were surprised in the best way. The town is a wonderful collection of adobe architecture and a remnant of Victorian-era stately homes and Craftsman cottages. There must be a building code for all the major businesses downtown, because instead of a jumble of different kinds of buildings and materials and colors, it’s all adobe-style or Western, with the warm, muted colors of the Southwest. Very impressive.

This morning Don and Jean gave us a driving tour of Las Cruces and a visit to the adjoining town of Mesilla, a charming village with a town square and shops, plus lots of history: Billy the Kid had spent some time here. We stopped in the Thunderbird de la Mesilla gallery, where Jean and I spent an hour. Neither of us are big shoppers, but this place was amazing, packed with handmade artifacts, clothing, jewelry, art work, and more. Jean found a Western-style serving set for an upcoming wedding. Adding to the cachet of the place was the history behind the building itself:



After lunch, Phil and Don went on a canyon hike in the Organ Mountains.




Late that afternoon we went to the restaurant of a friend of Don and Jean’s, enjoying drinks and great Mexican food around a fire that took the chill off the evening air. The combination of good food and good friends around the fire is unbeatable. Such a good memory.



After dinner Don, Jean, and Phil went to hear a country music band in a venue nearby, while I sat home with the dogs, drinking in the silence (yes, I am an introvert) and reading a thought-provoking book on Celtic saints by one of Don’s friends, an Orthodox priest, bread maker, and biker in Las Cruces (A Staff to the Pilgrim by Gabriel Cooper Rochelle).


A great first day in Las Cruces, and we’re looking forward to what gifts tomorrow will bring.




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