I visited White Sands National Monument, NM, with a group of fellow engineers from Rockwell more than 20 years ago when we were testing a missile guidance system at the White Sands Missile Test Range. I took no pictures and can't remember much about that trip other than I really liked the park and wanted to see it again.
It was a pretty long drive from Las Cruces (55 miles), but the road was straight and smooth, so we covered most of it at 80 mph. Of course, we stopped at the Border Checkpoint (100 miles from the border) and assured the officer we were U.S. citizens.
This was a very dog-friendly park. Sam was a happy camper!
Sierra Blanca Peak (elevation 11,981 feet) was over 50 miles away and covered in snow.
You will NOT find do not touch signs in this park. You can rent discs from the park to slide down the dunes.
After a while, I started to imagine the sand was snow. It even stuck to the tires like snow. The white sand was extremely bright in the sun - sunglasses probably would have been a good thing to have.
I loved the converted bread truck with its skylights and stove pipe coming out of the roof!
Plants do not have an easy time on the dunes. The sand tries to cover them up and then blows away exposing the long stems they grew to survive.
We loved the contrast between the bright white gypsum sand and the dark distant mountains.
The dunes are continuously shifting in the park, but when a plant gets started, its roots hold the sand in place. When the sand around it moves a pillar remains. Someone got a bit artistic with this one.
This gypsum mound was at least 6 feet tall.
We continued along the road to Alamogordo, NM. Alamogordo was situated high above the valley floor providing some great long distance views. Joani found it was the home of the International Space Hall of Fame. They had some interesting displays, but their focus was on the pioneers of exploration and innovation contributing to the advancement of space science. I liked the route through the museum. It started with an elevator ride to the fourth floor. As you finished exploring each floor, there was a gentle ramp leading down to the next floor until you reached the gift shop on the ground floor.
This was another museum on our ASTC list which made it free.
This was a picture posted throughout the museum. Adorable!
There was no waiting for the shuttle landing simulator, so I had to try. I actually got the shuttle on the ground safely on my first try! I crashed on the second try, which made it clear it was all about luck the first time.
HAM-First Chimpanzee in Space
"Anything one man can imagine, other men can make real." Jules Verne 1975
"The past is but the beginning of a beginning, and all that is or has been is but the twilight of the dawn." H.G. Wells 1901
Wanna take a ride? I'm quite sure I would pass out in the first second and miss most of the experience.
Off in the distance, the white line below the mountains is White Sands National Monument.
We decided to stop in again on the way home to see how the afternoon shadows changed the look of the dunes.
The angle of the late afternoon sun had a very nice way of accentuating the dunes. We might have stayed for the sunset, but it was getting pretty cold. We agreed that would have to wait for another day.
The guy at the bookstore yesterday said they had some books autographed by Clyde Tombaugh. Clyde was a famous native of the state who discovered Pluto. I was told the New Mexico legislature declared that Pluto was still a planet regardless of any decision by the Astronomical Union. I couldn't stop thinking I should have at least asked about the books. Joani said we could make it back before they closed if we pushed it a little. I did say the road was really nice and it seemed like everyone was zipping along, so we went for it.
The late afternoon sun was playing off the road and the wires.
We got to the bookstore with 15 minutes to spare, but sadly, the autographed book was going for $250 - a bit pricey for me, so I passed.
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