Oct 11, 2011 - Fort Sumner, NM - Sumner Lake State Park

It was a pleasant 177 mile drive from Rio Rancho to the Sumner Lake State Park a little North of Fort Sumner, NM. It was mostly on I-40 but we are off it now and don't plan much more Interstate driving on this trip. The side roads are much more scenic and enjoyable when you are able to use them. Fort Sumner has a three different, small campgrounds and we are in the Pecos Campground which overlooks the lake. We have 30 amps and water, limited Verizon and a clear shot to the satellite. The sites also have adobe ramadas which are very nice,...

Apr 14, 2009 - Fort Sumner, NM

From Santa Rosa, we took a side trip to Fort Sumner, where we saw the "authentic" gravesite of Billy the Kid and went through a museum downtown and one just outside of town. (Billy The Kid is the big news here.*) After touring the museums we were hungry and stopped at the ONLY restaurant we saw in town. At first we weren't sure we should stop, since it looked like more of a bar than a restaurant from the outside, but the staff at the downtown museum recommended it so we tried it. The food was delicious. Jeff had an excellent cheeseburger...

Apr 3, 2009 - Quaint, but rejected and on to Santa Rosa

Hello Family & Friends, We had high hopes for Fort Sumner, but for all it's quaint descriptions...it sucked. Sooo, we skipped the Billy the Kid Museum and continued on in a 30 mph head wind for another 45 miles to Santa Rosa, NM. Santa Rosa's campground was no charm, except the restaurant was right there + the showers, etc were very good. BUT, their control of the winds failed...after a requested move to down-wind doors proved prophetic, the night which started at 70 degrees and ended at less that 45...had gusts up to 60+ causing the...

Jun 8, 2008 - Billy the Kid--why Fort Sumner???

After a few hours of driving, we noticed a few things. No mountains. Lots of scrub brush, very few buildings, and it was getting HOT!! We took a bit of a longer route to the southeast so we could visit a legend of the west, the gravesite of Billy the Kid. The girls weren't sure they wanted to get out of the car to see it because it was so hot, but we eventually convinced them by telling them to get out. We got a few pics by the grave site, even though a flood soon after he was buried washed away all the wooden tombstones so he could have...

Sep 25, 2006 - Last Stops in New Mexico

This morning I traveled to Fort Sumner, NM to visit Bosque Redondo Memorial / Fort Sumner. The Bosque Redondo exhibits tell the tragic story of the Navajos and Mescalero Apaches who were forced from their homes and placed in Bosque Redondo under military guard in the 1860s. They weren't allowed to take any of their household belongings. They didn't have enough clothing and protection from the weather nor enough food, so about 3,500 of them died there. Behind the Visitor Center are the remains of Fort Sumner. Very little of it remains....

Mar 1, 2006 - Bitterlakes New Mexico

I had a nice time at Scotts and saw many things. The sunsets were awsome and the birds were many. We spent a little time together, but it was a big week for them both. No worries tho. Had some fun playing darts and kareoke-ing. Did the museum and met a friend geocaching.