North America

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Out and About in Truth or Consequences, NM (and the Geronimo Springs Museum)

Truth or Consequences is a tiny town. There really isn’t much here besides the hot springs. I am rather embarrassed to admit that I have no desire to explore the hot springs even though several people have briefed me on the various places to go have a soak.

So I’m really not disappointed that I only really had today to go out and explore, or that just about every restaurant and shop in town is closed on Mondays. I didn’t come here for tourism, but to work. If I had been in a more happening community, it would have been much harder for me to focus on work this past week. I did about eight days of work in five and I am exhausted, but now I can take a few days off this week without worrying about it. I am going to be very busy with work soon enough and have actually turned out work for today through Wednesday!

So Truth or Consequences is a spa town that used to be called Hot Springs. Its tourism industry hinged on the healing qualities of their water. In 1950, radio host Ralph Edwards announced a contest that he would do a show at the first town that changed its name to Truth or Consequences, the name of his program. Hot Springs won.

I read some really interesting info about the name change today, mostly that it was rather contested and the town was polarized about it. But it really sounds like it was a major win for the town because of all the free advertising Edwards’ program would bring. Plus, there are hot springs everywhere, but there is only one Truth or Consequences.
So that’s the very brief history of the town. I left home around 10:00 this morning and hit the visitors’ centre about two blocks away. The main core of T or C is very walkable.

The exterior of my apartment. There's a bunch in a row and I have a corner unit.

The exterior of my apartment. There’s a bunch in a row and I have a corner unit.

The supermarket. Quite good for a town this size. Locals apparently prefer it to the Walmart. There was a good selection of international foods.

The supermarket. Quite good for a town this size. Locals apparently prefer it to the Walmart. There was a good selection of international foods.

T or C's original name was Hot Springs.

T or C’s original name was Hot Springs.

Downtown feels like walking through an episode of Mad Men.

Downtown feels like walking through an episode of Mad Men.

These little medallions appear several times in the sidewalks.

These little medallions appear several times in the sidewalks.

Impressive flower cacti.

Impressive flower cacti.

The lady at the visitors’ centre was friendly and helpful. She confirmed that the museum, hot springs, lunch, and visiting whatever boutiques were open were all there was to do today. She gave me a map and off I went to the museum.

In front of the museum.

In front of the museum.

The building is rather nondescript.

The building is rather nondescript.

The post office is more impressive.

The post office is more impressive.

Water feature next to the museum.

Water feature next to the museum.

Cute little bridge.

Cute little bridge.

More of the water feature.

More of the water feature.

The Geronimo Springs Museum is the nearly ubiquitous small town museum, filled to bursting with local artifacts arranged as logically as possible. Admission on the website said $6, but it was just $5. Staff was very cold and unfriendly and so I have no idea why since they took my money and ignored me for the rest of my visit.

I spent a little over an hour in the museum, but could have stretched that out a bit more if I had read more of the historic documents presented. It’s a very good little museum and I learned a lot about the local history and colourful folk inhabiting the area, including the famed Apache warrior Geronimo. Here are some highlights:

The town voted to change its name.

The town voted to change its name.

Collection of brands used by local ranchers.

Collection of brands used by local ranchers.

And the various types of barbed wires. I saw a wall like this in Tombstone.

And the various types of barbed wires. I saw a wall like this in Tombstone.

Geronimo was rather short.

Geronimo was rather short.

Heaps and heaps of beautiful pottery.

Heaps and heaps of beautiful pottery.

And loads of arrow heads.

And loads of arrow heads.

Open the door and...

Open the door and…

... step back in time.

… step back in time.

The person sleeping in the top bunk is a nice touch.

The person sleeping in the top bunk is a nice touch.

The old miner.

The old miner.

Old tins of products we still use today.

Old tins of products we still use today.

Gorgeous... tabletop?

Gorgeous… tabletop?

That's how I would have likely dressed in the day. :)

That’s how I would have likely dressed in the day. 🙂

Mammoth skull.

Mammoth skull.

Mastodon skull.

Mastodon skull.

This police officer was killed in 1999.

This police officer was killed in 1999.

She was killed by a prisoner she was transporting.

She was killed by a prisoner she was transporting.

There was an exhibit about the Truth or Consequences radio show.

There was an exhibit about the Truth or Consequences radio show.

There were lots of pretty dresses on display.

There were lots of pretty dresses on display.

I like this one. It has prints of newspaper articles on it.

I like this one. It has prints of newspaper articles on it.

Five cents for beer!

Five cents for beer!

A ladies saddle designed for the rough trails of the area not suited to a side saddle.

A ladies saddle designed for the rough trails of the area not suited to a side saddle.

Windmill outside.

Windmill outside.

The white pin is mine.

The white pin is mine.

Most of the visitors are from the local area. There were separate maps for the rest of the world and I'm pretty sure every major country was represented!

