New Mexico

Some New Things, Some Old Things

After enjoying our quick trip across Arizona, our stay in Albuquerque and Ruidoso, we headed Southeast to visit more of New Mexico, Steve's birth State, excited to see some of the places that his parents lived while his Dad worked on the space program in Alamogordo and White Sands. I had never been to New Mexico and a bucket list item for me was to see White Sands National Park. For Steve this was a much anticipated trip to visit Las Cruces (his birthplace), see the Organ Mountains, and to reminisce on some family history.

 White Sands National Park

After crossing over the Sacramento Mountains, and beginning the descent into the Tularosa Basin and the town of Alamogordo, the White Sands of the National Park glimmer just below the San Andreas Mountain range at the far western horizon. Wow! It looked like a white ocean off in the distance, more vast than I could have imagined! 

 

The visitor center at this National Park has a great video which helped us understand how the sand is traveling, how the plants and animals that live here survive in the harsh conditions and how the wind and water coming down from the San Andreas Mountains are turning Gypsum rock into the most fine, soft, white sand you could ever imagine!

 

 

 

Leaving the visitor center we began our 8 mile drive along Dunes Drive where our first stop was the Interdune Boardwalk, about three miles into the dunes. Here there are still plants dotting the landscape. The parking lot is covered by the wind-driven sands. Steve had to help another vehicle get out of the deeper sand that the driver had accidentally driven into. 

Beyond the Interdune Boardwalk the roadway becomes sand, blending into the dunes on either side and the landscape becomes whiter and whiter, as the plants no longer grow here.The winds are constantly shaping the dunes and creating patterns in the sand, occasionally showing the tracks of the people and animals that have passed by. The sand is so fine that it is very difficult to walk on, each step sinking into the shifting sands. The texture of the sand is like a fine powder...so soft!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument

 

Located on the east side of the Organ Mountains a steep six mile narrow road leads from the highway up to the Aguirre Springs Campground, nestled below the peaks and with stunning views of the jagged mountain range and out over the valley floor. 

 

 

A trail adjacent to our campsite led up into the mountainside, giving us even more spectacular views with a few wildflowers dotting the trail. We only traveled about a mile of this 5.5 mile loop trail before returning the way we came, because there was a lot of elevation gain ahead and we hiked late in the day and wanted to be back off the trail before it got too dark.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Las Cruces

At the foot of the west side of the Organ mountain lies the city of Las Cruces. We traveled through a lot of old neighborhoods to get this view of the Mountain range. Below is a painting which hung in Steve's home throughout his childhood and now hangs in ours, a cherished memento from the time that Steve's Family lived here!

The city where Steve was born holds only a few memories because he was about 2 years old when his family moved 40 miles east to Alamagoro, NM.

Of course we had to go to the historic Mexican restaurant, La Posta de Mesilla, for lunch. Yum! This building is right next to a courthouse that is famous for the trial of the outlaw, Billy the Kid. Steve tried to imagine what his life would have been like had his family stayed in Las Cruces while he grew up there. Of course he would never had met me, or the many friends we have in Orange County, CA! It's funny how the Lord uses our past to shape our future. Steve's family moved to Orange County California, where Steve loved to play in the Orange Groves and pick oranges and sell them. I told him if he had grown up in Las Cruces he would have had Pecan orchards to play in!

Besides Billy the Kid Lore and Legend, this area of New Mexico holds a lot of History of the Space Race, (Space Murals Museum held tons of donated artifacts and a great timeline of the Space Race Era up to current times), Military Defense sites, as well as lots of Pecan orchards! We had a great day of driving around to see the town and discussing Steve's family memories from this area. But I'm glad that Steve's Family came to Orange County!

 

Petrified Forest and Painted Desert

 Overlook of the Petrified Forest and Painted Desert!

 

 

 

 

 

 

  Route 66...continued: Petrified Forest

We over-nighted just outside of the NP, and started out early in the day for our drive through Petrified Forest National Park. It is a surreal experience to hike along the trails to see the petrified remains of a long ago forest while walking in today’s desert.

 

Crystal Forest Trail:

We have been to some places that have ONE petrified log enclosed in chain link fencing at the end of a long trail. This park has so much petrified wood it is mind blowing. Not just small pieces, but full length tree trunks, some intact and some broken into multiple sections by erosion.

 

 

Steve said I couldn't bring home any petrified souvenirs...

they are too heavy!

 

 

 

The 28 mile drive through Petrified Forest National Park gives views of buttes and mesas, washes and badlands. Short trails lead through areas of petrified wood, petroglyphs and remains of Puebloan homes from 1260-1380 AD. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When the park road reaches the I-40, there is the hulk of an old Studebaker marking the original roadway of Route 66 where it crossed through the National Park. A line of telephone poles paralleling I-40 give a clue to the original Route.

 

 

 

Painted Desert

 

 

Beyond the Rt. 66 marker the drive took us into the Painted Desert, a landscape reminiscent of a combination of the Grand Canyon for the incredible colors and the South Dakota Badlands for a vista stretching to the horizon! 

 

Here we also saw the historic Painted Desert Inn, which is now a museum. This was originally a "Harvey House". These were hospitality stops along the route of the trains that gave oportunity for a rest and a meal. This Inn has the most amazing location on a butte with a panoramic view of the Painted Desert!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

New Mexico

After our fast three day trip across Arizona we headed into New Mexico en route to Albuquerque. We had intended to drive further beyond Albuquerque, but some business and high winds kept us in the area for two days. We took the opportunity to visit the Balloon Museum which has a great collection of artifacts and stories about Hot Air and Gas Ballooning, from its inception to the current missions to explore the stratosphere, round the globe expeditions, and wartime uses of balloons.

 

Driving further south we arrived at our campground in the mountains, Midtown Mountain RV Park in Ruidoso. Here the high winds we waited out in Albuquerque had broken pine trees off at the trunk in our campsite. Thankfully no one was hurt although a tree did fall into and damage someone’s trailer. Wow! Glad we weren't in Ruidoso sooner! Where we stayed there were no trees above us.

On Sunday we went to church at Calvary Chapel Ruidoso, where the Pastor gave a great message from Luke 24:13-35, about Jesus encounter with the disciples on the road to Emmaus. He addressed discouragement and discovering the truth that is some times right in front of us, that we can't see!

We are looking forward to our coming adventures on the road here in New Mexico! Thanks for praying for us as the Lord prompts you!