A Day At Complete Leisure

Just waking up to the knowledge that I didn't have to drive a single mile was invigorating. We would enjoy a day at our complete leisure. We would have a great breakfast, we would sit around checking news, though the internet up can be spotty, and it IS SLOW.

And we would take Dixie for a hike.

 

Sticking my nose outside the door brought me down to reality. For the moment the grey clouds were defying the weather forecast which had predicted a full sunny day, even though day temps would be down a lot from the previous day. So yes, there was a strong and very cold wind blowing which made me cringe.

We were staying inside until noon, when the sun had reached its peak. There was still some cold wind, but with a jacket we decided to walk up the road to take a look at the big dam holding back the water of the lake.

The construction of the Santa Rosa Lake Dam was done by the US ARMY Corps Of Engineers from 1974 -1979. This is not a power station but a project of flood control.

The uppermost major dam along the Pecos River, it serves for irrigation water storage and flood control. Originally proposed in 1951 and authorized in 1954, the dam (then known as the Los Esteros project) generated controversy, as the Fort Sumner Irrigation District which depended on the Pecos River contended it would increase evaporation rates. It was not until 1971 when an agreement was reached to reduce the permanent storage pool at Los Esteros.

2 years after the opening of the dam the adjacent State Park was created.

The Canyon of the PECOS river as seen from the top of the dam

After we finished our 2.6mile long hike both Dixie and we felt a need for resting.

And the wind had actually died down so it was nice to cozy up in the warm sun.