Most of the visitors are from the local area. There were separate maps for the rest of the world and I’m pretty sure every major country was represented!

Rear of the downtown library.

Rear of the downtown library.

So beautiful!

So beautiful!

More ho-hum front of the library.

More ho-hum front of the library.

This car fit right in.

This car fit right in.

Another impressive cactus.

Another impressive cactus.

I'm definitely in the southwest!

I’m definitely in the southwest!

Old pickup not hitched to the Airstream.

Old pickup not hitched to the Airstream.

Old Ford hitched to the trailer.

Old Ford hitched to the trailer.

It was too early for lunch when I came out, so I went back home to research restaurant options since the most appealing place, serving Asian-fusion (!), that was recommended by the visitors’ centre lady was was closed. I went back out about an hour later and decided to try the downtown burger joint, A&B, since reviews for their burgers were really good. It wound up being a rather disappointing and expensive meal at $7.42 for a cheeseburger, fries, and drink combo. The burger was okay, with a good bun, but I prefer the meat to be seasoned a bit and this was just a ground beef topped with lettuce, tomato, mustard, and pickles. Very juicy, though, I’ll give it that. The fries were disappointing. For my beverage, I rediscovered the wonderful U.S. offering of real brewed non-sweetened iced tea.

After lunch, I walked down Broadway and window shopped. There were so many cute little vintage and antique shops I would have liked to stop in, but, alas, they were shut tight. Then, I saw an oasis in the desert, the Moon Goddess shop, with its door open, so I went in. Aaaaah. My kind of shop, New Agey and smelling of patchouli and full of treasures. I was there for ages, going through all the racks when I realised that prices were reasonable! Unfortunately, there was almost nothing in my size, but I did get a really good deal on a long black skirt, so my digging wasn’t for naught.

The owner and I had a nice chat about the quirks of small towns and she was surprised when I told her that Mondays are a very common day off in all sizes of communities because so many places are now open on Sundays. She rang and packaged up my skirt and off I went home.

I’m tired and still fighting a cold, so I hope that this post doesn’t sound like I have any negative feelings about T or C. Museum people notwithstanding, the folks here are really friendly and it’s a lovely little community with all the services, much like Assiniboia. I’m really glad that I stopped in.

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Cozy

It’s rather funny, but my quirky little Truth or Consequences apartment feels more like home to me than the Isla apartment ever did.

The Isla apartment is huge and so cold with all that beige tile and those white walls. There is also no comfortable place to sit.

What a luxury it was this evening to do what I do in Miranda — shut the computer, grab the iPad, and curl up in a comfy chair with a few episodes of something on the iPad while a door was left open to let in the cool evening air. And that was after making a fabulous dinner that included roasting the meat in the oven.

I also love the warm wood floor in here. It’s convinced me that even if I can’t save the cabin’s original floor, I want real wood planks as my permanent flooring, not laminate.

I didn’t put any money into the Isla apartment this winter because there simply wasn’t any until it was much too late in the winter to do so. For next winter, I firmly plan to have enough in the kitty to get a decent armchair if the landlady hasn’t provided something, and I’ll be sure to bring back down my two lovely blankets that added some much needed colour to the space.

It’s been four full days here and I only have two left. How fast time flies! I’m working hard again tomorrow, but hope to get out Monday afternoon to see a little of T or C. There’s a museum within walking distance, so I’ll definitely do that. The admission price of $6 will put me in the poor house, but I have to keep you blog readers entertained, so I’ll sacrifice (*tongue firmly in cheek*).

 

 

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Typing

Work is a little out of hand this week, but needs to be done! I’m enjoying my Truth or Consequences apartment very much, especially the comfy bed in a dark and quiet room, as well as the kitchen. The weather has been beautiful, but I haven’t gotten out at all except to the grocery store across the street. This is simply not a tourism stop.

On top of my regular workload, I have to do all the bookkeeping to close April and start May. It’s especially important for me to keep on top of the budget when I have expenses straddling two months and I’m not entering transactions daily. I’ve gotten used to dealing with the three different currencies, but the addition of US cash is giving me a little more work. I may change my mind and just go back to using the credit card for everything and entering estimated totals until the transactions are posted to my account.

I came in right on budget for April, with about 30CAD to spare! This is a far cry from my last couple of months in Mexico where I usually ended with several hundred dollars to spare, but considering all the extra expenses I had this past month (not counting the truck, which came in within its own budget), I’m just glad to still be in the black!

I should perhaps point out that this is not the balance in my chequing account. I use a zero-sum budgeting approach where my budget resets to zero every month, I can only spend the money I earned for that month, and anything not spent at the end goes into the emergency fund. So this means is that I didn’t have to dip into the emergency fund this month and I put $30 into it. Every little bit helps. 🙂

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My Quirky Truth or Consequences Apartment

I had a really good first night in T or C! It was quiet, the apartment was reasonably dark, and the bed, while very firm, wasn’t hard (and I always thought those two things were synonymous). I’m having a late start today, but I am going to get typing because I am SWAMPED. But first, I thought y’all might like a tour of my place.

