When we were in New Mexico in December 2021, we found land in a Placitas development that we might want to build on. Wanting to do our due diligence, we delayed making a final decision until we checked out other areas of interest. Hence our return trip in January. This trip was to focus on the Las Cruces area, where Lou could potentially teach a few classes post retirement at the local college. We flew in to Albuquerque and spent the first couple of days visiting with his father and brother. While there, we walked around the UNM golf course while his dad went to the dentist, and finally talked his dad into getting a new mattress and box spring. He has since reported that he is sleeping more comfortably, but it still hasn’t solved the whole waking up every few hours problem.
There are a few ways to get to Las Cruces, and we decided to take the second longest route so that we could drive through Lincoln Forest, Ruidoso, and Cloudcroft. Its much more scenic than driving straight down I-25, which would have been an hour shorter. Since we had been on-line house hunting in the Las Cruces area for the last month, we had already identified some homes that interested us, and did a drive-by of a few that were on the way to our hotel. Just as we were approaching the first area, I received an alert on the Realty.com app that a new home was added that met our requirements, so of course we drove down the cul-de-sac its on. When we were driving past the house we noticed a man and a woman standing outside of it chatting near the man’s truck. On our way back, the woman motioned for us to stop and walked out into the middle of the street towards our car. We thought she might be the realtor, as the truck was carrying a few of the For Sale signs that are posted in front of homes. When we rolled down the driver’s side window, she immediately yelled into the car that, “we don’t allow RVs! We have covenants here and you’re not allowed to have RVs!” Lou and I looked at each other, wondering at the exact same moment: How does she know we have an RV? It wasn’t until later that we realized our rental car had Florida plates on it and that she probably assumed we were snow birds. She went on to tell us that the former owner had an RV and that it blocked her view of the mountains, which was not the case based on the placement of both their homes and the direction of the mountains. As we drove away, we felt like we had dodged a nightmare neighbor. We did go back the next day to see the inside of the house because we learned there was no such covenant. We had no intention of buying a house next to a proven problem neighbor, but at the very least it allowed us to establish a relationship with a local realtor familiar with the location we wanted to settle in.
After driving by several other homes in the same area, we made our way to Hotel Encanto Las Cruces, which was to be our home for the next couple of nights. It’s described as the nicest hotel in Las Cruces, with two restaurants (only one of which was open while we were there), a full-size gym (with a Peloton bike), pool, hot tub, and at one time a full-service spa. While it was nice, with unique features, it definitely needed some TLC. Our favorite feature, besides the unexpected surprise of the Peloton, was the spa tub in our room. It was quite Romanesque.
We spent our only full day in Las Cruces doing more home and neighborhood drive-bys, and discovered a somewhat new development in the foothills of Picacho Mountain. They were having an open house at their courtyard model home, which we weren’t interested in, but they also have estate lots of 1-2 acres each. As it happened, the developer, his wife, and their primary realtor were on-site and spent quite a bit of time showing us how their homes are constructed, the considerations made in construction and site placement, and showed us homes under construction as well as lots which were still available. Of the half dozen or so that were still available in Phase II, we selected one that appealed to us and after sleeping on it, decided to give them a down payment. Unfortunately, it was sold out from under us when someone bought it the same day it was shown to them. We are disappointed, because we could see ourselves being happy there, but we like to think there’s going to be a lot in the next phase of development that will work even better.
Before leaving Las Cruces for El Paso we HAD to hike the Trackways Loop Trail in the Prehistoric Trackways National Monument. It includes a major deposit of Paleozoic Era fossilized footprint mega trackways within approximately 5,280 acres. Lou found some fossils right under foot while we were in the gulley, but you won’t actually find any of the dinosaur prints because they’ve been removed for safe keeping and display to the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science.
We worked up an appetite on our hike, had a scanty breakfast bar for breakfast, and still hadn’t yet had our fill of New Mexican cuisine, so sought out a local restaurant known for an authentic vibe and menu. We found both in abundance at Andele’s. The drive to El Paso afterward was slightly uncomfortable on our full bellies. After checking in to the Hotel Paso Del Norte, we showered up and watched the rest of one of the playoff games before wandering down to The Dome Bar for a cocktail. This bar is more like a step back in time to the gilded age, with its 25-foot Tiffany -style, stained-glass dome, floor-to-ceiling clear stained glass windows, marble floors, and heavy gold tones from the walls, to the sconces, chandeliers, accent pillows, and table-tops. Unfortunately, it was also very crowded and we were still trying our best to maintain social distance. We went to their more modern looking Sabor Cocina bar instead, where we met a couple who were taking a whirlwind four day trip through (mostly) New Mexico. Turns out they are from Pittsburgh, which we learned after starting up a conversation based on their wearing of Steelers gear. After three days of New Mexico cuisine, I swore I was done eating for the day. That all changed when I saw their food being delivered. That’s when we ordered the shrimp nachos and tuna tartare, and swore to make up for it with a cleanse when we got home. We’ve been home for more than a week now, and I’m happy to say that we’re back to healthy eating and a regular exercise schedule. We also continue to be engaged with the realtor we met, who sends us listings almost every day. We are still three years out from Lou’s retirement, so not quite ready to buy a house, but if new lots become available, we know now to not dilly-dally on making an offer.
