Rusty’s RV Ranch

Rodeo, NM

Rusty’s RV Ranch is located just north of Rodeo, NM on route 80 and only a mile or two east of the Arizona state line. There are mountains surrounding the park as it is located at the foothills of the Chiricahua range. It is also supposed to be one of the premier places in the country for birding. The park is in a dark sky area and caters to astronomers. This means we were not to have any outdoor lighting at night and to have our shades drawn after dark.

On Sunday, our first full day at Rusty’s, it was grey and cold so we visited the desert museum located just four miles south of Rusty’s. The museum has several live exhibits of desert creatures with an emphasis on snakes. A separate exhibit located in the event center next door chronicles the exploits of Geronimo. The famous Apache war Chief traveled the area of southern New Mexico, southern Arizona, and northern Mexico when trying to escape the US Army posse that was hunting him down. He was eventually captured in Mexico and spent many years as a POW in the custody of the US Army.

Monday turned out to be a much nicer day with a bright blue sky and moderate temperatures. We decided to hike to the vantage point to view the 365 foot Winn Falls. The hike was very pleasant until we reached a point where we had to cross a small stream. This took us a while to figure out the best way across without getting our feet wet. Shortly after the crossing the ground began to be snow covered. After about a mile of hiking in a couple inches of snow, we had to cross the stream once again. This time there was a log laying across the stream at about chest height that we could hang onto for balance as we stepped from stone to stone to get across. Following this crossing the snow got much deeper and we soon found ourselves often sinking through the crust halfway to our knees. So much for keeping our feet dry. The hike was worth the effort as the views were spectacular. For the record, the hike was 8.3 miles round trip with an elevation climb of 2,100 feet, topping out at just under 8,000 feet above sea level.

We spent most of Tuesday visiting the various birding locations pointed out by Rusty during our check in. On our way to the birding sites along the South Fork Trail, we visited John Hands Waterfall to take pictures. Once we were done with the waterfall shots, we walked a mile or so along the trail but did not get any pictures of birds. The walk was very pleasant and the scenery breathtaking. Dan did manage to capture several bird pictures right in the RV park so at least we have a couple of bird pictures to share here. So why was the birding less than expected? One of the birding spots that was supposed to be excellent and was even equipped with blinds was void of any birds. The place, known as Willow Tank, usually has water in a small pond that is currently dry. We since learned that all the ponds in the area, including one at Rusty’s, have been drained in an attempt to rid the area of American bull frogs. These frogs are not native to the area and are preventing other endangered species of leopard frogs that are native to the area from flourishing. Eventually these endangered frogs will be introduced to the refilled ponds.

On Wednesday, we drove the 13 miles to the nearest gas station to fill the truck with diesel. We returned to the RV for lunch and we were surprised by a knock on our door. Our friends, Jim and Corinne, who we were planning to meet up with on Sunday the 13th, had caught up with us. It was their recommendation that prompted our stay at Rusty’s as it is one of their favorite places to stay in the south west. We enjoyed a wonderful dinner together, taking advantage of Rusty’s community building in the process. The next morning we packed up and as we were doing the final hookup of the 5th wheel our friends stopped by to send us off. We will see them again in a few days and will spend 2 weeks boondocking in Quartzsite with them and 1000’s of other RVers.