Cross Country Richmond to San Diego and Back: Day 6-7:
This is going to be an exciting day. We are crossing from Texas into New Mexico. We put San Antonio behind us the day before, but not before wolfing down 4000+ calories at What a Burger. Good Stuff. I am sure Davey Crockett and the defenders of the Alamo would have loved one.
This is our 6th day on the road, and we will cross into a twilight zone, the spiritual state of New Mexico. Our initial target, Roswell, New Mexico. In June/July of 1948, so the theory goes, a UFO crashed in the area, and the accusation of a government conspiracy, covering it up, was born. Roswell has been depicted in movies, TV, and books as a spooky landing site of space beings. Having grown up with UFO sightings, Eric Von Daniken theories, Sputnik, and later ET, Star Wars, Close Encounters and my own experience, Roswell fascinated me. I wanted to see it.
The first hints of Roswell were depicted with a flying saucer sign. This was going to be fun. I took a bunch of pictures of the signs and headed for the downtown and the UFO Museum. My wife stayed in the car, no interest, as I visited the museum. It was fun. I bought a coffee cup, t-shirt and motorcycle sticker to say I had been there and headed out to the Visitors Center for a couple pictures with ET. The Center was a great stop. The women host was super knowledgeable about the entire area.
The first hints of Roswell are the flying saucer signs. I took some pictures and headed for downtown’s UFO Museum. A fun stop, which didn’t interest my wife one bit. I bought a few items to say I had been there and headed out to the Visitors Center for a couple of pictures with the space travelers. The Center was an informative stop. The hostess was super knowledgeable about the entire area–A great help.
Now we headed towards Billy the Kid country-Alamogordo and the Southeastern area of New Mexico. Driving along Route #70 you enter Mescalero Apache Country and suddenly there it is the Billy the Kid National Scenic Byway Visitors Center and The Hubbard Museum of the American West. I am sure Billy would be shocked to see a Scenic By-Way named for him.
It’s getting dark and I don’t want to be stuck out in the desert. We find our go-to chain of a Comfort Inn. We travel with food, beverages, snacks and whatever we may need when stopping late. Yes, that includes the makings for a drink.
Day 7 would begin with a stop at White Sands National Monument. White Sands is the largest expanse of gypsum dunes in the world-it is what Sheetrock is made from. You don’t stumble onto White Sands driving the Interstate. This was a pre-planned, targeted destination
Billboards announce you are in the U.S. Army White Sands Missile Range. Immediately I think “Here is where the world changed forever.” This is the home of the Trinity Site where the first Atomic Bomb was detonated on July 16, 1945. The X marks the spot is only open one day a year in the Spring.
The orientation video at the visitors center, we never miss one, is an informative, enjoyable introduction to the Sands and their geologic formation. It prepares you for the drive through the Park. As you enter the park, your visual senses are overwhelmed by the pure brilliance of the natural gypsum. With a backdrop of a Southwestern Powder Blue Sky and puffy cumulus cloud formations you can’t be faulted for thinking “Is this a replica of heaven.” Definitely, as protection against the glare, you need sunglasses. Inside the park, we walked the Dunes amazed at the kids sledding on them. Just like snow. This park stays in your mind long after a visit as you shake your head in awe at Mother Nature’s creation.
The remainder of the day is spent driving across the beautiful landscapes of Southern New Mexico, into Arizona and on towards Phoenix. I am a driver. Hours and hours at a time, interrupted by camera stops and a 15-minute nap mid-afternoon. I love new geography, and the drive along I10 provided it. You skirt the Gila and Coronado National Forests. You have rock and desert landscapes with mountains in the far distance. You have the blue sky, wind, dust blows, and tumbleweeds. You enter the Sonoran Desert and the Gila River Indian Reservation. All visual taste treats on the way to Phoenix.
Tomorrow beckons. The desert, the Railroads, and Rt.#66
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