Chapter 4 – Gila to Truth or Consequences

Waking at 5:30AM has some advantages. One of them is definitely not well-restedness, but at least you get a jump on the day. By 7AM we were taking our first family plunge in the natural hot springs of the Gila. The smile on both Jamie’s and Dylan’s faces (not to mention Mom and Dad’s) was worth the entire trip. Frost covered everything in sight, but the 104 degree waters made up for the discomfort of getting in and out of the water freezing in your birthday suit.



After a quick breakfast, it was off to the Gila Cliff Dwellings, at the end of a dead end road deep in 3 million acres of designated wilderness area. Jamie was a trooper and hiked the one mile in by himself and impressed everyone on the trail and at the cliff dwellings, too. Hard to believe that a tribe of natives lived here over 800 years ago and made a home in such extreme climates and elevations, but what a magical place!!! Freezing on the way up, but worth the climb once the sun hits you and the sights are there to behold.


From there it was off to CRAZY Hwy 152 East that takes you through where Butch Cassidy hid out…and no wonder. It’s amazing that there is even a road that you can travel by car.


Landing in Truth or Consequences, we found an RV park for the night and drove around looking for something awesome to do since it was Christmas Eve. We settled on a half hour soak in another hot springs establishment (there are a dozen here, before it was Truth or Consequences, it was called Hot Springs.) A hot spring jacuzzi on the roof of a building where we watched the sun disappear and ran for the warmth of the RV once it was over.

We can’t believe we’re saying this sentence either but…this RV park was just fantastic! Big, clean, safe, a great shower and perched high up on a bluff - so we had great views of the very small town city lights.

More pics...




Tomorrow, it’s onto Santa Fe…