Alamogordo, NM & White Sands National Park (June 4, 5, 6, 2023)

​Again, I did not get much sleep and left Lubbock around 6:30am. I followed the reverse directions out of town using exit 14.  I still got some clay mud dirt on the car and trailer, but not as bad and the ride was much smoother.  On my 5-hour drive to Alamogordo, NM I stopped in Roswell, NM for breakfast at the Cowboy Café.  The locals in the café were so helpful.  I realized when I stopped for breakfast the small amount of clay mud, I had on the trailer was turning to cement.  I needed to get it off before it caused damage/stains to the skin of the Vistabule.  They pointed me to a car wash that was willing to power wash VistaKat #201 and wipe it down so the clay did not stain the surface.   Roswell, NM was interesting and fun to see the Aliens around town, LOL. 
I arrived in Alamogordo, NM by 11:30am- the hottest part of the day.  Rather than set up camp, I drove straight to White Sands National Park.  Perfect timing – June 4th was a full moon, and the National Park was open until 11PM with special programming.  To take advantage of the late-night programs, I went to Oliver Lee Memorial State Park to set up camp.  The state park host came to welcome me and answer questions.  The facilities were well maintained, and convenient.  The campsite was situated with desert foliage around it.  This meant very little wind or storm breaks surrounded the trailer. 
I drove back to White Sands National Park and had time to explore the park before meeting Ranger Thoran for the 1-mile sunset hike through the sand dunes.  White Sands National Park is tucked-away in the Tularosa Basin in southern New Mexico in the Chihuahuan Desert covering 275 square miles of the largest gypsum dune field in the world.  The Ranger shared the history, science, and wildlife of White Sands during the walk.  When the Permian Sea retreated millions of years ago, deep layers of gypsum were left behind.  Mountains rose and carried the gypsum high.  Later melting glacial water dissolved the mineral and returned it to the basin.  Today rain and snow continue the process.  We ended the walk at the top of a sand dune to watch the sun set over the park.    After sunset, I stayed to wait for the full moon to rise.  Unfortunately, during that time, the clouds rolled in, and I could not see the moon rise.  When I arrived back at Oliver Lee Memorial State Park the moon had risen with very little cloud cover.  I stayed up until 11:30pm to take pictures of the full moon.  I slept very well that night. 
The next morning, I went back to White Sands National Park to hike in the cooler morning hours.  I had my picnic breakfast and set off for a 1-mile hike on the Dune Trail.  Hiking in the sand dunes is much different than hiking in an east coast forest, LOL.  I missed trail markers, and when tried to follow other footsteps I realized they were lost too.  After retracing my steps and getting back on track a few times, it turned into a 2-mile hike in sand – good workout!  The rest of the day was dedicated to exploring Alamogordo, NM and Cloudcroft, NM.  I had to find out what the Largest Pistachio was all about, so I made my way to Pistachio land.  I did some taste testing, bought some very fresh pistachios, and looked around at the property and store.  It was starting to get very hot, so I headed into the hills to explore Cloudcroft, NM.  Cloudcroft is a small mountain town located in the Lincoln National Forest and from its inception it was always designed as a tourist destination while the west was being settled.  After walking around the small town, I decided to stick around during the hottest park of the day and spend time at the library using their WIFI and working.  The drive out of Cloudcroft back to Alamogordo was just as beautiful on the way down as it had been on the way up – souring mountain vistas, and beautiful fluffy clouds made for amazing views.  Unfortunately, there were no pull offs, and narrow roads, so photography was impossible. 
After organizing dinner and getting settled in at the campsite for the evening, it became apparent that a thunderstorm with 50 mile an hour winds would be coming through later that night.  At 8pm the storm arrived but only lasted for a few hours - the storm was as advertised on the weather app.  It was scary being in a small teardrop trailer with a fierce storm raging, but VistaKat #201 came through like a champ; the trailer stayed grounded, it rocked but did not move off the chocks, and nothing flew off or was damaged in the storm. 
The lack of sleep due to storms, and the long days of travel and exploring finally caught up with me.  I spent my last morning in NM leisurely having breakfast, cooking for the coming days, and getting organized for the next leg of the trip.  As it started to get hot again, I headed out with my picnic lunch to find a shady place to eat – not an easy task in the desert with few shade trees.  I went back to Pistachio Land to use their covered patio and take the tour of the property and learn more about the agriculture of the area. 
Pistachio Land is a family owned and operated business (McGinn Family) that raises grape vines and pistachio trees.  The pistachio trees were all imported from the middle east.  The only places in the USA that grow pistachios are CA, AZ, and NM.  McGinn Sr, handed down the business to McGinn Jr, who built the giant 30 foot pistachio in honor of his father who started the business.  The business harvests and produces both pistachios and 4 varieties of wine. The tram tour through the property was led by Aaron who shared the history and techniques used on the property to produce the crops. 
I headed back to camp in the late afternoon when it was still hot enough to need the air conditioner in VistaKat #201 for the first time on the trip.  Again, the weather channel indicated another nighttime storm with 50 mile an hour wind.  I felt much more confident about riding out the storm, so made sure I had dinner, and settled in for the night.  Only this night there was a group of women who were setting up a tent camp before leaving around 7pm.  I asked if they were aware of the storm coming, and they assured me they did.  It did not work out too well, by 8pm the tent had blown over and was starting to roll away despite the stakes they used and the reinforcement of rocks on the bottom of the tent.  By 9:30 during the storm they were back using headlights to light the area while they broke down camp and left.  I felt bad for them, but I had to laugh too.  It was like a 3 stooges show to watch.  The storm was over by 10pm, and again VistaKat #201 made it through like a champ.