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Fifteen
minutes into my first soak since returning here, when the road knots
began loosening and that big-city kink in my neck had started to
give, the inevitable question arose from the hot tubs like steam
off a thermal mineral bath:
"Anyone
know why they call it Truth or Consequences?"
I
grinned, and splashed some water on my face. Surrounding me my fellow
bathers at Riverbend Hot Springs continued their morning
undisturbed, reclining in the waters, or sitting half-submerged
on the edge of the tubs. A few lounged in nearby deck chairs, gazing
at the Rio Grande swiftly churning by.
John
from Vegas caught my eye, and smiled. We'd heard about this earlier
that morning. "It's named after a t.v. show," he volunteered.
"Well, radio first. But the show changed to television when
the town became T or C."
In
1950, the emcee Ralph Edwards offered his nationwide audience
a dare. Any town willing to adopt his new show's moniker could host
a televised party, and get years of free PR to boot.
The
residents of tiny Hot Springs, NM took the gambit, and Truth or
Consequences hit the map.
Fifty
years later, Truth or Consequences (T or C to the locals) keeps
broadcasting its eccentricities with pride, a funky desert outpost
with a splashy twist.
Geronimo
Slept Here
Thermal
mineral baths abound in T or C. Beneath these streets and
parched empty lots simmer hot springs that surface with temperatures
above the century mark, bursting with elements. A plop into one
of the town's many baths will cure what ails you, and then some.
Native
Apache and Mimbres peoples considered these waters sacred; legend
says when warring bands would meet here, they'd call time out, then
climb on in. Geronimo himself used to camp here after battle,
to soak and strengthen up.
Today
seekers of both adventure and respite intersect with tourists and
other pilgrims in T or C. Newcomers discover a languid county seat
of 7,000 that's tourist-friendly, dirt cheap, and blessed each night
by the colors of its setting sun. I first arrived in 1993, and now
schedule at least an annual dip.
When
I got off the bus this visit, space and silence grabbed me once
again. Walking down Austin Street, sand crunched and the wind moaned
its welcome. The back road rolled toward the river, affording killer
views of the surrounding Rio Grande Valley and mighty Turtleback
Mountain rising in the east.
T
or C's bathhouses are clustered above the springs along Austin,
and they beckoned as I passed with fresh paint and newly sculpted
walkways. I kept walking, though, for when I'm in Truth or Consequences,
I stay at Riverbend.
Riverbend
Hot Springs
Besides
its prime location, tucked in the hook of an S-curve along the Rio,
and the option of sleeping outside in a tipi, Riverbend is also
a hostel, one long renowned on the global backpacker's trail. Travelers
from all parts convene here and network over shared tortillas and,
of course, hot springs.
Some
come for the hostel camaraderie, to share time with new people.
Some dig the tranquillity, and time to read good books. Others,
road-weary, stumble across the place, just happy to have exited
I-25 for the night. Quite a few are returnees – Riverbend exerts
that sort of pull.
For
many, hot springing is an extreme sport. "That what doesn't
kill you, makes you stronger" said Sura from Santa Fe, leaping
to run the circuit – dash from the springs, dive into the river,
then plunge back into the tubs.
Lee
and Sylvia Foerstner opened this space back in 1990, though they've
passed off much of the day-to-day to a small army of rotating work
exchangers. Silvia writes and acts the T or C historian, while Lee
launches countless projects to upgrade the hostel.
Downtown
T or C is compact and walkable. There's a movie theater, a main
drag, the Geronimo Springs Museum and a single traffic light.
Stores resemble overgrown yard sales, wares and curios creeping
onto adjacent lots.
After
tubbing, I grabbed John and Sura for breakfast. Amid many options,
the Hot Springs Bakery shone, and oasis of Kona blend amidst a Folgers
desert. We stocked up on empanadas, and pointed Sura's car upriver
toward the vast wetness of Elephant Butte Lake.
To
Elephant Butte
With
a vehicle, your options open up. Trailheads, silver towns, artist's
colonies and Gila Cliff Dwellings are easy jaunts from T or C. The
lake is T or C's great bonus, 30,000 acres of manmade waterfun,
great for boating or just to chill.
We
returned sunbaked around dinner, the tubs filling for the evening
soak. Time to eat. Sometimes at night, impromptu potlucks sprout
up at Riverbend, fish and veggie grills, everyone busting out side
dishes or bottles of wine.
That
night promised music: Mario from South Africa had some Puta Mayo
samplers to spin. Word was guitars were coming out. The moon was
a day from full.
Later
that evening, with island sounds spilling about, as I sat in the
steamy tubs studying the orb above Turtleback I had to laugh recalling
how Mario put it, earlier that day: "Who needs television when
you're in Truth or Consequences?"
–
Jay Cooke is a San Francisco-based travel, food, and culture writer.
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