The snow started blowing late Monday afternoon here in southern Colorado. By Tuesday morning we awoke to a blanket of white. With a chuckle I say to Al, “Looks like Tucson”. That snowstorm in Tucson, Arizona, was a rare sight to behold, and I responded to the Tucson snow like an exuberant child.
Snow in Colorado? Well, that’s to be expected. As is the ten degree temperature at 7:00 a.m. Therefore, I do NOT respond with any exuberance. I ponder….”why aren’t we still in Arizona hiking and photographing the blooming desert?” Oh those darn responsibilities and obligations. At least this Colorado snowstorm blew through southern Colorado quick and by Tuesday afternoon the snow was gone.
Our departure from Tucson took us on a five-hour drive to Elephant Butte Lake State Park, New Mexico. We paid careful attention to the weather forecast before hitting the road, in particular to the wind speeds. Interstate 10 can get dicey with high winds that are known to cause brown out conditions. We picked a beautiful day for travel and our drive was uneventful and pleasant.
We arrive in the town of Truth or Consequences, New Mexico and stop at Walmart to stock up with groceries before heading to the state park entrance. We know inclement weather is in the forecast and we want to be well stocked and prepared. We’ve driven past Elephant Butte Lake State Park numerous times over the years, but this was our first stop and layover.
Nina over at Wheeling It piqued my interest with her rave review of this State Park. I also had the pleasure of meeting Nina and Paul while camped at Quartzsite and we discussed some of the must see sites in this part of New Mexico. Boy, that “must see” list has a funny way of getting longer. I never realized how much there is to see and do in New Mexico.
After checking out the campgrounds near the town of Truth or Consequences, we take the ten-mile twisty, curvy Rock Canyon Road to the Monticello area and quickly settle into site #34. At this time of year, the lake level is very low, its also still winter, thus camping at the northern part of the lake is less popular….right up our alley. As usual, Nina was spot on with this recommendation. We much preferred this campground over the ones closer to town.
The bath house is heated, clean, and the showers provide plenty of hot water, which Al and I take full advantage of. The views are vast. The hiking and biking endless…. providing you don’t encounter a driving snowstorm like we did. Yep, snow again. We enjoy plenty of heat, food, and drink as we watch the weather roll in, then out. Internet service is good, allowing Al and I to keep tabs on the weather forecast.
The original plan was to hang out here for a few days exploring the surrounding area. Ah….Mother Nature has other plans with a series of storms intermixed with high wind warnings in the forecast. We opt for Plan B: After a two night stay at Elephant Butte, we’ll depart for Santa Fe.
Initially I was somewhat disappointed with the early departure. However, I’d rather be safe than sorry and roll with the weather. Elephant Butte Lake State Park is an easy eight-hour drive south from Pueblo, Colorado. Thus, we can return to the area when the weather is more amenable and explore that list of places I wanted to see. I’ll admit, I was pretty eager to get to Santa Fe anyway. 
Next stop…..Santa Fe, New Mexico!
Live Laugh RV 
Ingrid, your images were simply gorgeous! I love that entire Four Corners (clear down to the Mexican border) just gorgeous and second only to my location on the coast. The desert certainly has its own haunting sort of beauty and if my soul didn’t require ocean waves, I might consider moving back in that direction.
(Seems I missed a batch of posts back around this time somehow? I’m so glad I stumbled across them now.)
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Thank you for such a nice compliment on my photos….coming from you that indeed warms me. No moving, just a visit….haha. You and I know you’d miss your ocean. I know I’d miss your ocean photos!
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Oh, I would LOVE some snow. Amazing on this earth such variants happening at once.
It’s a hot long weekend here in sunny Australia. I do love it, I admit, but would love some snow too!! Love that!!
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My daughter spent a semester studying in Sydney and although she loved it and thought about moving there, she missed the Colorado mountains. The snow can be beautiful but I am ready for spring!
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We really enjoyed your photos! Thanks for posting so many :).
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Posting photos is the easy part…..its the writing that is always a challenge for me. Watch out for those spring snowstorms while heading to Yellowstone!
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We have never been to Elephant Butte so will have to add it to the list. Our only experience in the RV in NM was very, very cold and windy. Glad to hear you made it home safely. 🙂
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Well ours appears to be the same experience….cold and windy. I think NM will be on our list of places to explore. There’s some really uniques sites, but we’ll wait for better weather!
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Agreed!
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What beautiful countryside .. so well depicted in your photos… the winter just doesn’t seem to want to leave you there.. quite glad about that as the summer doesn’t seem to want to leave us… and that I love…
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Thank you – No, winter is not ready to leave…..another snowstorm this weekend!!!
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We had a great stay at Pancho Villa State Park in March, 3 years ago…It is South of I-10 in Columbus, NM..They have a wonderful celebration for Pancho Villa Days in March…wonderful fun, and that park is very clean and nice..lots of history from when Pancho Villa invaded Columbus…It’s well worth the trip, but can still be pretty cold in March!
