Yesterday was a windy day here at Caballo Lake State Park, and not too many people were out for most of the morning.
But today, things have shaped up nicely from the early morning low of 39F.
We watched the lift off of balloons on TV while enjoying hot coffee and fresh baked rolls at home. No crowds, and, nice and warm.
Going the opposite direction is the quiet town of Hatch, NM. On a recent day trip to the chile capital of NM, we stopped at the highly rated burger joint in town —Sparkey’s for lunch and were quite surprised, when our meal arrived. It looked like a disappointment.
The portions were ample, but quite honestly I could have eaten two burgers- they were that good (loaded with chiles and cheddar cheese on a fresh baked bun.)
Hatch is a small community surrounded by acres of chile fields along with some cotton, onions, and pecans crops. There must have been 20 or more chile processing facilities along NM-187. Something you do not see from I-25.
In town is a decent super market with tons of local flavor. I am not sure how these are used, but there were pork tails and turkey tails available in the meat department. Interesting!!
Along the two short blocks of downtown are shops roasting large bags of chiles curbside. The aroma is heavenly.
On the trip back to Caballo, we spot some chile plants up close. Some plants had been broken off and will probably go to waste, but I could not chance picking up the stragglers. I can imagine the headlines, woman caught red-handed stealing green chiles.
Back at the State Park, it is a pleasant place and comparable to Elephant Butte. EB has more varied vegetation and closer to shopping and restaurants, and more boating activity.
Whereas, Caballo is 30 minutes away from everything. It has excellent rock lined walking paths with the occasional quail and rabbits. This has been a bonus for Ellie to round every corner in search of bunnies.
Maybe it was just timing, but Caballo did not have the same population of gnats either. That is always a plus.
Chile season will be coming to a close soon, and we are hoping to get some before the end of the season.
Toucanrv 