Willcox, AZ to Deming, NM (3/3/10)
So… We spent a very quiet day in Willcox, and this morning, we “moved house” as the English say, down the road about 150 miles to Deming. This town is pronounced with a short E, so it sounds like lemming. On our way hither, we passed through Lordsburg, where I photographed the Masonic Lodge and the Telephone Building.
Lordsburg had an interesting reputation. If you got your info from reading traveler reviews, you would get the impression that driving by without stopping was the correct approach. I refused. I said that there must be a redeeming feature. In fact, I thought the place was delightful. They had a nice downtown, friendly people, and a good lunch at Kranberry’s Restaurant. The KOA Kampground seems to have a bad rep, and we didn’t visit it, but on the west end of town we spied a gravel field with hookups and a sign saying $20/night. This does not seem to be in any of the books or web sites.
On to Deming. We had stopped at the tourist info booth at the Lordsburg rest area and picked up a brochure for the Deming Luna Mimbres Museum. Built in the old Armory, this is a definite must-see, with collections of dolls, antique vehicles, military memorabilia, art, china, silver and household effects. It’s associated with the Customs House on the other side of the street, which contains an exhibit of the use of the building as a Port of Entry from 1852 to 1900 (or so.) The rest of the house is dedicated to showing antiques and artifacts of earlier times. All well worth seeing. Note, you’re standing in the middle of history. All this is part of the Gadsden Purchase.
We’re camped at the Dream Catcher RV Park, run by the Escapees organization, of which we’re members. I met a family in the rec room that is traveling to Carlsbad with their children. They’re full-time on the road, and homeschooling. I recommended that school be in session at the museum tomorrow morning.
Tomorrow we’ll go get our mail in Las Cruces, and overnight, either there or in El Paso, Texas!