Alamogordo, New Mexico

04/11/2014

Friday was our day to move on to Alamogordo, but we had to wait until after a phone conference with the Cane Patch Board of Directors. (The Cane Patch is our condominium in Myrtle Beach) We had the bus ready to go and departed as soon as we concluded our quarterly meeting. The route was only about 125 miles so it was an easy run. One hundred miles was due west and crossed a wide flat plain. As we drove across the vast expanse I sensed a slight uphill grade. 

Lincoln National Forest

We could see the mountain range from a long way off, but were still surprised when we reached it. The mountains were covered with evergreen trees and the valley of the mountain pass was lush with grass. This is definitely not the barren rock New Mexico we’re used to. As we got closer to the western side of the mountain range we started getting glimpses of the valley far below. We had gradually climbed to 8500 feet and would now descend to 4500 feet in 16 miles. 

Highway 82's rapid descent from the Sacramento mountains

We had 26,000 lbs going downhill but between the jeep and the motorhome we have 8 brake calipers and 10 tires gripping the road. We descended in 2^nd gear and used intermittent braking to stay below 35 mph while enjoying the varied and beautiful countryside as the mountain pass cut thru Lincoln National Forest.

Mountain tunnel in Lincoln National Park

Once again we are guests of an Elks Lodge, this one in Alamogordo, New Mexico. We are enjoying a full hookup site plus Wi-Fi for a $15 a night donation. The lodge is in a nice neighborhood on the outskirts of town, a new housing development on one side and a golf course on the other.

Maggie rolling in the golf course grass

This afternoon after the last two golf duo’s played thru; I took the girls for a run on the edge of the course. Both dogs enjoyed running on the lush green grass but Maggie was in 7^th heaven. She rolled and rolled in the grass, stopping to scratch her back and nuzzling her snout into the golf course turf. This is probably the first thick green grass she’s had to play in since Bayou Segnette Park near New Orleans. Dixie the little lady stretched her retractable leach to its limit to distance herself from her rambunctious sister.

Millie on top of a sand dune

We toured White Sands National Monument which is about 13 miles west of town. We did the driving tour, walked the boardwalk thru the dunes, and climbed to the top of a dune for pictures. Not to belittle the park, it is amazing to see all that powdered gypsum, but the thing that sticks in my mind is the big sign at the entrance. In two languages it said “Absolutely no alcohol allowed in the park between February 1 and May 31^st.” What?  I just had to ask the toll attendant. She must get asked the question a lot because she answered right away “It’s because of Spring Break”. At first it seemed a little crazy but it makes sense, it’s a long way to the traditional spring break beaches and the only thing missing here is the water.

Sand dunes cover an eighteen by three mile area

Back in Alamogordo we did a driving tour of this home to 31,000. The most unusual thing we noticed is the whole town is low level, 95% of the buildings are less than 2 stories high. After a brief resupply stop at Wal-Mart we sat down to one of the best Mexican meals we’ve ever had. It was at a local restaurant called Margo’s and everything about the meal was just excellent. Dinner for 2 including tip and tax was $30. and we took home enough for another meal.

PS: White Sands was the third time this trip we’ve used our National Parks Senior Pass for no cost entry. The pass only costs $10 and is good for life, it’s a good deal