Total distance driven (includes in-city driving): 12,567.8 kms (7,809.3 miles)
Average gas consumption: 18.9 L per 100 KM
From Roswell, NM we drove to Alamogordo, NM to check out the White Sands National Monument.
275 square miles of gypsum sand – it’s brilliant white in color and remains cool regardless of the temperature.
In the transition area – from desert to dunes – there are trees! Their roots are reaching down several feet to the water hidden below.
Jason heads into the dunes to check for wildlife.
Found some…like this Darkling Beetle…
…and this Bleached Earless Lizard.
The dunes are beautiful. Check out these pics below…
The missile range isn’t far either.
We stayed at Oliver Lee Memorial State Park. The price was unbelievable – $14 per night and that includes electricity and water at our campsite. What an amazing deal – the best seen so far!
This really was the perfect combination – a cheap, private campsites, hot showers, warm days, cool nights and the Sacramento Mountains at our door. Add the fact that the city was close by and movie rentals were dirt cheap (we discovered Red Box movie rentals for $1 per day!). It was so alluring we found ourselves staying day after day… days that turned into a week.
Here’s a picture of the Sacramento Mountains. Aren’t they beautiful!
Here’s one we took from our campsite.
This site was perfect – what a great place to see the sunset…
Here’s another one…
…and a great place to watch the moon rise! There it is peeking out from behind the mountain…
…and finally reaching the sky!
If the wind picks up, there are also plenty of tumbleweed ready to roll.
We also met some fellow adventurers. Paul and Frank are ‘full timers’ – they sold their home, bought a travel trailer and hit the road. The picture above was taken at Glacier National Park in Montana. They had some great sight-seeing tips.
Paul and Frank recommended the Riparian Trail leading into Dog Canyon at Oliver Lee Memorial State Park. We loved it. The views were spectacular…
Along the trail we saw a humming bird…
…and some really neat rock formations…
..but this rock formation takes the cake… because…
…while we hiked alongside these rocks we heard a rattle. We jumped away and then of course started inspecting the area to see what made the noise…
…sure enough it was a rattle snake – living under the rock – mere inches from our feet as we walked by! If this thing wanted to bite us, it could have without hesitation.
After several days enjoying the views and the weather in the area, we made the decision to hit the road. Next up…Albuquerque, NM.