ELEPHANT BUTTE STATE PARK, NM

29 March, 2004. More wind. From City of Rocks State Park, we took highway 61 to highway 152 over the Mimbres Mountains. The road is well paved and reaches over 8,200 feet at Emory Pass. The drive is well worth the effort with mountain forests and superb views. We encountered tiny patches of snow on the mountain and by 3 p.m., we were on the beach with our shirts off. It's nice to hear water crashing against the shore again at Elephant Butte, even if it is the Rio Grande. The water level is very low here too (as was Lake Mead), but it gave us a chance to camp out on Rattlesnake Island Beach. We got full bars on both the phone and internet. This park is just off I-25 near Truth or Consequences, NM. It is our first reminder that with water, come bugs. It was nice to have our own little beachfront property for $8 per night (checkout is 9 p.m. the following day!). The wind really picked up overnight and it got fairly cold but once the sun comes up, you're back to a warm beach setting. You can camp practically anywhere along the beach and there were many people fishing and eating the fish (not sure if I would recommend eating the fish out of here). There is a modern visitors center and 2 showers in the main bathroom.