Truth or Consequences, New Mexico - Wednesday, April 13, 2023

Truth: Today we chose the 7 km Volksmarch in Truth or Consequences (ToC), New Mexico. Consequence: This walking destination was the farthest away (two hours) from our base hotel in Silver City, New Mexico. And that's the truth and consequence of our day, which almost matches the name of the town we walked in.

How on earth did the town get its name? If you've been around the block a few times, you may have heard of a radio-turned-TV-game show called Truth or Consequences. It was emceed by radio and television producer Ralph Edwards in the 1940s and '50s. For the tenth anniversary of the show, host Ralph Edwards said he would make a special broadcast from any town willing to change its name to Truth or Consequences.

The backstory is that Truth or Consequences used to be called Hot Springs, New Mexico. The townspeople were tired of everyone mixing up their town with all the other cities named Hot Springs in the United States. The residents voted ten-to-one to rename their city. On April 1, 1950, Mr. Edwards began an annual "Fiesta" tradition that still lasts today, making good on his promise to broadcast his show from their town. 

You know, I've known for a long time how Truth or Consequences got its name, but I never knew the original name of the town or why they decided to change its name. I learned something new today!

When we went into one of the art stores in town, the artist/owner told us that Ralph Edwards returned to Truth or Consequences every year for the next half-century to celebrate the name change with a parade because he liked the town so much! To this day, almost 75 years later, Fiesta is still celebrated annually with a parade, rodeo, live music, vendors, games, etc. The Fiesta is May 5-7, 2023.

Ralph Edwards Park is where our Volksmarch started today! Many other landmarks in the town are named after Mr. Edwards, including the Ralph Edwards Civic Center.

However, there ARE still lots of hot springs in town. Most hot springs are housed in lodges or motels. They may have private tubs in each room, or group tubs. Some motels have themed rooms; for example, the Blackstone Hotsprings Lodging and Baths has rooms named As the World Turns, The Jetsons, Twilight Zone, Superman, and Golden Girls. 

Now that you know about the town, here's how our day went. We left Silver City at 7:00 am for the long drive. The temperature was rather cool (in the high 40s). Blue skies with gorgeous cloud formations welcomed us to the morning. 

When we were on I-25 North heading to ToC, detour signs showed that Exit #75 was closed. That was our exit. Thankfully, they gave us enough warning to take Exit #71 as a detour to town.

After we found Ralph Edwards Park, we geared up with water, sun hats, jackets, and walk instructions and then charged into town. Historic buildings we saw right away were a Public School that was built in 1923 and the Sierra County Courthouse.

Public school, built in 1923.

Water tower in Truth or Consequences,
New Mexico.

Sierra County Courthouse, Truth or Consequences, 
New Mexico.

Next, we zigged and zagged for many blocks through a neighborhood, passed a number of churches, and the Ralph Edwards Civic Center. Then we continued up to the water tower.

Tahoka Daisy or Prairie Aster.

St. Paul's Episcopal Church.

A creative mailbox - there are lots of artists
in Truth or Consequences, NM.

I'm not sure if this place is still in business.

Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church.

The 1830 high school is now the center for senior meals.

Ralph Edwards Civic Center -
Murals by Delmas Howe.

Ralph Edwards Civic Center -
Murals by Delmas Howe.

Ralph Edwards Civic Center -
Murals by Delmas Howe.

A pretty gate on Foch St.

We thought his home was beautiful and they 
have a grand view of Truth or Consequences.

Carved egrets and a beaver.

Susan Medlin is way up the hill by the
water tower!

One of Truth or Consequences water towers.

Detail of art on the water tower.

A unique house on the water tower hill with 
a commanding view of Truth or Consequences.

Down the hill from the water tower, we walked up and down streets in the historic business district. Art decorates downtown, everything from murals to sculptures, to a whole plaza of delightful clay creations, to painted buildings. We passed museums and a visitor center, and multiple hot springs lodgings.

The town isn't fancy by any means, but it is eclectic, artistic, and down-to-earth. The population is around 6,000. It was fun looking at everything as we walked.

According to a New Mexico Magazine article, "20 Things to Love About Truth or Consequences," May 15, 2017, by David Pike (updated March 1, 2022):

"The El Cortez Movie Theater has a 1930s ambience [sic] with a sweet neon marquee, classic movie posters in the lobby, and concession items still affordable to the middle class. The theater was one of the last in the nation to switch from film to digital..."

The old theater is still in use.

The same article listed above gushed about Passion Pie Cafe:

"The baked goods [here] are so fresh from the oven that the staff keeps the doors of the cases open so the insides don't fog up. The Pie, as it's known locally, opened five years ago, the creation of four women who noted the absence of a coffee shop in town and did something delicious about it. Today, it's 'all about love through food,' co-owner Judy Reagan says."

Passion Pie Cafe, Truth or Consequences, NM.

Las Palomas Plaza at Geronimo Springs Museum includes the sculpture below that honors the town's hot springs and spas. Geronimo Springs (the actual hot spring) is located either in, or under, this park, which is next door to the museum.

Las Palomas Plaza at Geronimo Springs Museum has a
lot of clay artwork. It looks like this used to be a
fountain.

Las Palomas Plaza, ToC, NM.

Las Palomas Plaza, ToC, NM.

Las Palomas Plaza, ToC, NM.

