After arriving at the Caballo State Park, NM, we got the last electric site. However, it was in the "lower" section by the river. We spent a week there, then moved to the "upper" section above the lake. These are much prettier sites with a better view.

Our site overlooking the lake.

We spent a week in the "lower" section and another week in the "upper" section. With a 14-day stay limit in a single state park, it's time for us to move tomorrow. To stay away from the cold, we don't want to move to higher elevations yet. We'll move about 20 miles away and return to Elephant Butte State Park. We stayed there about a month ago. If we can't get an electric site again, we'll dry-camp. The weather has been getting warmer lately.

Owl Bar and Cafe, San Antonio, NM

During these past couple of weeks, we returned to Sparky's in Hatch, NM for another chili cheeseburger. Later in the week, we visited the Owl Cafe and Bar in San Antonio, NM. This old bar was recommended by friends. Of course, we had to try their chili cheeseburger. New Mexico is promoted as the "Chili Capital of the World", so we had to keep trying different food made with green chili. I think these chili cheeseburgers were better than the ones at Sparky's in Hatch, NM.

Owl Bar and Cafe
Horny Toad
Fort Craig Site, NM

Just down the road from the town of San Antonio, we visited the Bosque Del Apache National Wildlife Refuge. We have other friends who have volunteered here and suggested we stop by. This is a popular "birding" area with miles of driving tours and miles of hiking trips. Unfortunately, we were in between migrating seasons and there wasn't much wildlife to be seen. 

Continuing south, we visited the Fort Craig Historical site. Fort Craig was occupied by the U.S. Army from 1854 - 1885. Originally built to protect the local lands from Indian raids in the new U.S. Territory of New Mexico. Fort Craig replaced the Fort Conrad garrison built nearby in Socorro in 1851. Fort Conrad wasn't built very well and in a bad location. It only lasted a few years.

Fort Craig's mission took a drastic change when Civil War broke out. The soldiers of Fort Craig had a skirmish in 1862 with Confederate forces at the Battle of Valverde. The battle was near Fort Craig. The U.S. lost this battle, but never did surrender the fort. Eventually, Confederate forces retreated to Texas and ended their push for military conquest of the West. Fort Craig's mission returned to protecting the lands and fighting the Apache Indians.

There's not much left at the Fort Craig Historical site. A few rock foundations are present. When walking the trails and using a map, you need to use your imagination of what the fort was once like. Luckily, there's informational boards and old photos to help with your imagination.

The rest of time these past couple of weeks has been centered around relaxing, working on the computers, and doing some crafts.