Category Archives: White Sands National Monument

Alamogordo, Fernando's, Fort Amarillo RV Park, New Mexico, White Sands National Monument

Wind, Sand, Snow…More Wind

Good lord…it’s windy. Winds from the south at 24 mph gusting to 32 mph…or 232 mph depending on your point of view. And whether you are driving an RV into the middle of a bunch of sand dunes.

Which we are…because well…if the wind is gusting to 232 mph, why not? How can this be a bad idea?

And, so, on this lovely day, we head out to White Sands with saucers. And we get plenty of wind, sand and drama (because of the wind and sand).

Finally…sledding on the dunes…
Keep your eyes covered…and the sand out of your hair!
She would never make it in the desert…or Saudia Arabia

Not to mention that some weather alarmist in the O’Reilly’s store in Alamogordo (the town near White Sands) says there is 9 inches of snow coming today (although he is not overly specific about that “today” part). So…back to Yahoo! maps and weather.com…I’m wondering whether Al invented the internet so we could all check on these freak weather patterns that are surely part of his global warming crisis…

Not that I’m a conspiracy theorist or anything…

Ok, maybe we should have listened to the alarmists…we drive out of one type of blowing white stuff (sand) and into another (snow). The road atlas is my new favorite book…especially when we are in the middle of “scenic” New Mexico where the Internet is still a good idea in theory but not so much in practice. We are constantly trying to find the sections of highway on the map that are closed due to bad road conditions while simultaneously trying to read the road signs through the snow that is covering them. I can tell you wish you had been there!

Yes, yes…I know.  This really looks like nothing to us seasoned Missourians…except that in general we are not driving RVs in the middle of New Mexico.  Next time, you can drive!

So…we did make it out of New Mexico intact and took the highway into Amarillo.  Guess how the highway was?  WINDY!  But we kept up a good pace so we could make it to Fernando’s (and got Jennifer as our waitress!) before they closed…followed by another stay at Fort Amarillo RV Park. Why mess with success?

Jen

Christmas, Roswell, White Sands National Monument

Christmas, Aliens and Lots of Sand

Santa brings stockings to the RV…and a note that everything else is in KC. Oh, the anticipation. Max now wants a BB gun thanks to the movie from last night and begins doing research on ebay, Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s online. Mara is (and has been) texting her friends often…no break there even for Christmas.

Carlsbad, NM sunrise

After seeing a great sunrise in Carlsbad, we’re off on today’s adventure: White Sands – by way of Roswell. We are so preoccupied with the nasty vibration that has shown up since last night that I completely miss my photo ops with all the aliens! Good grief!

We survive the drive and arrive at White Sands National Monument (which is open – although the visitor’s center is not) and head into the dunes a couple of miles. We are not the only ones there, so it doesn’t even seem weird that we are doing this on Christmas. Mike and the kids have an amazing time in the sand – and get some great pics in the process. Mara wants to go back…maybe the next time with plastic saucers to “sled” over the dunes.

Max “jumping” the dunes

Mara enjoying the sand
Mike taking a flying leap

I get a pic of the kids by the sign…that nearly mirrors the one taken about 35 years ago of me and my brother when we visited. Holy crap…that makes me sound old.

In mid-afternoon, we pack it up and start the drive to Tucson. The highlight of the evening? Christmas Dinner at Denny’s (attached to a truck stop)! It was hard to outdo the Christmas Eve dinner at Wendy’s, but I think we might have managed it. We so rock.

Jen