Historic Highways
RVing America's Historic Highways: The Butterfield Connection
By Jerry (RiverGuy) Brown

US70 red, covered in this article green

Leaving Alamogordo westbound, US70 heads directly southwest across the Tularosa Basin. Along the way it crosses the White Sands Missile Range for about 40 miles. The signs advise that the highway may be closed during testing for up to an hour, so if you get backed up coming through here, that's probably the reason. If you hear a loud roar, duck! At the western edge of the basin, the Range headquarters is open for visitors. We didn't stop, but I've seen pictures. They have an impressive collection of missiles and rockets.

At the far side of the basin, the jagged peaks of the Organ Mountains dominated the view to the left as we climbed the long grade up to San Augustine Pass before dropping down into the Las Cruces area. Like Alamogordo, Las Cruces has space connections, including the nearby NASA Test Center and the recently announced Southwest Regional Spaceport, about 40 miles to the north. They are already accepting reservations. Hmmm, maybe…

The Butterfield Overland Stage Route

Starting at Las Cruces, US70 was originally co-routed with US80, which followed the old Butterfield Overland Stage Route up from El Paso. The stage line ran from St. Louis to San Francisco starting in 1858. For $200 you purchased the privilege of spending 22 days bouncing along in a cramped, dusty Concord stage coach, meals extra. Before the transcontinental railroad was completed, it was the only ticket in town.

Today, this section of US70 is co-routed with I10. Except for Deming there is nothing but flat Chihuahua desert for 120 miles, so this is one place where you won't miss a thing by driving the interstate. The good news is instead of 24 hours on the stage coach, you can now drive it in under two.

We stopped at Deming for a couple of nights, staying with the friendly folks at the Loners on Wheels RV Ranch. I'd considered Rockhound State Park in the hills just outside of town, but with the weather deteriorating, thought the better of it. We drove out to the park the next day, but with gusting winds and blowing sand, decided against prospecting for rocks. Too bad, this one place where visitors are allowed to take away what they find, up to 15 pounds each. I also visited the Deming Luna Mimbres Museum. Among much else, they have a fine collection of local Native American artifacts as well as an extensive rock and gem display.

We spent an extra day in Deming, pinned down by a savage wind storm that seemed like it must have blown all the way down from the Arctic. Signs on the highway casually warn "Sandstorms may exist." Indeed! I heard that a big rig truck and trailer blew over on I10. My advice, find a place to hunker

The Infamous Billy the Kid

down and wait it out.

Our next stop was Lordsburg, only 60 miles down the interstate. Somewhere in that stretch we crossed back over the continental divide, but the desert is so flat that you'd be hard pressed to say exactly where. I'd planned to visit the Shakespeare Ghost Town near Lordsburg, an early mining town and stop on the Butterfield line. According to some accounts, Billy the Kid once washed dishes there. I drove up the gravel road only to find that Shakespeare is open to visitors just one weekend a month. Dang!

Next day we left I10 behind, following US70 to the northwest. Here it's a classic 2-lane highway, heading across the open range. About where the terrain started to get hilly we entered Arizona, dropping down into the Gila River valley. We'll pick up our narrative here in our next installment.

Road Trip America For those who love roadside kitsch, the bizarre monuments, the intriguing shrines and the nostalgia of the two-lane American highways, here’s just the book for you, presented in state by state format, and illustrated with the postcards of yesteryear.	Route 66: Lonely Planet Road Trip Get your RV kicks on Route 66. Most of it is easily negotiated by RVs of all sizes. This pocket-sized book is crammed full of useful information plus maps and more. This book is small, but the information is high-powered, useful and fun to read.	All American Roads: America's Byways Point your RV down an American Byway and experience the heart and soul of our vast and varied country. Mobil Travel Guide and the National Scenic Byways Program join together to detail America's most famous routes.