Before we knew it, lunch time arrived and went by in a flash. We had a quick lunch and then went geocaching in the area. It was a mixed day with us finding 5 caches and not finding 4 more. (DNF) That is a lot of DNFs for us since our find rate is higher than that.
The first find was in a field out in the open and very easy. Then we found one next to the mighty Rio Grande river which looked like a beach without any water. The next on the list was at a statue in downtown Las Cruces. We stood out like a sore thumb looking for the cache, but nobody paid any attention to us. The cache was tiny and well hidden but eagle eye Gerry spotted it.
Right across the street from the statue cache was the Dona Ana County Courthouse and it is a very impressive building. Built in the southwest style, it fit in with all the other buildings in the area.
The next cache was right next to the road and people really noticed us there since it was right in the open. This cache was in one of the pipes next to the electric box. Gerry checked the pipe cover on one, but couldn't remove the other one. I came to her rescue. We had to use a rock to pry off the top of the pipe and there it was.
A drive through Old Mesilla was the next stop on our tour of Las Cruces. It is a very old town and has narrow streets and homes that are over 200 years old. There is a lot of history in this old town.
THE GADSDEN PURCHASE
| In
1846, President Polk declared war on Mexico and sent troops to New
Mexico and California under General Kearny. This began the military
era in New Mexico, which
lasted for about 50 years. At this time, Mexican troops were garrisoned
in Mesilla. By 1848 the war had ended and most of the state had been
ceded to the
United States by the Treaty
of Guadalupe Hidalgo. |
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| According to the treaty, the boundary between the United States and Mexico was to extend from the Gulf of Mexico and follow the Rio Grande to a point eight miles north of El Paso and then continue west to the first branch of the Gila River. The boundary was established from a map drawn by J. Disturnell of New York. When the United States sent men to survey the boundary, they found that the Disturnell map was in error. El Paso was actually located 40 miles north of its position on the map and the Rio Grande was actually 130 miles to the west. A settlement was made between the two countries known as the Gadsden Purchase, but diplomatic tension followed. In 1853, the United States negotiated with Mexico to resolve the boundary dispute which resulted at the termination of the Mexican War and to purchase the land in question. This was known as the Gadsden Purchase. The treaty was consummated by the raising of the United States flag in the Mesilla Plaza by Fort Fillmore troops. With the protection afforded by the forts in the Southwest, north-south and east-west traffic along the trails increased and Mesilla found itself in an optimum location for economic growth. It became an important stop on two stagecoach, mail and trade routes-- the El Camino Real, which reached from Chihuahua to Santa Fe and the Butterfield stage route, which extended from San Antonio to San Diego. The Butterfield Stage Stop was located east of the Mesilla Plaza, between Calle de Guadalupe and Calle de Principal. | |||||
We stopped at a nice restaurant nearby and had an enjoyable dinner and then returned to the motorhome to rest as result of our busy day. We also watched one of our favorite tv programs, "Person of Interest". It is getting complicated and still keeping our interest.
That was it for us, what about you?
We have never done any geocaching. We've talked about it, but have just never gone any further. Love Person of Interest but last night really made me scratch my head a few times.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Person of Interest. It was the most confusing of the series. Too many twists. I hope they straighten some of the twists out or I am outta there.
ReplyDelete