You come into the kitchen/dining/living room. The arm chair and ottoman are super comfy and what I wish I had on Isla! The table is good for working, the folding chairs not so much.

Standing at the front door.

Standing at the front door.

Between the armchair and the kitchen, you can see a gas heater. I started it last night. It took a bit of effort and I didn’t feel comfortable leaving it on overnight. I think that the owner of the property would have done better buying two oil filled radiators, one for each room, but this did a good job of heating the place before bed.

To our right is the bedroom.

The door to the bedroom is to the right of the front door.

The door to the bedroom is to the right of the front door.

Coming into the bedroom.

Coming into the bedroom.

Comfy bed with good sheets and a lovely duvet.

Comfy bed with good sheets and a lovely duvet.

The bedroom is almost the size of the other room. If I was living here long-term, I could easily separate it into a small bedroom and a small office.

Stained glass window in the bedroom.

Stained glass window in the bedroom.

I had to hang one of my own blankets from two conveniently placed nails over the stained glass window because it allowed in a surprising amount of light.

The kitchen is perfect for a short stay.

The kitchen is perfect for a short stay.

Love the cute stove! All the burners work. I haven't tried the oven yet.

Love the cute stove! All the burners work. I haven’t tried the oven yet.

The kitchen is very clean. I came in and felt I could start cooking and using the utensils without having to wash anything, which is a very big compliment on my part! The kitchen has most of the basics, but, like my Isla kitchen, is lacking a sharp knife!

And from the kitchen, we get to the, “Okay, that’s going to be interesting,” part of the apartment, to quote Cameron Diaz in ‘The Holiday’ when faced with a similar situation.

The bathroom is where things get quirky...

The bathroom is where things get quirky…

Can you see the shower head at the top left? It’s a wet room. And there’s no sink; you brush your teeth in the kitchen.

The shower had a lot of calcium build up over the shut off valve handles (not taps) and I had to figure out that I needed to open a main shut off before I could open the hot and cold handles. It then took a while to get hot water, but once I did, there was tons of pressure!

I don’t know if I could get used to this kind of bathroom long-term since the floor gets wet after the shower, obviously. I shower at night and the floor had time to dry by the morning so it wasn’t too bad, but this isn’t really a set up for morning showerers, although I suppose a squeegee could get most of the water into the drain, and then a towel could get the rest.

I would have also added a second shower curtain to block off the toilet. I had put some things on the closed seat and they got sprayed (as I said, LOTS of pressure!). I’ll figure out a routine. 🙂

Finally, there is a little terrace, but the space has not been maintained. There is a defunct hot tub out there, showing that this could be a very sweet bit of outdoor space if it is ever restored.

Patio doors lead to what could be a really nice space.

Patio doors lead to what could be a really nice space.

All in all, I really like this apartment. I don’t know if I could live here long-term, but it is going to be a blessing for the week!

Love the raftered ceilings.

Love the raftered ceilings.

My only real complaint with the space is that the front door is really not that secure. The owner really needs to invest in a better door and lock. But perhaps this is a neighbourhood where there aren’t too many crime concerns. I really don’t know.

T or C seems very quiet so far and a little desolate. Some folks might be wondering why I chose to be here since there really isn’t much to do besides the hot springs. That’s the whole point. I’m on a work, not exploration, break, like I was in Pocatello. There is little out there to tempt me! I am going to checkout the ‘downtown’ district and one or two museums soon as I get a handle on my workload, but I’m glad to be somewhere quiet where I can work and not be bothered. I love that the grocery store is literally across the store and I’ll head over in a bit to get some more food. I’m glad I made the effort last night to get a few things so I was able to breakfast without going out.

So that’s the scoop. And now, I must get typing!

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Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument

The Gila (hee-la) Cliff Dwellings were used as shelter by  humans for thousands of years. In the late 1200s, they were used by the Mogollon peoples, who built homes with property masonry within the natural cave walls.

Think on that for a second.

As many of you know, I majored in medieval history, with a focus on the Scottish Wars of Independence, the ‘Braveheart’ era of the late 1200s. While all of that was going on across the pond, the Native American peoples of the American Southwest were building structures that exist to this day. Like Casa Grande, the Gila Cliff Dwellings have shattered my view of world history.

One of the main reasons I was so eager to visit the Gila Cliff Dwellings is that unlike Montezuma Castle, you can actually go inside the dwellings!

I made it! What a drive!

I made it! What a drive!

When you arrive at the end of highway 15, you have to turn left for the dwellings. Silly me, I went straight to check out the visitors centre, where I was told I should end with them and their little museum rather than start. Okay, back to my truck I went.

