November 2nd through 15th, 2025
We were still making our way to Arizona for the winter, but we had to stop for a stay in Silver City, New Mexico. It's been on our bucket list since we first stayed in New Mexico in 2021, so we were excited to check it out. It's a bit out of the way from the interstate, but it was worth it. What a great town!
Margot was still healing, and we'd enjoyed our little hike to La Ventana Arch when we were in Albuquerque. We'd read about the cool Catwalk Trail near Silver City, and it sounded like a great option for another easy hike. We spent a few hours there surrounded by a gorgeous drive in the mountains.
The trail was really cool, offering a walk suspended in a tight canyon. We read about flies and bugs in the canyon, and the reviews weren't kidding. Whenever we'd get into the sun, they would surround us, hitting our skin as we walked. At least they weren't biting, but it was really annoying. Still, we pressed on until the suspended catwalk ended and we came to some steep stairs without railings. That was too much for Margot's healing ankles, so we turned around. It made for a really nice hike and day, and we had time to stop at a little diner in the mountains with great food. We even pulled over to check out all of the buffalo gourds along the sides of the road, something we'd never seen.
We were hoping the government shutdown would end so we could enjoy a visit to the only national park in the area. It was still a mess, so we went for a scenic drive on our second weekend there, instead. One of the highlights was the overlook of the massive Chino Mine (also known as the Santa Rita Mine). There are no tours of it, unfortunately, but the overlook was interesting. It's hard to wrap your head around how huge it is.
We were starting to think we wouldn't be able to see the national park, but then the government reopened! We headed up to the Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument on the day before we left Silver City. The hike to the cliff dwellings was a bit too rough for us to do, but we enjoyed the visitor center and the drive in the mountains. They didn't have a park store, unfortunately, but the volunteers we spoke with were really engaging, which we always like.
We drove up to see the start of the trail to the cliff dwellings and walked around a little bit. The trail was definitely rough. But it was very scenic.
On the way back, we stopped at the Buckhorn Saloon and Opera House for dinner. We got the best table next to a wood fire and chuckled at the crazy paintings of mostly naked women. That was a fun stop.
We really liked it up in the area of Silver City. It seemed like a nice place to live. We headed off to Arizona the next day for a long stay through February, but we'll sum up that stay in 2026. Happy holidays, everyone!
