Another Hike to the Organ Mts before leaving Las Cruces NM…

Bad weather was heading our way and we really wanted to do another hike in the Organ Mountains. Therefore we set off for a hike to La Cueva. After doing the La Soledad loop yesterday we knew we wouldn’t be able to do a 3.5 mile hike in the time allowed so this shorter 1.5 to 2.0 mile hike is what we chose.

We also left earlier for this hike than originally planned to try be sure we did the hike  before the winds and colder air hit us. When we left the sky was still blue and partly cloudy but a rapidly approaching cold front would change all of that. We really hoped to finish the hike before we encountered nasty weather.

The trail rose a bit in elevation and took us to a cave with an interesting story. The cave is a nice first stop on this trail and this is where Giovanni Maria Agostini, the hermit, once lived. The story of this man has been captured in books but if you want to know more about him follow this link. It really is a fascinating story.

Surrounding La Cueva are the La Cueva Rock Formations, along with the Organ Mountains and the Dona Ana Mountains. The panoramic views there were pretty majestic.

We hiked past La Cueva up into the rock formations before we started to see the cold front pushing toward us way out in the desert as a wall of sand was looming. Seeing this convinced us we shouldn’t go any further.

We reversed our course to hurry back to our car and we almost made it before the winds hit. The temperature dropped pretty drastically and the visibility was greatly reduced. We were sure glad we started our hike before all the weather kicked in.

On the way back to the RV park we decided to stop in at one of the highest rated New Mexican restaurants for dinner. However since it was a bit early we decided to go for a craft beer one last time at the Spotted Dog in Mesilla NM. Just down the road after we had a beer we went to La Posta de Mesilla where we each ordered a fabulous New Mexican styled burrito.

We are sure going to miss the New Mexican food and the great craft beer but the road beckons and we must listen…

HAPPY NEW YEAR!