Rocks and Sand (updated and finished)

After my morning soak, I headed towards City of Rocks State Park. I was told by a breathy woman at the sunrise soak that it would be amazing and it would like creatures and cities captured in stone. She also went on and on about the healing powers of the water. City of Rocks was a huge disappointment. The rocks were ok looking and it would be an awesome place to camp, especially with kids, but it wasn't much to hike and it was difficult to take any sort of pictures without an Rv being in it. Plus they weren't really that interesting. Oh well.

I stopped in Mesilla, the old part of Las Cruces to walk around the historic square and look in the shops, but this didn't entertain me for long - so off to White Sands National Monument and Missile Firing Range. On the way, I saw my first road-runner(!) running across the road.

I loved this place. The sand is WHITE and made of gypsum from a nearby lake that is drying up. Some parts of it have plants growing up all over, but the back side of the park is just dune after towering dune of pure white sand. I walked the Alkali Flats Trail which goes over the dunes and into the flats on the opposite side. This was more than enough walking on sand dunes than any one person could want (5 miles)- with the guidance of orange markers so not to perish in the dunes. Some of it was quite easy to walk on I guess bc when it rains some of the gypsum recrystallizes and is crunchy - making it easy to walk on. Don't worry there was plenty of trying to go up dunes (and sliding three feet down) and jumping and sliding down the other side. It kept me busy. I also walked the two nature trails and watched the sun set over the mountains.

So White Sands is not just a National Monument... They tested the very first atomic bomb here. The top scientists of the Manhattan project were taking bets about how powerful it would be and they all vastly underestimated it. You cannot visit the site today except twice a year (i just missed it last weekend) but there is nothing to see bc they have filled in the crater. This bomb design they tested was one that was later dropped in Japan; the other design dropped in Japan was never even tested. This area is also home to an air force base, a German air force base (the only international base on US soil (funny how we have bases all over though)), and a missile testing range. Sometimes highway 70 is closed bc they fire from one side of the range to the other and this crosses the highway.

I finished my day at White Sands and was deciding where to camp when I realized that I had NOT in fact called my hosts in Alamagordo, I had left a message at some other number - no wonder they didn't call me back. I felt bad calling them on such short notice, but they were expecting me and were happy to have me come, and I was just in time for dinner. A German dish cooked mostly for another guest coming to dinner who was from Germany. It was delicious.

The next morning, I went to see more petroglyphs at Three Rivers. Again these were petroglyphs carved into black volcanic boulders, but these glyphs were every which way on the boulders and facing every direction, there were a lot more of them, and there were a lot of interesting shapes and pictures. I later looked at the photo inventory in the office and realized how few of them I had actually seen. The ranger told me they really are everywhere. He pointed to a poster on the wall and told me he had been searching for that one - knew about where it was, but still hadn't found it.

My next stop was Smokey the Bear Historical Park. Smokey the Bear was conceived in 1945 as a way to help control forest fires and protect a valuable war time commodity - timber. They were actually afraid the Japanese would try to burn our forests. Then a huge forest fire burned through Lincoln National Forest and fire fighters rescued a bear cub (named Hotfoot teddy by the media). This cub was eventually sent to the DC zoo to be the real Smokey the Bear. Smokey the Bear is the second most recognized icon in the world - number one is Santa Claus. and 90% of Americans of any age when they see Smokey know the slogan - Only you can Prevent Forest Fires. Probably the most successful ad campaign ever. The park has his grave, a museum, and a collection of Smokey memorabilia from the forties on.

OK someone else wants the computer so I will have to finish later!

New day, new computer (dial up even!), and continue on...

After Smokey (and a roadside stop to take yet another photo with the famus icon), I traveled to Lincoln which is known for the Lincoln County War where two groups of people tried to take over town(through the trading company - a money issue really) and the members of town took sides, people died, and Billy the Kid was captured. He also shot two guards, and escaped from jail. You had to pay for the museums to see stuff and I didnt have any cash (as usual) the lady was really snotty about there not being an ATM so i decided to just walk down the street and see the town. The town is considered to be the most authentic historic town - 90% of the buildings are original. Interesting to see, but pretty boring bc nothing was open. Me and Billy did make skull faces together (picture forthcoming... eventually).

From Lincoln, I drove around to Ruidoso(ree-a doh-so) and stopped at the coolest visitor center ever. I took my photo with some aliens, Smokey, and Billy. And learned more info about the area. I was going to stop for pie, but the bakery was closed, so I drove up Sierra Blanca to check out the view. Scenic mountains with snow and trees really doesn't get old.

I joined Nori and Pat for dinner and got ready for badmiton. They had called to ask me if I wanted to play, and I had said yes, but I am pretty terrible. They assured me it didn't matter. Riiight. Pat is retired air force and now works for a GPS company that contracts out to the base, so we went and toured the base and looked at some planes (not the stealth bomber, but it is housed on the base somewhere), and went to the gym to play badmiton. Turns out, Pat and Nori are SIX-TIME GOLD MEDAL WINNERS for the state of NM Senior Olympics. Sheesh. All the other players were Germans who played all the time. So I was the worst person there and everyone was giving me tips and telling me how to serve (differently) and bc I am slightly competitive and I hate being bad, I was frustrated a lot of the time. But I did have a good time, and now my badmiton game is much better (watch out backyard players!)