City of Rocks

City of Rocks State Park was born some 33 million years ago from a volcanic eruption (I’m sensing a trend) 1,000 times more powerful than Mount St. Helen’s. Over time erosion has created the rock ‘city’ we see today.

I had read up on the park last year, in hopes of visiting it when I was passing through Deming again (seems to happen every winter) and this year I still almost took it off the do-list at the final hour. But, I went for the 30 mile drive from Deming to the park to stay a single night and explore the rocks.

What is truly nice about the park is that the camp areas are actually nestled up against the rocks, and some you have to go up and into the rocks to camp. It really gives you the sense of being ‘in’ there as opposed to viewing the wonders from afar.

When I arrived it was already mid-afternoon and the wind kept me hunkered down in the van. As the sun was getting low, I bundled up and made my move to hike around the north side, then into and over the rock city back to the van. I figured the wind would be at my back when I was exposed to it, then the rocks would protect me once I was inside facing into the wind. Sounds simple, but Mother Nature played a trick on me, turning the wind into my face when I was exposed to it. And the rocks played a trick too… it didn’t matter which direction the wind was coming from when in the rocks, the rocks twisted the gusts around and around so the wind hit you from *all* directions. There was no mercy!

Without the sun to keep me warm, I returned to the van shivering from the near freezing temps , even before the wind-chill. I was planning to wake in the middle of the night to view the stars, as it is suppose to be a sight worth waking up for way out here, but I failed to do so. Just gives me a reason to return here at another time… when it is not so windy! I did snap the sunset before closing in for the night…