We got up early in the morning on Tuesday.  Trish did the laundry at a laundromat  next door to Walmart.  There’s something to be said for having half a dozen washers and dryers available at once; laundry went much faster than at home.

We packed up, dumped tanks at the Alamogordo Chamber of Commerce, then went to the East side of town to the New Mexico Museum of Space History.

A Little Joe II in the background, in front of the fin unit of an American-built V2:

 

A docent demonstrated the insulatory properties of a Space Shuttle hull tile:

 

This sled track was used to do G-force and ejection system testing on astronauts:

 

We then headed West towards White Sands Missile Range, stopping briefly at White Sands again, this time to try sliding down the dunes on a snow disc, which was only marginally successful.

At White Sands Missile Range, we had to leave the vehicle outside the gate, had to show IDs, and could only take photographs on the grounds of the museum, and only facing West, away from the base and the test range.

The museum consists of a small building with exhibits, which we had to rush through as we arrived 10 minutes before the 4pm closing time.  They also have a building with a V2 rocket lying on it’s side.  It’s quite large up close.

There’s also a large outdoor area, showcasing missile systems tested or developed at the range.

Fat Man in front of a Patriot Missile rack:

 

B called this one the “Lipstick rocket”:

 

Posing with an F-4 Phantom II:

 

We left the museum at 4:30 or so, and headed West and then North to City of Rocks State Park.  We came over a rise, and there it was, a natural Stonehenge with hundreds of standing stones:

 

We were going to stay on BLM land just outside the park, but we decided to stay in the campground so we could hike around after sunset.  We had two neighbors:

 

Once out in the stone field, it became quite labyrinthine and exciting to explore:

 

B said “Take a picture with the sun coming through the hole.”  Quite the photographic eye, that one:

 

Moonrise over the stones:

 

Other than the low clouds on the horizon, the sky was beautiful, with the Milky Way quite visible:

 

Another great day!  We drove about 190 miles today.  Here we have the NM Space Museum (B), White Sands Missle Range Museum (C), and City of Rocks State Park (D):

On Sunday morning, we left Dallas and headed east on I-20 to the Odessa Meteor Crater outside of Odessa, TX.  It’s not a very big hole, or very deep, having been filled in over time.

Next we set up our first dispersed camping site near Carlsbad Caverns National Park:

We left the RV behind and drove up to the cave to watch the bats come out at dusk.  It was really something to see.  There’s a video here.

Here’s a map of today’s drive.  The Odessa Meteor Crater is point “B”.  We drove 521 miles today.

 

Monday morning, we drove back up to Carlsbad Cavern hiked down into the cave:

The chamber in the darkness beyond is where the bats roost:

 

The rooms were surprisingly large:

 

The entrance to the “Big Room”, which has a floor space of 350,000 square feet, and is 750 feet below ground:

 

We left Carlsbad Caverns around noon, picked up the RV, and went for a hike in McKittrick Canyon at Guadalupe Mountains National Park:

 

B was tired, so M carried her for a bit:

 

After the hike, we drove towards White Sands National Monument to catch the sunset tour.  We took route 62, which was completely desolate for 100 miles.  Good thing we had enough gas.

White Sands is beautiful at sunset, and the sand is indeed white!

 

This shrub grows higher and higher as the dune moves in.  When the dune moves away, the plant’s roots hold back the sand to form a tower.  This tower was about 30 feet high:

 

B and M sliding down the dunes:

We were going to spend the night on BLM land near White Sands, but decided to stay at the Walmart in Alamagordo so we could do laundry in the morning.

Here’s today’s driving map of our 277 mile route, showing Carlsbad Cavern (B), Guadalupe Mountains (C), and White Sands (D).

Last year’s vacation worked out so well, mechanical difficulties notwithstanding, that we decided to do it again.  A bit more South this time, and about 1,000 miles farther.  6,266 miles in 21 days.  The plan was to leave Wednesday night, be in Dallas for Shabbos, spend the first week working our way to the second Shabbos in Phoenix, spend the second week working our way towards the third Shabbos in Denver, and then drive the last 1,831 miles back over Sunday and Monday:

 

We left Wednesday night, and by early Thursday morning we had driven 300 miles were bunked down at the Walmart of Winchester, VA:

 

First stop Thursday, Shenandoah National Park:

 

We were more than a little disappointed.  Compared to the National Parks of the West, Shenandoah wasn’t at all impressive.  The vistas were comparable to the views from the foothills of Oregon.

 

We did see a bear family crossing the road:

 

Continuing East, we passed within 20 miles of the TrailManor Factory, but passed by too late at night to visit.  That night, after driving 816 miles, we stayed at the Walmart in Nashville, TN:

 

We drove most of Friday (451 miles) and spent Shabbos in Dallas, and had the pleasure of being hosted for meals by two very nice families (names withheld for privacy).  The house at which we parked had it’s own RV pad!  Dallas was hot, but the A/C held up OK.

Here’s a map showing where we overnighted: