NEW MEXICO - Space History Museum and White Sands Monument

Sacramento Mountains as seen in the east from our motorhome in the morning at Boot Hill RV Park.

Beautiful, yes?

Some homes and yards in Alamogordo.

No need of a lawn mower here!! But we did see a man in front of his garage with a hand mower. Hmmm???

Gary's cousins have sprinklers and a green lawn, but those are few and far between. It is a different environment around here for sure!! But beautiful also!!

We spent a day going to the International Space History Museum east of Alamogordo. It was interesting and had a beautiful view of the city below from their parking lot.

The world's first astro chimp is buried next to the flag pole on the grounds of this museum. This was a rocket track for testing gravitational forces on a human being. The first experimental sleds used on these tracks were completed in August of 1962.

They also had an IMAX Theatre that showed pictures very similar to what we had seen at Cape Kennedy in Florida. But it was just as interesting the second time around!!

Even more fun than the Space Museum was the White Sands National Monument to the west of our location here at the RV Park. This National Monument is eight miles of driving and we enjoyed every minute of it. There was quite a wind that day so we took plenty of the while sand home with us. Gary filled a pill bottle with what was inside of his shoes which he will send to our grandson. Actually it is not sand, but gypsum that has been ground into sand texture over the years by the winds of the prairies here. However, it looks like and is fun like snow!!

Enjoy the pictures and Gary's fun!!

Upon entering the museum we saw another RV from Australia. They are so noticable as different from any made in the US. We did not get to see the people driving this though.

We then went on to enter the grounds with the San Andres Mountains in the background to the west.

Here water is on the sands that must evaporate as the sand is too dense for it to soak down into the soil beneath.

Audrey standing beside the road we traveled through the monument grounds. The roads looked to have been plowed each morning. It reminded us of the sand road that our friends in South Carolina live on. It was plowed also and looked like snow at night even though it was not white.

Sandy and Mike we think of you often!!

Gary standing on the long nature study boardwalk in through the dunes.

These are a FEW of the many plants of the prairie that are throughout the sands. There are even trees that are nearly covered with sand and only the upper branches show!!

Going farther into the grounds there are some picnic tables for people to use. At first I thought the cover was for the sun, but thinking about it now, I do believe that it is probably protection from the blowing sand. All I can think of for picnicing would be a mouth full of sand. Ughhh!!

We stopped to watch the kids play on the dunes and Gary decided to climb one.

Magnificent drifts!!!!!!!!

Then on down the road when Gary spotted a neglected sled, the real fun began!!

And all good things must come to an end, or so they say!!

Stay with us and see what else we find to do. Take care and God Bless.