2006/01 Southwest USA trip (MN-TX) - Chinati Hot Springs |
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We left the park and stopped at Fort Leaton to fill up with water from the picnic area and at Presidio for petrol and food, whichwas running low. Presidio (means “fort”) is quite a small place so we were surprised at the size of its supermarket. I guess its customers are distributed over fifty miles in all directions. Presidio’s at a border crossing to Mexico there so maybe the Mexicans come across too. We were the only people in the store speaking English.
Once full we headed out northwest along the River Road again, following the Rio Grande. There were great mountains to the north of us and Mexico’s cliffs to the south. About the only traffic we saw was a border patrol vehicle.
We were headed to the little town of Ruidoso and the Los Palomas wildlife reserve which was supposed to have a free campground. We passed through Ruidoso and saw no sign of the reserve and we were getting close to the next town, Candelaria. The road just peters out into the desert after that and then there are no towns or roads along the river for about 70 miles. It was almost dark and we turned around looking for alternatives.
Sandie had seen a camping sign on a road that led to Chinati Hot Springs. We followed that for a few miles up into the hills and ended up driving down into a valley full of little buildings. This was the Chinati Hot Springs Resort. The owner, Chrissie, took us on a tour of the resort and showed us her hot tubs, and cabins, and kitchen, and her three dogs. She is a refugee from South Dakota’s winters and from city life in Dallas. Her husband is a metal sculptor. 
We camped further down the valley, glad to have found this spot. Chrissie thought the Los Palomas wildliferefuge was still there but that it had been closed to the public, as all the road signs had disappeared. Her fee for camping was a bit high but it included use of the hot springs.
Monday January 23rd 
When we got up we realized we were in a canyon, with a small stream running through, the output of the hot spring. As it was a cold morning we opted for one of the indoor tubs, a little cabin with a bath cut into the floor. The only tap let hot water in from the spring, at about the temperature of a hot bath. As you can see we captured this rare bathing event on camera, and as you can almost see, Sandie was in the deep end.
We drove back down the mountain to Ruidosa, a tiny town that looked to be shrinking. The church was probably quite pretty fifty years ago, but its adobe walls are melting and it looks to be really close to a major disaster.