Truth or Consequences, New Mexico Riverbend Hot Springs Resort

A friend told me about some hot springs that are right on the Rio Grande. “You can go right in the river.”

I was intrigued and made this a must see on our trip so we took the southern most route of Highway 10 and another hour and a half off the highway to visit the town of Truth or Consequences. I was envisioning a touristy town - the reality was T and C was a simple town - a lot of mobile homes on private lots.

They did have the small town Walmart and a small Main Street and the Geronimo museum. Surprisingly, the resort has a beautiful facility. Private soaking tubs made with local stone and a constant stream of warm water with a view of the river and mountains. The public room had a very peaceful atmosphere with ten separate stone tubs for 4-10 people. It was never crowded. Our night time session was the best with a cool breeze and sparkly lights everywhere.

The full hook up RV area was a square with 6 spots. There was a small picnic table and trees separating the spaces, not a state park, but nice enough for across the street from the spa. The alley had a nice mural on the back of the building and easy access to the trash bins.

That day we took a tour of the surrounding desert area. Elephant Butte state park was 5 miles away and had a lot of camping. The damned lake was clear and very big with a lot of boats and houseboats.

Another area near the damn was a camping area that used to be part of the state park but was now taken care of by a bearded crusty old guy who told us a local story about a state employee who turned out to be a mass murderer who would bury the bodies in the lake and no one knew until he was caught and put in prison. Yikes!

His comment, “So you see things like that don’t only happen in cities, happens anywhere and there’s a book about it.”

Howard’s sister Joanne came all the way from Palm Springs to meet us and got to hear all the stories and meet all the T and C characters.

She’s excited to use her new foam pad and new sleeping bag and sleep in a tent with her two adorable dogs tonight. We are heading to White Tank Mountain Regional Park which is outside Phoenix- getting close after 7 hours on the road...

Vicki Wright