Southbound and down: Chiracahua country

To break up the ballooning days, I headed south for a night, leaving Albuquerque well before first light. The territory of southeast Arizona called to me. This country was dotted with sky islands and small towns  added to the U.S. in the Gadsden Purchase, the last addition to the lower 48.

I barely remember the initial drive. Sunrise caught me near Elephant Butte Reservoir, New Mexico’s major dam on the Rio Grande, named for a massive mesa-turned-island in its waters. Truth or Consequences passed quicker than anticipated, changing my stopping point for breakfast to Hatch. 

Instead of covering the last 40 miles to Las Cruces – the Organ Mountains already loomed in the sunrise haze – I diverted to tiny Hatch, anchor of New Mexico’s chile pepper region. Known as the Chile Capital of the  World, the town was quiet on residential streets with a little traffic on its main drag. 

My hopes of seeing what living in Hatch was like were quickly dashed. A skinny orange cat trotted down the sidewalk and as I called at it, disappeared into the storm drain. I hope it didn’t live there, but who knows with a cat. 

The Pepper Pot restaurant called out for breakfast. I couldn’t come to Hatch and not sample the wares. A pepper-heavy omelette and fresh baked tortilla on the side would power me all the way to Chiracahua. 

 The state route to Deming cuts off significant mileage but passes through some quiet, desolate country rimmed by august mountains and plains that seem to stretch to the Mexican border. 

To the north stand impenetrable mountains that house Silver City and the Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument. I considered stopping there until realizing how truly remote that park unit is. 

The urge to stop in Deming was negated by the desire to maximize my one night in Chiracahua country. A hour of interstate clicked away as I crossed into Arizona. Other than the sign, the geography of the Gadsden Purchase country did not change. 

Pecan groves