Desert and White Sands

I left alien country today for Apache country (we dropped into Casino Apache!) and judging by all the bear imagery, bear country as well, not to mention Billy the Kid country (you know, that Wild West gunslinging outlaw teen!).

I visited the Space Museum in Alamogordo and made first sightings of cacti, dust devils and a sign declaring 'get your rattle snake vaccine here'!

I drove past the site of the first atomic testing, and I dug my feet into the silky hot sands of the White Sands National Monument! (275 square miles of gypsum dunes).

I loved the transition to incredible desert terrain...and I was transfixed by the clouds!

Our travels took us within 50 miles of the Mexico border and we were checked (for illegal stowaways I presume) by stern officers at a check point near Deming, New Mexico. My passport was conveniently buried under piles of luggage, but we were eventually allowed on our way. I think Lashi won them over with his enthusiastic promotion of Tuesday’s Transit of Venus event.

By the way, after much nail biting angst and weather checking, we decided to continue along our original route to Tucson, Arizona to shoot the transit!

We got into the tiny, arid town of Deming tired and hungry, unfortunately it was Sunday and 9pm and there were virtually no restaurants open. We ate at an atrocious Chinese Buffet, but the beautiful full moon rising over the desert landscape was all that mattered.

Here is our route map (subject to change on a whim!).


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