African daisies (Gazania linearis).

Geronimo Springs Museum.

Art on the Geronimo Springs Museum fence.

Space and/or alien license plates,
real or otherwise, fill the windows at
this business.

Artsy long-horn steer in a bank parking lot.

The Pink Pelican and a jigsaw puzzle mural.

I've seen Kokopelli before, but never a Miss or 
Mrs. Kokopelli. This is a first for me.

Are you still with me? I haven't lost you yet? Maybe we'll get lost in space whenever Richard Branson's Spaceport America opens nearby. The photo below shows a website for tours. That is no longer available. Click on the link above for more info. Private tours are available, but you have to book them through the tour company in the link above.

Visitor Center that has the Spaceport America sign in front.

Art on the visitor center.

Funky art on a fence. Zoom in for the detailed work.

Beautifully painted building in the
historic downtown. 

We liked the eclectic art so much in this store, 
we went in and were amazed.

There are so many murals! I could not find
an artist's name on this one.

And then there's this truck.

Mural by David Larcom, 2019.

I could not find an artist's name for this mural.

Mural by Reed Rische, 2020.

I could not find an artist's name on this.

The original name of this town was Hot Springs. Now, we are headed onto a couple of streets with hot springs historical markers, and businesses. Some of these places have seen better days, others are quirky, but look interesting.

Rooms are named As the World Turns, The Jetsons,
Twilight Zone, Superman, and Golden Girls.

The picture above and this one are of Blackstone
Hotsprings.

We weren't sure if La Paloma was still in
operation. According to their website, they are open.

Indian Springs Bathhouse & Apartments.

The final leg of our walk took us back into the historic downtown where we saw even more art. Then we finished at Ralph Edwards Park, where we left my car. The park is next to the Rio Grande River.

The Rio Grande River in ToC, NM.

The photos below are of the van of a local artist. It is genuinely eclectic. I took seven photos of it, but posted only three.

When we finished our walk, we were hungry. We decided to have lunch at an interesting-looking restaurant called Sparky's in Hatch, New Mexico (chile capital of the world). It was 1/2 hour away. I would classify Sparky's as a very popular "greasy spoon" restaurant. My burger was dripping grease, so I soaked most of it up with napkins. There was nothing healthy on the menu that I could see. The only salad was pineapple coleslaw. That was okay, but I only ate half of it.

The interior of Sparky's Burgers, Hatch, NM.

The interior of Sparky's Burgers, Hatch, NM.

The exterior of Sparky's Burgers, Hatch, NM.

Across the street from Sparky's in Hatch, NM.

The exterior of Sparky's Burgers, Hatch, NM.

The exterior of Sparky's
Burgers, Hatch, NM.

After lunch, we drove to Santa Clara, New Mexico, to do a 6 km Volksmarch at the Dragonfly Trailhead. We found the start point with no problem; it is well-marked from the main highway. 

The star attractions of this walk are petroglyphs. From the very start, we were confused by the directions. The lady who created the walk directions recommended we do the walk in a counterclockwise direction to make it easier to find the dragonfly and other petroglyphs. 

The problem was, there were multiple trails and some were loop trails. We had to figure out where the correct trail split was and then go counterclockwise. It took us about ten minutes to figure it out, and even then, we hoped we were correct.

Once we got going, there were Dragonfly Trail markers along the way. That made us feel better. Our weather was perfect, warm with a light breeze. The scenery was amazing.

The Dragonfly Trail in Santa Clara, NM.

The Dragonfly Trail in Santa Clara, NM.

Tailings from the Chino Copper Mine.

We walked and walked and walked with the above scenery. The state ranks third in copper production nationally. The Chino Mine is the largest porphyry copper deposit in New Mexico. The pit is currently ~1.75 miles across and 1,350 feet deep. The open-pit mining operation began in 1910. Tailings from the Chino Mine make up their own mountain!

When the trail finally dropped us down into a canyon, that's when we were supposed to start looking for the petroglyphs. There were NO identifying signs pointing to them. We only had a photo of a pile of rocks holding up a Dragonfly Trail sign. We were supposed to look around that area. The problem was, there were three of those signs along the river. We didn't know which one to spend our time searching around. We looked at the areas around each of the three signs but found nothing. We were very disappointed that we could not find them.

In the canyon.

We think this is a petroglyph, but we don't know
what it's supposed to be. Didn't see any others.

I did see a real live lizard, however!
Ornate Tree Lizard (Urosaurus ornatus).

We walked by a very pretty rill. Listen and relax.

When we finished the walk, we had time to freshen up at the hotel before the Welcome Meet 'n' Greet, the official first event of the weekend. We had a good time reconnecting with friends and meeting new ones. The Sun Country Striders Volkssport Club put out a great buffet of vegetables, fruit, crackers, cheeses, chips, salsa, and guacamole. Then the hotel put out fresh-baked cookies. Mmm. No dinner was needed after that!

Visitors from the Olympia, Washington, AVA club.

Deep in conversation.

Sarah Gregory Long and Helen Hull. Helen is
the AVA's current Southwest Regional Director.

Tomorrow, Susan Medlin and I are going to Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument. Yippee! That has been on my bucket list for a long time. We will also do a Continental Divide hike in the afternoon. 

Whew! That was about three blogs in one for today!