Looking through the travel brochures, John found a hike that sounded interesting, Dripping Springs Trail in the Dripping Springs Natural Area. Would you believe dogs are not allowed on the trails? We decided the kids could stand a rest after their romp on the sands yesterday, so off we went.

In the 1870's, Colonel Eugen Van Patten built a resort of approximately 16 rooms called "Van Patton's Mountain Camp". The camp was built near a dripping spring that provided water for the camp.

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A quarter mile below the camp was the stable area. There was a chicken coop and vegetable garden in this area as well that provided for the camp.

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Remains of the camp give you an idea of it's size. There was the building on the right which was attached to the remains in the center of the photo. This remains portion of the building was quite deep.

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In 1917 Van Patten went bankrupt and Dripping Springs was sold to Dr. Nathan Boyd. Dr. Boyd's wife had contracted tuberculosis, so he built new buildings and opened a sanatorium.

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There is a trail that takes you up to a ridge giving you a good view of the sanatorium and the valley. While the boys were taking photos, I hiked the trail. Once Ed had seen where I had gone he had to follow. Can you find Ed in the photo?

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The spring is still dripping but very slowly as New Mexico hasn't had rain in a while. If you look closely you can see a strip of green coming down from the opening in the rocks and landing on a wet section of rock. There was a slow drip much like a dripping tap.

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An interesting rock formation near the visitor's center. If you look beyond the rock you can see Las Cruces in the distance.

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Another place that intrigued us was the historic Mesilla. The first settlers arrived in Mesilla in 1848. In 1854, The Gadsden Purchase declared Mesilla officially part of the United States. For $10 million the United States purchased the land from Mexico that now makes up the southern border from El Paso to California. This church stands at one end of the main plaza.

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Many of the original adobe structures still stand. One claim to fame for the town was the trial of Billy the Kid for murdering a sheriff.

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Lots of chilies. The wreaths are made of red chilies and the red bags and white sacks are full of red chilies.

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The store was closed but I was impressed with the outside decor.