Storrie Lake, revisited

We had the option of moving to one of the parks farther east on the plains, but with the forecasted weather there in the high 90’s, we decided to return to Storrie Lake.  Even with the higher altitude there, the weather was predicted to be around 90, so we arrived mid-week with hopes of getting an electric site.  At first, the girl at the entrance said she had just sent three rigs racing to the last spot with electric.  Undeterred, I continued my interrogation, and she finally said there was one spot on the far side of the lake with electric.  And we were off like a shot.

Although there are about 50 designated sites, 21 of which have electric, this particular area only has four, two of which were taken by park volunteers.  Perfect!  Not quite as perfect was how unlevel the site was.  I think we used every board and leveling block we have.

But a little challenge is good for us and soon we were enjoying the spectacular sunset caused by high level smoke from a wildfire to the west. 

We took a day trip up into the nearby mountains and checked out Morphy Lake State Park.  What a gorgeous spot, but not someplace we could take the RV. 

We took a walk around the lake and spotted this hummingbird moth (or hawk moth.)  He doesn’t look that big here, but that thistle flower was huge.

Part of the ‘trail’ consisted of finding your own way through the woods.  But you couldn’t get lost by just keeping the lake on the left.

There are some pretty valleys in this area.  This is coming down into the town of Mora.

One day when it wasn’t as hot, we did a walking tour around Las Vegas (New Mexico, not Nevada.)  Las Vegas has quite a history, In the mid 1800s, it was an important location along the Santa Fe trail.  With the arrival of the railroad in 1879, Las Vegas really boomed.  In fact, in the early 1900s, it was New Mexico’s largest town.  According to the visitors guide, there are 900 structures on the national historic register.  We saw a few of them.

The Crockett Block, built in 1898, reflects the California Mission style.

I was very excited to see this sign on the building.  Imagine my disappointment when I discovered the whole building was a bank with no soda fountain in sight.

Old City Hall, built in 1892, is a fine example of Richardsonian Romanesque style.  (Obviously I’m just copying this out of the guide.)  The two-toned sandstone was locally quarried and cut.

Las Vegas was also the setting for many movies.  This house, built in 1886, was used as a movie set for Wyatt Earp and All the Pretty Horses.  It’s a mixture of formal Classical design with Victorian spindle work on the porch.

James H. Ward was the contractor for several elegant houses, including his own.  Built in 1883, this is an Italianate Villa.  What I found amazing was that the balcony and yard fence are original.

We were at Storrie Lake over Father’s Day.  Not only were all the sites full, but the shoreline was packed.  I’m glad we were off in our own little quiet area.