March 13, 2019
After staying two nights at Monahans Sandhills State Park, we drove 192 miles to Bottomless Lakes State Park, 17 miles east of Roswell, New Mexico. We camped in the Lea Lake Campground section of the park. When entering the eastern part of New Mexico this is a great place to camp. This was my 3rd time camping here. The first two times in my Nissan Xterra SUV land boat. This time I was in my brother's luxurious Flying Cloud Airstream trailer.
The hills on the eastern edge of the park contain gypsum deposits that dissolve from rain water leaching through the soil causing deep sinkholes that fill up with water and seem to be bottomless, hence the parks name.
We visited the Bitter Lake Wildlife Refuge a few miles north where many migratory birds like sandhill cranes and snow geese spend the winter. This area has wetlands in the basin of the Pecos River, where one can find a tranquil natural environment.for hiking.
In the vicinity of Roswell, in 1947, an alien spacecraft purportedly crash landed and a dead alien was found and of course all covered up by the government. The city plays off this event for its tourism and you see depictions of the little green men on business signs throughout the area. I recommend visiting the Goddard Planetarium and Roswell Museum & Art Center if you stay here for a two or more days.