To Alamogordo and White Sands National Park May 11

 

Today started earlier than we expected.  The hotel alarm clock went off at 6AM.  UGH!  By the time we got it silenced, we were quite awake,  and decided to get an earlier start than planned.  It is another drive day.  The hotel has the usual chain hotel included breakfast.  Those waffles really are quite tasty and their scrambled eggs were real.  

The scenery starts changing soon after we leave San Antonio.   There are small rolling hills.  Pretty yellow flowers line the road and the road cuts show a light colored sediment rock.  Lots of small scrubby trees.  After several hours, Nick asks me to drive.  Wow! The speed limit is 80!  I guess if we have over 800 miles in Texas, a higher speed limit will be nice.  Traffic is really light.  Mostly semi-trucks with the occasional RV.  Sprinkle in a few pick ups and then the rare car like us.  So much open, unoccupied land!  There’s even a sign warning to fill the gas tank. 

We drive about 4 hours and finally come across a population center – Stockton, where there are a handful of small motels and family owned restaurants.  We choose Mi Casita as it has good Yelp reviews.  Yes, Yelp does even cover this remote place.  Good fresh home-cooked Mexican cuisine.  When they brought the bill, it was accompanied by two little scoops of sherbet.  A nice little touch. 

Looking around I realize that I’m really not a smalltown girl anymore, if I ever was one. I REALLY would not want to live here.  

Another hour drive and we start seeing the mountains ahead.  OOOOH!  A scenic overlook!  A long driving day and anything to break it up is welcome. 

We are very close to the Mexican border.  There is a checkpoint along the interstate where everyone has to stop.  We’re waved right through.  Don’t fit the profile that they’re looking for. 

Around 4:00 we roll into Alamogordo which is the town closest to White Sands National Park.  We have reservations at the White Sands Motel.  It’s a 60’s style motel.  Still has the 60’s style neon sign! And a rock garden with plastic flamingos where I’m sure a pool once stood.  But it’s clean and everything we need. 

The visitor’s center at the park closes at 5:00 so we go to the park before unloading our stuff.  There is the requisite gift shop and a small museum.  We’ll check the museum out more tomorrow.  The ranger said any of the dunes is a great place to watch the sunset.  When you are on the top of one, you can see both ranges of mountains, Sacramento and San Andres.  The sun sets at 7:53 tonight.  We decide to go back into town for dinner and then come back out for sunset.  When we asked the ranger what we should be sure to do while in the park, he said, “Take your shoes off, walk in the sand and kiss your wife.”  It seemed like he started to say “Smoke a little weed.” And checked himself.  We did the first two things anyway. 

Back in town, we go to a wonderful restaurant that was recommended by the motel owner.   – D.H. Lescombes Winery  & Bistro.  The best meal we’ve had so far on the trip and that includes some good food in New Orleans.  We each got French Onion Soup and then shared the special meatloaf.  We also got a flight of wine matched to our order.  The flight came with 3 small appetizers – a wonton, a bacon wrapped date and a bacon wrapped shrimp.  The bread was wonderful too.  I seem to always be so anxious to eat the wonderful food that I don’t take a picture of it.  All of them were great but Nick and I agreed that the bacon wrapped date was the best. 

Back to the park for sunset.  The sand (actually gypsum) is plowed to keep the road free.  It looks so much like snow plowed in the winter.  Thousands of years ago the area was a lake and mammoths, sloths and American camels, yes American camels roamed the area.  The weather got warmer and the lake dried up.  The camels and mammoths became extinct and the gypsum was left behind. 

We drive well into the park, park at the picnic area and climb up the nearest dune.  There are enough dunes that everyone can have their own and there are still plenty left.  It is strange to have what looks like a winter scene feel warm between your toes.  It’s quiet and majestic.  The sun sinks down behind the mountains.  There aren’t any clouds just a beautiful golden glow.  The park closes at 9 and once the sun is down, the temperature is dropping.  This is the first National Park destination of this trip and it didn’t disappoint.  Looking forward to seeing it in the morning and maybe doing some sledding.

About 10:00 I step outside our motel door.  No moon, the sky is quite black but the city lights are blocking out the stars.  We decide to get back in the car and drive back to the park which is away from city lights.  There is a closed gate at the turnoff to the park.  But enough space for us to pull in off the road.  There are LOTS of stars.  But the Milky Way is elusive.  It is in the direction of the highway and cars come often enough that our eyes don’t have time to adjust to see it.  That’s okay.  I only know the names of a few of the stars and the constellations and that’s okay too.  What is important is the feeling of being a teeny tiny spec in the amazing cosmos. 

Good night.