It was a bit more of a drive to get to the trailhead for the dwellings. There, a park ranger gave me the spiel about only bringing water and not touching the walls, as well as giving me a map and info about the trail.

The access fee is $3 (exact change only), that you put in an envelope that you slide into a box, or you can put your info and parks pass number on a card and put that into the box.

It’s about a mile round trip to the dwellings and there is quite a bit of ascent and descent over rough terrain. You need to be moderately fit and nimble to get up there.

The walk takes you through a narrow canyon to a view point where…

Bridge at the trailhead.

Bridge at the trailhead.

Over a river that was the lifeblood of the region.

Over a river that was the lifeblood of the region.

Starting to climb.

Starting to climb.

The cliffs in the area all look like they were carved by people.

The cliffs in the area all look like they were carved by people.

Another of several bridges.

Another of several bridges.

More stairs.

More stairs.

… you turn around and, boom, there are the dwellings!

First glimpse of the dwellings!

First glimpse of the dwellings!

Yet more stairs.

Yet more stairs.

Still more stairs.

Still more stairs.

Lots o' stairs.

Lots o’ stairs.

Oh!

Oh!

The caves were naturally carved out of the cliff faces.

The caves were naturally carved out of the cliff faces.

Signs of human inhabitants.

Signs of human inhabitants.

This would have been a kitchen.

This would have been a kitchen.

Incredible. Medieval-era ruins in North America of comparable construction!

Incredible. Medieval-era ruins in North America and of comparable construction!

The walls didn't go to the top to let the smoke out.

The walls didn’t go to the top to let the smoke out.

Prickly stuff. :)

Prickly stuff. 🙂

Corn was grown up here.

Corn was grown up here.

Coming to the cave where you can actually go in.

Coming to the cave where you can actually go in.

More stairs!

More stairs!

Climbing up into a massive room.

Climbing up into a massive room.

The room was so large it didn't feel claustrophobic at all.

The room was so large it didn’t feel claustrophobic at all.

Looking down into a room.

Looking down into a room.

Signs of construction everywhere.

Signs of construction everywhere.

The soot stained ceiling dates back thousands of years, to well before the Mogollon people.

The soot stained ceiling dates back thousands of years, to well before the Mogollon people.

They used stones, mortar, and wood for construction.

They used stones, mortar, and wood for construction.

More stairs!

More stairs!

Coming into another room from the last staircase.

Coming into another room from the last staircase.

This is the staircase you have to go down to leave the dwelling.

This is the staircase you have to go down to leave the dwelling.

You can climb this ladder to look over a wall.

You can climb this ladder to look over a wall.

There were several rooms within the cave.

There were several rooms within the cave.

The quality of construction is amazing.

The quality of construction is amazing.

There was a guide at the end of the dwelling who had tons of information. She pointed out glyphs, hand prints, and other bits of interest. One thing that was really interesting is a huge slab of stone that predates the Mogollons that fell from the ceiling. The Mogollons built around it, but you know the stone fell before their time because the underside of it is black with soot and it sits above a grinding stone that you can just barely see underneath it.

Can you see the little glyph painted in red? There were lots of those all around the cave.

Can you see the little glyph painted in red? There were lots of those all around the cave.

This corn is SEVEN HUNDRED YEARS OLD.

This corn is SEVEN HUNDRED YEARS OLD.

To leave the dwelling, you can either go back to the entrance and take the stairs, or you can go down a ladder.

This is the ladder you can take to exit, just like the cliff dwellers would have done.

This is the ladder you can take to exit, just like the cliff dwellers would have done.

I did the ladder. It wasn’t scary since it was well secured to the cliff face. But the rungs were far apart and slippery, so I took my time.

What a vista.

What a vista.

More construction.

More construction.

Spiny lizard posing for me.

Spiny lizard posing for me.

Looking back at the ladder.

Looking back at the ladder.

Steep climb down!

Steep climb down!

After I was reunited with my keys and had a small picnic, I went back to the visitors’ centre to view some artifacts and watch a movie. I learned a lot about the history of the region, but there’s a lot of conjecture since looters and raiders didn’t leave a lot behind to tell us the story of this place.

One compelling bit of info is that there are no burial grounds or trash piles around the dwellings. This speaks to them being places of transition and temporary housing, more than being a permanent settlement.

Another interesting fact is that there was no war around this time, or at least no evidence of it. People died young of infection. They ground the corn with stone, stone got in their food and wore down their teeth, their teeth got abscesses and the infections spread. Something like only two out every eighteen people lived to age twenty.

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Essentially a medieval artifact...

Essentially a medieval artifact…

Visiting the Gila Cliff Dwellings takes effort because of the long and difficult drive there, but they are very much worth the detour. I am so glad I was able to visit them!