Saturday we decided to explore Fort Bayard, about 8 miles east of Silver City. As we were driving from Double E Ranch into Gila, I took a couple of photos of the clouds.
Our first stop was the Silver City Farmers Market. We did not need any of the vegetables or meat for sale, but Patty enjoyed a muffin and I had a snickerdoodle cookie. We also bought some bread and pastry to eat back at our rental. In the parking lot, we saw this great bumper sticker. Check out their website at vhemt.org.
Then it was on to Fort Bayard. We were the only visitors and we spent many minutes with the two volunteers, then got a private tour of the ground floor; we were free to roam the second and third floors on our own. The fort was opened in 1866 and housed both infantry and cavalry. While there were both Buffalo Soldiers and Anglo soldiers, they were not in the same unit; there were also Native American scouts. If the cavalry was a black unit of Buffalo Soldiers, the infantry would be white Anglo soldiers or vice versa. Many well known figures passed through here, including Black Jack Pershing. The troops were involved in the Indian wars and chased Geronimo and Cochise among others. They sent troops to Puerto Rico for the Spanish American War in 1898. In 1899, the fort became a military sanatorium, primarily for treating tuberculosis. In 1920, it was transferred to the US Public Health Service, continuing with treatment primarily for tuberculosis. In 1922, a VA hospital was added with 250 beds. In 1965, the VA transferred the fort to the state of New Mexico, where it served as a long term care facility for veterans, civilians and needy (poor) patients. In 2010, a new Fort Bayard Medical Center was opened adjacent to the fort and patients and staff were transferred there. In the meantime, there have been many unsuccessful effort to transfer the property to other government agencies - for example, the old admin building for the medical center is desired by the US Forest Service. But that has not happened. Now, volunteers and donations keep for former post commander's residence open as a museum, as well as the former post theater for events hosted by local non-profits. Otherwise, the remaining buildings are slowly but surely falling apart.
After a couple of hours at Fort Bayard, we visited the Fort Bayard National Cemetery. As always, we were struck by the hundreds of rows of white markers for those buried here. Since it was opened in the 1960s, we could see graves for veterans from wars going back as far as the Spanish American War of 1898. Then we drove into Silver City and had an excellent lunch at Diane's Restaurant in Silver City. Patty had a nice entree salad and I had the daily special, a proscuitto melt with cream of broccoli soup.
Then it was a quick stop at Albertson's Grocery Store before driving home.
Sunday morning brought a new adventure and a wildlife sighting that was a first for both of us. Earlier, Helen had called. Patty was still asleep, so I went out on the front porch with Paulie and chatted with Helen for 20-30 minutes later. I went back in, the sun had risen and Patty had just gotten up. I was sitting in the living room and motion caught my eye - a mountain lion was walking by the front door, about 10 - 12 feet from where I had been sitting. I yelled for Patty to come see and she was able to get a couple of photos as the juvenile mountain lion passed by the end of our house. In the first photo, look closely in the center in front of the fence and below a branch that hangs down at a 45 degree angle. The second photo is a zoom in taken a few seconds earlier.
Our dog Paulie is about 85 pounds. Chris' dog (Chris lives next door and is the 40 something son of the owners Debbie and Allan) is about 40 pounds. The mountain lion was smaller than Paulie but as big or a little bit bigger than Chris' dog. We later learned that Chris had to kill two mountain lions two years ago that their dogs had treed just outside our cabin. Since part of the ranch was sold to the state and became a New Mexico Wildlife Management Area several years ago, fewer people hike, ride horses or hunt in that area, so juvenile mountain lions come down into the ranch and need to be killed to protect the horses, chickens, other livestock and people here at the ranch. Same for hungry bears in the spring.
On a more peaceful note, this is one of two horses in the field behind Rio Lobo Cabin. When in the kitchen, we look out and often see them dunking their heads in the big water tank.
Lunch on Sunday was hamburgers and asparagus cooked on the charcoal grill, and dinner was salmon fillets and reheated corn on the cob, cauliflower and asparagus, also on the charcoal grill. A very pleasant weekend with temps mostly in the 70s in the day time and 60s at night - sleeping with windows and doors open (thanks for the screen doors!) makes for nice nights, one of the many reasons to leave Phoenix during the summer months.
