Oct. 3 & 4, 2010

After a morning chat and cutting out supplies for Nancy's math class in a Tucson school, we went for a walk around the neighborhood.  We did this while waiting for a AAA truck to come unlock my car!  When Nancy had suggested a walk, I'd gone out to get my tennis shoes from the car and, also, put my bag into the back of the car.  On the way, I'd thought to myself, "Put the keys in your pocket, not in the car!"  I'm sure you have the picture; I slammed the back gate and looked right at my keys on top of my suitcase!  I was so mad at myself, but at least I had joined AAA for this trip ... and it came in handy.  I can't even compare this to anything I remember about Lewis and Clark so I had nothing to do but be mad!  But I called AAA, they said it would be about an hour, and Nancy and I went for a walk.

Marc and Nancy's neighborhood is very pretty, and she taught me a few of the plants: paddle cactus (regular and purple), saguaro cactus, mesquite, creosote.

Paddle Cactus in Bloom

Purple Paddle Cactus

A cool thing Nancy taught me is the way to identify creosote.  You hold a leafy branch gently in your hands and blow on it; then you breath in where you blew and it should smell like rain.  Lo and behold, it does; I'd smelled desert rain on Saturday as I was driving to Vail.

Nancy told me about some of the critters that frequent their area.  One day a scorpion crawled into the house when Marc opened the door to go outside to sweep the patio.  Also, neighbors are sometimes bothered by pack rats which eat through just about anything.  I've always thought pack rats were only people!  Friday night Nancy had heard coyotes fighting not far from their house, and I remember her writing once that a snake was outside her kitchen window.  During our walk she saw a roadrunner, but it was too quick for me.  In their neighborhood they've also seen desert pigs, Javelinas.

After our walk. the retrieval of my keys, some great political conversation, and a bit of lunch, I set out for Las Cruces, NM.  I had a four hour trip ahead of me, but it was okay because the scenery was interesting and the road straight.  Marc had warned me about some fascinating rocks on the way to NM, which I stopped to take pictures of.  It appeared as if someone had placed them very intentionally, and with a very, very substantial crane.  It's hard to get any perspective, but just imagine ENORMOUS!

Rocks Carefully Stacked

Stacked Rock

The closer I got to New Mexico, the greener it became, and shortly after I entered the state,  I crossed the Continental Divide at 4,845'.  I arrived in Las Cruces around 6:00 p.m. and got ready to head toward White Sands National Monument ( a second recommendation of Nancy and Marc's) in the morning.

Starting out today, I got onto US Rte. 70 heading northeast from Las Cruces.  The drive to the White Sands Monument was relatively short, but first I arrived at White Sands Missile Range (Birthplace of Missile Activity in the US) which covers most of a huge basin surrounded by mountains.  From looking at a map, it looks as if the Range is about 150 miles long and maybe 60 miles wide; the monument is part of the range.  I have a couple of shots that show the range land ... vast desert basin, but quite beautiful.

As I continued on, the road was a ribbon of concrete.  I felt as if the only things present were my car, the road, the electric lines ... there were very few cars when I was there.  Along with those few present, however, I was stopped at a checkpoint where a very large and official military man asked only if I was a US citizen ... no document needed, just the question.  I wondered if I was profiled!

Electric Lines and Road

Arrival at the monument was relatively quiet.  There were several visitors, but  no rangers present.  So there were no maps, no chances to ask questions, but the signs along the drive and through the Dune Life Nature Trail were terrific.  Some facts of note: the dunes only get 10" of rain a year so animals and plants have had to adapt (many animals have also evolved to be white in color), Rio Grande Poplar Trees survive because 3' below the sand surface there is water, and the poplar's roots grow to that water, there are no rivers in the Tularosa Basin.

White Sands National Monument Visitor's Center

Here are a few pictures of the biggest sand pile you will ever see ... 275 sq. miles of dunes, all created eons ago by water washing gypsum from the San Andres and Sacramento Mountains into the Tularosa Basin when this area was covered by sea water.  The action continues today, but more slowly. Small amounts of water now collect in playas, temporary lakes that are created by run-off from the mountains.  When the water evaporates, the gypsum carried in the water is left and eventually becomes part of the the dunes.

The brown spot in the center is a playa ... there's a little reflection of the dune behind.

Sand!  Large bushes are sumac ... they provide good shelter for small animals during the day.

Deep in the dunes ... dark on horizon is a mountain range.

Interdune desert floor ... desert floor is encroached upon by dunes.

I left the dunes around 1:00 p.m. and continued north to Alamogordo, where I  picked up US Rte 54, a two-lane road that took me through some interesting countryside.  I passed, while still paralleling White Sands Missile Range, the Oscuro Bombing Range.  And as soon as I got north of White Sands I noticed some signs of agriculture, not a lot, but some.  The soil is a pink color through this region and there were pecan and pistachio groves, alfalfa and hay fields, and a few vineyards.  The further northeast I drove, the more cattle ranching I saw.  The stretches of land continued and a vast cloud overhead filled the space with visible rain.  There were fewer mountains, some grand mesas with that wonderful pink and red rock, dotted with green vegetation.  I passed two wind-fields, one right on top of a mesa, but neither as large as the Palm Springs field.

Approaching Rain

Mesas in the Distance

I got to I40 around 4:30 and determined I'd continue to Amarillo, TX, even though I would get there later than I wanted.  But I felt good and it was a goal, so I went for it.  Once in TX, the land changed; no longer were there mountains or mesas.  It was totally flat grassland and there were lots of cattle grazing.  In contrast to the cattle in fields, I passed, too, a feeding lot which was huge.  I hope those cattle were there temporarily and not for their entire lives.  In Texas the architecture changed, too.  Once again it was brick and board; the style was ranch, the houses were like what I see anyplace in the Midwest ... no more the adobe of the true southwest.  But the drive was quick and I got to Amarillo just as the sun was setting ... a great time to stop!