A Great Place to Stay

RV Campgrounds vary in facilities, space and attractiveness. Sometimes it is nice to have roads of asphalt and RV pads of concrete. Everything is clean and neat. Other times, it is nice to feel you are outdoors, almost in the forest. An RV campground that meets this description is the NRA Whittington Center west campground outside of Raton, New Mexico. Only 4 miles off I-25, it is a convenient place to stop on our trip between Colorado and Arizona. This was where we parked this year.

The views from the campground and surrounding roads are great.

I'm not sure when the campground was built, but the Whittington Center was founded in 1973. Annually, approximately 170,000 people from all over the world come there to participate in one of the many competitive, educational and recreational activities in all shooting disciplines. On 33,000 acres there are 17 shooting ranges for everything from black powder to long rifle to youth hunter education activities. The center also had cabins and dormitories and a 150-seat dining facility. Here are the long rifle and Practical Pistol Combat ranges.

Early in our marriage, John and I tried shooting clay pigeons. He was a fair shot. I was lousy. Here is the shotgun sporting clay range and a close up of the machine that launches the clay targets.

During the time we were there, the Women's Wilderness Escape was taking place.  We saw women and their instructors on this course.

We could walk on all the roads without worrying about someone shooting us. It was very clear where we weren't supposed to go.

Very few people were in the campgrounds while we were there. I did get a kick out of this sign. No beating around the bush here.

The Frank Brownell Museum of the southwest discusses the history of the west, especially of New Mexico. It displays many different firearms.



We have explored many aspects of the Civil War in our travels this summer. These rifles were all in use at that time.

This is the view out the front door of the museum.