D  e  s  e  r  t     E  x  p  o  s  u  r  e   June 2006

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Head for Lordsburg, Pilgrim

Film buffs aren't the only ones rejoicing at the release of John Ford's classic 1939 Western, Stagecoach, on DVD—southwest New Mexicans should give a little whoop of local pride. After all, where is the title stagecoach on which John Wayne (as the fugitive "Ringo Kid") hitches a ride headed? Lordsburg, New Mexico, of course. The movie, based on Ernest Haycox's short story "Stage to Lordsburg," made Wayne a star; it did not, alas, do the same for Lordsburg. Stagecoach is being released in a two-disc special edition as part of a 10-disc Wayne-Ford boxed set. Pop it into your DVD player and enjoy once again the thrilling days of yesteryear when you couldn't get to Lordsburg via I-10.

 

If That's the Answer, We've Got Questions

The otherwise-handy "2006 Answer Book" recently released by the Silver City Daily Press must be taking into account global warming—not to mention, uh, global humidification—in reporting Grant County and Silver City's climate data. To be fair, up-to-date meteorological statistics are tricky to find for our little corner of New Mexico; most weather data at the Western Regional Climate Center (WRCC) for Silver City runs only from 1914 to 1964. Still, it's hard to believe that our weather has changed this much.

According to the Daily Press, Silver City's average annual temperature is 73 degrees, reflecting an average high of 90 and low of 59. Think about those figures for a minute. Just for comparison, the average annual high in scorching Tucson is just 82.6, the low 54.8. When did Silver City get hotter than Tucson? According to the WRCC, Silver City's actual averages (1914-1964) are 69.5 maximum and 40.3 minimum. Not even for one month does the average high reach 90. The WRCC doesn't compute an overall average temperature, but not even the new math could put it at 73—above the average annual high.

The "Answer Book" answers for precipitation were equally questionable: three inches of annual rainfall, one inch of snow on average. We know it's been dry lately, but historically Silver City has averaged 16.08 inches of annual precipitation and 11.8 inches of snow.

Most puzzling, though we couldn't find any meteorological data to counter this statistic, is the supposed annual relative humidity—a sopping-wet 75 percent. That's right—with an average daily high of 90 and 75 percent humidity, we're living in New Mexico's version of Guatemala. Right now, our own little backyard weather gizmo shows a relative humidity of 12 percent. Perhaps 75 percent is the total from adding up all 365 days of the year?

Watch, now, just as we're poking fun at another publication's booboos, we'll have spelled it "Sliver City" every single time in this item.

 

Round Up Those Photos!

Got a ranching photo you'd like to share with the world—or at least with purchasers of the 2007 Silver City Museum Society calendar? Here's your chance: The society is seeking ranching-related photos—especially vintage images—for possible inclusion in its next annual calendar, which is sold as a fundraiser. Images can depict ranch land with cattle, ranch buildings or individuals; include a description of the location, approximate year and names of persons shown. All photos will be scanned and returned, or you can email your own scan.

Hand-deliver or mail your submissions to the Silver City Museum, 312 W. Broadway, Silver City, NM 88061, or email to scmuseum@zianet.com. Direct any questions to Edmund Saucedo, 542-8413, or museum director Susan Berry, 538-5921.

 

Space Enterprise Makes a Splash

In yet another cautionary note for New Mexico's planned spaceport (see the February 2006 Desert Exposure), one of the many "space entrepreneur" wannabes not headquartered here is reeling from what private space boosters most fear: a launch disaster. After nearly four years of development, Space Exploration Technologies' (SpaceX) Falcon 1 unmanned launch vehicle's maiden flight lasted less than a minute. The vehicle lost power and crashed into the Pacific Ocean, where it promptly sank—taking with it the payload, a small scientific satellite.

Putting the most optimistic spin on the failure, SpaceX founder Elon Musk (founder of the Internet payment system PayPal) said, "We had a successful liftoff and Falcon made it well clear of the launch pad, but unfortunately the vehicle was lost later in the first stage burn."

It's hard to imagine the impact on our spaceport of such a "success" if a flight full of space tourists "was lost later in the first stage burn." But Newsweek wasted no time in putting in its two cents, citing the Falcon 1 crash in its "Conventional Wisdom Watch" with a catty remark about space tourists rethinking their tickets on Virgin Galactic's New Mexico launches.

Read More Tumbleweeds:

Tumbleweed Top 10
Author on Fire: Linda Jacobs
Having a Ball with Billy

 

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