New Mexico May 2004Part IV: White Sands to Albuquerque       
   Next stop Carrizozo and the Sierra Brewing Company. This is a local microbrewery that produces, among other things, Alien Pale Ale. We couldn't resist bringing home a couple of "Alien" coasters to pass along to John's sister who was born in Roswell! John enjoyed the sample and we were told that to try some of the other varieties we should visit Weber's Grill in Ruidoso. Now, that was not on our itinerary but not terribly out of the way either, so we filed it away for consideration.
 
At the left is one of the many little lizards that kept scurrying in and out between cracks in the lava and under the low bushes. After we had our fill of lava, we decided, partly based on John's interest in the microbrews and partly because there were no apparent places to stay anywhere in the area, to drive to Ruidoso for the night. What nobody told us about, though, was the construction. The road across the mountain was very slow and only one lane in places. And the main roads in downtown Ruidoso were also all torn up. But we had a good pizza at Weber's Grill and John got a "sampler" of some more of the Sierra beers and ales which he enjoyed.   We had promised to say hello to the mother of a friend here so when we got back to Albuquerque we called her and ended up going to dinner with her at the Milagro Grill and Brewing Company in Bernalillo. The conversation was fun although the food and the service weren't very good. Saturday morning was sorting and packing up time. I'm glad we didn't have to leave very early because after "living" in a car all week, it was a little tricky to move back into just what the airlines would let us bring on the plane! But it worked and the flight to Minneapolis was fine. Dave and Katie met us at the airport and since we had arranged a long layover, they took us out to dinner and looked at our digital pictures and let us talk about the trip! On the last flight home though, we ran into some serious storms. I suspect that if this hadn't been a jet flight, it likely would have been cancelled. When we got to Waterloo, the controllers had us circle for a half hour or so while the storm passed below us. Depending on how you looked at it, it was either very exciting or very scary to watch all the lightning going on below us! However, it was a fast-moving storm and it passed by as they said it would, so we landed safely if a bit late. And Bekah and Gary (bless them) were still at the airport waiting for us to take us home! It was a fun trip. :) Click here to go back to Part 1 . . . |
Wednesday May 19: After driving through the Sacramento Mountains and
seeing once again a different side of New Mexico (above), we
arrived at Alamagordo in time for supper. After a Chinese buffet (there
were 4 or 5 within a few blocks of the motel so we gave in and tried
one) we went out to White Sands to watch the sunset. Pictures were
taken about
the same time but on different settings - interesting contrast! I
couldn't decide which I liked best so you get to see them both and
compare. :) The next morning we stopped at the Visitors' Center but it
really didn't add much
that we hadn't already known about the area. It was VERY hot and, after
our recent experience on the Juniper Ridge Trail we knew better than to
attempt too much. But we walked along the Interdune Boardwalk and then
did
the Big Dune walk (about a mile). It is incredible how much it all
looks like snow. Especially when the roads are plowed! Below center is
ricegrass (and its shadow and the ripples in the sand), to the right
are lizard tracks. In the center below that is a rather "lost"
cottonwood in the middle of the dunes! And I think the rest are
self-explanatory!
A
morning on the dunes was enough to get a feel for the environment and
we headed north to Tularosa Vineyards where John did some wine
sampling, I bought an "Aged to Perfection" t-shirt and we had lunch on
their deck where there was a pleasant breeze, we could see some early
vines (left) and a noisy mockingbird entertained us. Continuing north
we visited the Three Rivers Petroglyph site. We had seen a few
petroglyphs at Chaco Canyon but here there are over 20,000 from the
Jornada Mogollon peoples - from about the same time period as those at
Chaco: 800 - 1200 AD. The trail was only about half a mile so even in
the heat it wasn't too bad. Birds, animals, masks, sheep, lizards,
circles and X's were among the most common depictions. Some samples
below. 
Next
we drove the short distance to Valley of Fire Lava Fields (left). Yes,
really. Lava fields in the middle of New Mexico! Called the Malpais
area, the lava just bubbled out of the ground - no volcanic eruption -
leaving
125 square miles of lava field. We walked through the roughly 2 mile
trail and John gave me a lesson on types of lava. (I will never cease
to be amazed at the variety of miscellaneous facts he has squirreled
away in his brain!)
Pahoehoe lava is the long ropy kind; A`a lava is rough and spiny.
Apparently the difference is in how fast it cools. The plant life was
much like we had seen in the Carlsbad area, but sparser since they have
to fight so hard for survival.
I finally managed to catch a picture of one of the ubiquitous
mockingbirds perched on a large
chunk of lava (right). One of the points of interest is a 400 year old
juniper tree (below left) that somehow has managed to survive in this
very unfriendly environment. 
Friday May 21 We had all day to drive back to Albuquerque. We took our
time and enjoyed the different scenery. Had lunch at a Sonic Burger
just so we could say we did! We stopped at a Rock Shop in Bingham
(which appeared to consist of just that rock shop). John enjoyed
looking around and talking to the owner who claimed to have mined most
of the rocks himself. We came home with a few specimens. We stopped at
the Sevilleta Wildlife Refuge. Apparently they do a lot of research
there but they weren't set up for visitors so, after admiring their
gardens
we went on. In the picture on the right below, see the green strip in
the midst of the desert? That's the Rio Grande valley! It isn't very
wide but it does provide moisture and it's very easy to see the ribbon
of green as you drive along the highway.