Mountains! Desert!

We made it out of Texas!!  We're in New Mexico!!

There are MOUNTAINS!!!

Northwest of El Paso, on the way to Las Cruces.

When we got out of the truck, breathing the air wasn't like sucking on a wet towel!!!  It was 97 degrees here in Las Cruces this afternoon, but it sure didn't feel like it.

Once we got into our RV spot at Hacienda RV, we went for an early dinner at the Spotted Dog Brewery.  We discovered this little gem a couple of years ago and it is so good!  Even though it is dog-friendly, we didn't bring the pups because ..... well, we just needed a "date night"  (yes, even puppy parents need time away from their babies every once in awhile!)

Hunting for lizards!

 Oh, and in case any of you were worried, Mookie is just fine riding in the truck all day. 

Tomorrow:  Arizona!  I'm so freaking excited, I can't stand it.

REVIEW: Spotted Dog Brewery

Love this place! 

First of all, it's named the Spotted Dog.  How do you not love a spotted dog?  Second, when you order a beer, you get a complimentary bucket of roasted peanuts in the shell.  Third, their beer f**king rocks!

Did I mention there is a dog-friendly patio with umbrellas to keep you in the shade?  (I was so excited about the beer, I forgot to take a picture of the patio.)  The inside is brand new and is very light and airy.

Spotted Dog inside

I had the IPA and Doug had the Cream Ale.  Both were great.  The food is better than you'd expect from a brewery, but not anything to really write home about.  I had the "Nosh Board" which was a really good keilbasa-type sausage, several hunks of good-quality cheese, excellent homemade olive tapenade and a few mediocre pretzel rolls.  Doug got the sliders, which were also on the pretzel rolls and served with a salad.  The server was friendly and efficient. 

Bottom line:  come here for the beer (not necessarily the food) and definitely bring your pups!

REVIEW: Hacienda RV

This is the 3rd time we've stayed at the Hacienda RV Park in Las Cruces, NM.  When we lived in AZ, we used to come over to Las Cruces pretty regularly, but always stayed at the KOA.  They are both nice parks - it just depends on what you want to do while you're here.  Hacienda is walking distance to Mesilla, which is a historic little town just west of Las Cruces, with many restaurants, wineries, and shops.  The KOA has killer views, but is a bit further from restaurants and stores. 

The Hacienda is a nice park with large level sites that feel very private.  It is one stoplight off of I-10 and is big-rig friendly.  The dog park is just a long narrow fenced run along the edge of the park, but Sunday says it was just fine for playing fetch (she also claimed there were lizards in the bushes by our site, but I didn't see them).   The staff was friendly and happily accommodated our request for a site next to the dog run.  There is also a very nice laundry room, large shower facilities, and a hot tub.  The free WiFi is super fast and reliable, even at 10 pm!

Our site - end site across from dog park

Beautiful long/wide and level sites

Half of the dog run