1/9/23. What a fun hike! We hiked into the jagged Organ Mountains to see an old resort called Van Patten's Mountain Camp that was reached by wagons. The road went from grasslands into the cooler canyon with trees and springs. Van Patten leased part of the property to a Dr Boyd for health seekers. Dr. Boyd refused to pay rent and law suits forced Van Patten to go bankrupt so Boyd got the land. We will always have scammers.
Another story we heard was of the Oryx in New Mexico. For some reason, the state thought it would be a good idea in 1969 to introduce oryx from Africa for game hunting. Between 1969 to 1973, 93 oryx were released, planning for a population of around 600. The population now is around 7000. We didn't see the local visiting oryx, but did see one in the Carlsbad area. They are magnificent to see, but now considered invasive.
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