Our first stop was the Silver City Farmers Market. We did not need any of the vegetables or meat for sale, but Patty enjoyed a muffin and I had a snickerdoodle cookie. We also bought some bread and pastry to eat back at our rental. In the parking lot, we saw this great bumper sticker. Check out their website at vhemt.org.
Then it was on to Fort Bayard. We were the only visitors and we spent many minutes with the two volunteers, then got a private tour of the ground floor; we were free to roam the second and third floors on our own. The fort was opened in 1866 and housed both infantry and cavalry. While there were both Buffalo Soldiers and Anglo soldiers, they were not in the same unit; there were also Native American scouts. If the cavalry was a black unit of Buffalo Soldiers, the infantry would be white Anglo soldiers or vice versa. Many well known figures passed through here, including Black Jack Pershing. The troops were involved in the Indian wars and chased Geronimo and Cochise among others. They sent troops to Puerto Rico for the Spanish American War in 1898. In 1899, the fort became a military sanatorium, primarily for treating tuberculosis. In 1920, it was transferred to the US Public Health Service, continuing with treatment primarily for tuberculosis. In 1922, a VA hospital was added with 250 beds. In 1965, the VA transferred the fort to the state of New Mexico, where it served as a long term care facility for veterans, civilians and needy (poor) patients. In 2010, a new Fort Bayard Medical Center was opened adjacent to the fort and patients and staff were transferred there. In the meantime, there have been many unsuccessful effort to transfer the property to other government agencies - for example, the old admin building for the medical center is desired by the US Forest Service. But that has not happened. Now, volunteers and donations keep for former post commander's residence open as a museum, as well as the former post theater for events hosted by local non-profits. Otherwise, the remaining buildings are slowly but surely falling apart.
After a couple of hours at Fort Bayard, we visited the Fort Bayard National Cemetery. As always, we were struck by the hundreds of rows of white markers for those buried here. Since it was opened in the 1960s, we could see graves for veterans from wars going back as far as the Spanish American War of 1898. Then we drove into Silver City and had an excellent lunch at Diane's Restaurant in Silver City. Patty had a nice entree salad and I had the daily special, a proscuitto melt with cream of broccoli soup.
Then it was a quick stop at Albertson's Grocery Store before driving home.
Sunday morning brought a new adventure and a wildlife sighting that was a first for both of us. Earlier, Helen had called. Patty was still asleep, so I went out on the front porch with Paulie and chatted with Helen for 20-30 minutes later. I went back in, the sun had risen and Patty had just gotten up. I was sitting in the living room and motion caught my eye - a mountain lion was walking by the front door, about 10 - 12 feet from where I had been sitting. I yelled for Patty to come see and she was able to get a couple of photos as the juvenile mountain lion passed by the end of our house. In the first photo, look closely in the center in front of the fence and below a branch that hangs down at a 45 degree angle. The second photo is a zoom in taken a few seconds earlier.
Our dog Paulie is about 85 pounds. Chris' dog (Chris lives next door and is the 40 something son of the owners Debbie and Allan) is about 40 pounds. The mountain lion was smaller than Paulie but as big or a little bit bigger than Chris' dog. We later learned that Chris had to kill two mountain lions two years ago that their dogs had treed just outside our cabin. Since part of the ranch was sold to the state and became a New Mexico Wildlife Management Area several years ago, fewer people hike, ride horses or hunt in that area, so juvenile mountain lions come down into the ranch and need to be killed to protect the horses, chickens, other livestock and people here at the ranch. Same for hungry bears in the spring.
On a more peaceful note, this is one of two horses in the field behind Rio Lobo Cabin. When in the kitchen, we look out and often see them dunking their heads in the big water tank.
Lunch on Sunday was hamburgers and asparagus cooked on the charcoal grill, and dinner was salmon fillets and reheated corn on the cob, cauliflower and asparagus, also on the charcoal grill. A very pleasant weekend with temps mostly in the 70s in the day time and 60s at night - sleeping with windows and doors open (thanks for the screen doors!) makes for nice nights, one of the many reasons to leave Phoenix during the summer months.
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