Bosque del Apache to Elephant Butte via El Camino Real

We started our day off touring the Bosque (boskee) del Apache wildlife refuge.  This is a place along the Rig Grande south of Albuquerque along New Mexico's highway 1 or the El Camino Real.  This is not related to the El Camino Real in California.

The official map and guide says "El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro is the earliest Euro-American trade route in the United States.  Tying Spain's colonial capital at Mexico City to its northern frontier in distant New Mexico, the route spans three centuries, two countries, and 1600 miles.  El Camino Real was blazed atop a network of footpaths that connected Mexico's ancient cultures with the equally ancient cultures of the interior West."



 

So basically this is an old road and it doesn't get much use.  It's narrow and in need of repaving but it is cool too for those very reasons.

Not many cars today.

 

Ok, back to Bosque del Apache which is a big time birding area.  This time of year isn't the best time of year to see lots of birds although the man at the visitors center said that there is no bad time to come.  But right now not to many birds but we did see a lot of Swallows, ducks and Canadian Geese. 

 

Here we go.  The home of the Sandhill Crane Festival

 

You can't see them but there were about 40 Swallows flying around here

and that looks like a couple of Coots out on the water.

 

 

Mother Canadian Goose with the little family.  Look closely, there are five goslings.

 Dad was there too just outside of picture.

 

 

New Mexico Locust note the thorns.

 

I couldn't fine this in our book.

 

 

Now here you get two for one. 

First off you get a blooming prickly pear which are in bloom at this lower elevation

 and you also get a blooming Velvet Mesquite.

 

Close-up of prickly pear.  Look at those spines  Yikes but beautiful flowers.

 

Close-up of Velvet Mesquite

Elephant Butte Lake looking very low.  Mom use to come here as a kid.

 

You can see in the lake picture just how hazy it is here in southern New Mexico.  They call this haze where I would call this dust.  The wind has died down but in its wake there is dust everywhere.

 

Thank you for stopping by.

 

 

Just one last picture.  Mom and I travel with two cats, one is Rose who goes out with a harness and leash and gets in a lot of pictures and then there is Tootsie who doesn't go out at all.  Here is Tootsie after she had lunch and had just finished washing her face.  Isn't she pretty?  Both kitties are 17 years old.