Soon after Thanksgiving, we headed to Deming in New Mexico, as we had planned. Although Deming is small, it has a pretty interesting background of how it came to be. Originally founded in 1881, it was called “New Chicago” because people thought the city would grow similarly to Chicago, Illinois, due to the increasing use of railroads. Were they ever wrong. There is a Walmart in Deming, but that’s about the biggest store you’ll find. The city is officially named Deming after Mary Ann Deming Crocker, whose husband helped build the Central Pacific Railroad (view source). Presently, the people who live in Deming are very country, friendly, and welcoming.
We stayed at the Temperate Zone RV Park, which is about fifteen minutes from the main part of Deming, for a total of three months – the longest we’d ever stopped at one time since we began traveling. Nonetheless, we welcomed the break from moving every two weeks and enjoyed feeling temporarily settled. During our stay at the TZ, we got to know nearly all of our “neighbors,” who were mostly full-timers as well, and our campground host, Vicki and her husband, James. They held several get-togethers in the club house to celebrate birthdays, Christmas, New Year’s, and Saying Goodbye send-offs whenever someone was leaving. We especially enjoyed these parties because the entire campground got together for food, campfires, and pool tournaments (Hunter’s area of expertise). One couple, Bill and Rose from South Carolina, were exceptionally friendly to everyone. Bill was a very good pool player and gave us both some tips on playing the game better. The community we were able to take part in definitely made our stay there a positive one.
Other than the lovely people we met, we also enjoyed New Mexico’s scenery. We drove to the City of Rocks State Park a few times during our stay at the TZ. It was a great place for hiking/biking and for being able to see New Mexico in a different light. It is called the “City of Rocks” because it literally looks just so when you climb to the top of a nearby plateau. Other than the State Park, there are several museums, Indian dwellings, and hot springs not far from Deming.
The TZ is where we spent our first Christmas together with just us, as a family of two. We made a humongous mess in the camper with wrapping paper and the like, but it was our best Christmas so far since we’ve been together. Even though it was Christmas, we still went on our daily three mile walk, which we had done nearly every single day since we got there, and continued to do so until we left in February.
After three months at this one camp spot, we finally decided to push off. The morning we were leaving, several of our neighbors came out to say goodbye. Even our camp host Vickie, driving her noisy golf cart with her little white dog running a few feet ahead of it, came by to wish us well. We missed everyone there for a little while after we’d gone, but we’d missed traveling even more, so it was time to get on the road again.
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