White Sands National Monument

Las Cruces, New Mexico: Another beautiful day (following another really cold night). We left our campsite this morning with a picnic and took our Honda tow car north on Highway 70 to White Sands National Monument where white dunes (made of gypsum) cover a 275 square mile area. This area is also next to the White Sands Missile Range, where the military drops bombs! Highway 70 and the National Monument are closed during practice.

White Sands National Monument Visitor Center


Covered walkway over the gypsum sand provides a good view of dune plant life


Photography was difficult with so much WHITE


DT on the dunes


Another shot of the wind-carved dunes with yuccas (photo by DT)


I hiked to the top of a tall dune. TA DA.


One road loops through the park - it is carved with a snow plow!


And, we are going to need a car wash


Our picnic spot

RV Notes: There is RV parking at the Visitor Center. No reason you couldn't drive your 45-foot bus, towing a car or drag your 5th wheel through the park loop... however, we advise you to leave your RV in the parking lot and take your tow vehicle. Class C RV's will be fine along the road. Flush toilets, water and gift shops at the Visitor Center.

After our visit to the national monument, we continued north to Alamogordo, New Mexico to visit Eagle Ranch Pistachio Farms. Pecans, pistachios... New Mexico has it all. Pistachios grow in only two places in America - Alamogordo, New Mexico and the San Joaquin Valley in California. (Another Jeopardy trivial fact.)

Eagle Ranch Pistachio Farms Visitor's Center (i.e. store)


Pistachio orchard


Farm dog

We turned the Honda south, retracing our path back to Las Cruces. We must have seen two dozen hawks (and two golden eagles) on telephone poles along Highway 70, and also saw many fighter jets doing maneuvers above us. Our only stop on the way back was to the White Sands Missile Range to see their museum. The museum is inside the testing facility, so security is tight. We had to show photo ID, provide vehicle registration and proof of insurance. (This is a very secure military installation and not the place to be making bomb jokes with the guards.) Limited RV parking.

V2 rocket

For some reason, in the 1960's, the State of New Mexico thought it would be a good idea to introduce the African Oryx to the desert. Of course, this sort of stuff usually backfires and now the beasts are a pest, have over-populated the desert, over-graze, and have migrated all over the state. Plus, it's probably not a good idea to have a herd of Oryx standing around the middle of a landing strip with a F-18 descending.

The population has grown from about 100 animals to around 3,500. To cull the herds, the State of New Mexico has a lottery to win hunting tags. It is a once-in-a-lifetime tag. We did not see an Oryx today!

White Sands Missile Range was started in 1945 and is the largest military test range in the US. Militaries from around the world train and test missiles here. The landing strip is a back-up landing strip for the space shuttle. Over 42,000 missiles and rocket firings have been conducted to date at White Sands Missile Range.

Some sort of rocket garden


DT in the missile garden

We arrived back to the RV just in time to watch the Millrose Games live from Madison Square Garden. Just because we are on the road, doesn't mean we can't follow our favorite sport!

We are exhausted after our long day and hiking in sand. Shabbat Shalom from our motorhome! Until our next update, I remain, your white sand correspondent.

RV Park: Hacienda RV Resort - We had site 175, a very long pull-through. 30 & 50 amp, water, sewer. Hacienda RV Resort is a great park - we love it here. Free wifi, free breakfast in their cozy (fireplace!) lodge in the morning. Hot tub. We paid $52. Here are a few photos of Hacienda RV Resort in Las Cruces, New Mexico:

Typical site - they are huge


Inside the Club House


Outdoor fireplace cozy area


Hot Tub

RV Park: Hacienda RV Resort - We had site 175, a very long pull-through. 30 & 50 amp, water, sewer. Hacienda RV Resort is a great park - we love it here. Free wifi, free breakfast in their cozy (fireplace!) lodge in the morning. Hot tub. We paid $52.