Petroglyph National Monument, NM and heading south

10/05/15:  Petroglyph National Monument protects one of the largest petroglyph sites in North America. You can pick up trail maps at the Visitor’s Center, but there are no trails there; they are a couple of miles away. We decided to start with Rinconada Canyon Trail, 2.2 mile loop, with up to 300 petroglyphs. We took the Jeep for that as their parking lots are pretty small at the trailheads.
                 
                                               Did we see 300 petroglyphs?  Not a chance, but they’re probably spread all over the hills. Some pictures turned out good, others not so well. The trail is sand, so it was hard to walk on. People are not suppose to cross the fence or climb on the rocks (that’s why I took a picture of them doing it). We did tell a volunteer on our way out, but he really didn’t seem to care.

Next we went to Piedras Marcadas Canyon Trail.This is also a sand trail, not near as clearly noted at the other trail system. There are tracks all over.
               
                 
10/06/15:            
A trivia note for Truth or Consequences, NM: Originally named Hot Springs, the city changed its name to Truth or Consequences, the title of a popular NBC Radio program. In 1950, Ralph Edwards, the host of the radio quiz show, Truth or Consequences, announced that he would air the program from the first town that renamed itself after the show; Hot Springs won the honor. Edwards visited the town during the first weekend of May for the next 50 years. This event was called "Fiesta" and included a beauty contest, a parade, and a stage show. The city still celebrates Fiesta each year during the first weekend of May.  In 2012, the population was 6,411.