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Its come to my attention, there is soooo much to see and do in New Mexico and the history is amazing. I think we’ll need to spend more time exploring this interesting state. Thanks for sharing the info on Pancho Villa State Park 🙂
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Knowing from your earlier post you had stopped at Elephant Butte, I’m happy to see these photos!
You did good, Monticello is the best, even up into June it’s a quiet and beautiful place. I worked out of T or C a couple summers, doing trail work over in the Gila N.F., and Elephant Butte was home in my little travel trailer. For those of you heading that way, Caballo Lake State Park is also very nice, and as well usually quiet until June. Caballo Lake has a winter/early spring flock of white pelicans usually visible, sometimes I’ve seen them up at Monticello too, but the water looks very very low for them to be there. Birdwatchers don’t miss the Bosque del Apache Natl. Wildlife Refuge just north of Elephant Butte.
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Wow….thank you so much for this info. We were wondering about Caballo Lake. I think we’ll need to spend more time exploring NM…..hidden gems. The Wildlife Refuge sounds interesting as well. Elephant Butte Lake was definitely very low but there were still plenty of ducks. Thanks for the comment 🙂
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Brrr, looks beautiful. I really like the shot of the mountains with the low clouds. And I love the color and llighting of the last four images! Stunning.
I envy your moisture that you are getting. We are in such a bad drought. Hey, are y’all planning any excursions to the great plains state (oklahoma)? If you are, holler at me. 🙂 Might want to come after our weird winter has settled into spring (if there is such an animal in Oklahoma).
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I believe overall, Colorados moisture is actually on the low side as well. Seems like there are lots of areas still in drought conditions. No immediate plans for Oklahoma but that could change and I’ll be sure to holler 🙂 Thanks for the nice comment on the photos…..the changing sky in NM was beautiful!
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Thanks for heads up on I10 dust storms and prepare before take off! All the photos, including the snowstorm are so beautiful! I made sure to bookmark the park on my Google map!
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Between Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Arizona you could explore for years and never see it all. Wind is definitely something to keep an eye on. The west is different from IL and WI in so very many ways…….love it!
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The view from your porch is amazing! Must be hard to come in most days. I think I saw a frown on that RV covered in snow!!!
Snow does make for beautiful photos, especially when you are not involved in the snow! You captured some great pictures.
I like the park in Elephant Butte. We will someday be visiting New Mexico. It’s nice to have a preview.
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That RV is most definitely frowning. I think I’ve managed to capture enough snow for awhile…lol. New Mexico appears to have lots to see and explore, more than I though. However, Utah still remains one of my favs!
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Beautiful landscape photos! Elephant Butte will be a stop on our way back to the West. Love that view from your deck.
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Elephant Butte was a great stopping off point to wait out the weather and it was fun watching the sky change as the weather front moved in and out.
Yep, the views here aren’t too shabby, but I’m ready for a change 🙂
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Such pretty scenic shots! I’m envious! And we got more snow last night – booooo hissssssss! Trying to figure out how to get to Q-land soon.
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As the storm moved in and out the sky was ever changing and as much as I hated the snow and cold, it made for some spectacular scenery. I too have had my fill of this weather. 20 degrees right now and more snow Saturday. How about I pick you up and we head to AZ…..lol?
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Works for me!!!!! I need a change of scenery something fierce!
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🙂
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Pretty, pretty…but chilly! Glad you enjoyed this park as much as we did. Despite the snow. Cheers for the mention!
Nina
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We really wanted to explore the area, but didn’t think visiting the White Sand Dunes during high wind warnings would be fun. The weather sure was dicey. Safe travels 🙂
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Your pictures of CO gave me a twinge of homesickness and reminded me of what a great state to call home. Also, we are going to be at City of Rocks in mid- March and were not sure where to go after that. Now I know – Elephant Butte!
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Yes indeed it is a great state to call home. As we prepare to go full-time, Al and I aren’t sure we want to give up our Colorado license plates….lol. Elephant Butte reminded us of the Pueblo Res. Thus it was just ok for us, but it was a great stopping off point for a couple of nights to let weather move on
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Our home in Alberta had a snowstorm this past week-end, so we had to dig our way out of about a foot of wet snow before we left for Arizona again. The forecast here – a few days of warm, then a week-end of cool and rain!
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The weather in CO seems to be much the same with fronts rolling in and out. I wish we were headed back to AZ for the desert blooms. Safe travels!
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We’ll be heading to NM for the spring, then into CO for the summer. This is good info!
Hope your snow doesn’t last too long!
Lisa
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The snow is gone but the cold remains….more snow Saturday 😦 then hopefully done for awhile. Elephant Butte is a great place to relax and recharge then move on. We really wanted to stop near White Sand Dunes, but not with days of high wind warnings. We loved Santa Fe. If I can offer any suggestions on CO, just let me know.
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