Isn’t weather Grand?!?
We got here on Saturday and didn’t plan much for Sunday. It was laundry day, and we had to deal with our decision to cancel our imminent 5-day camping trip to Guadalupe Mountains National Park…figure out our re-route and make new reservations. Thought maybe we’d do an afternoon Museum Trip. NOPE! Mark went to get the last batch of laundry from the dryer, wearing a mask, because the wind was picking up and blowing lots of dust around. That’s when we got the weather warning.
So we battened down the hatches, and just hunkered down in Lizzy. The wind did start to lessen by mid afternoon, but the dust didn’t really settle till later. Here’s a picture out of the kitchen window. Exciting day.
Tuesday was clear and relatively calm…a perfect day for our re-visit (1st time in 2015) to nearby White Sands National Park (#57-Revisit). We drove the 8 mile Dunes Drive and did the 5-mile Alkali Flat Trail. Walking UP sand dunes is, ah, challenging. Following the “Trail” was sometimes challenging. Walking DOWN sand dunes was like walking down a hill in light snow. It was a really fun and sometimes surreal hike…SO COOL!
We made it back in time for dinner with Ginny & Benny, who were arriving for one night, heading west from Carlsbad. We made King Salmon dinner with some of Mark’s September Vancouver Island fishing trip. They brought apps, wine and dessert. GREAT catching up / swapping camping/hiking stories. Saw them off this morning, and then drove north a bit to Three Rivers Petroglyph Site. Did the short hike to see the Petroglyphs and a shorter one to see the remnants of a First Peoples Village. We maybe saw a dust storm to the west and decided not to hang around too long!
But we still stopped at PistachioLand on our way back…saw the Largest Pistachio in the World and did a little shopping (some Pistachios, Pistachio Brittle, and some Green Chili Salsa).
Heading to Carlsbad tomorrow…early to avoid driving in high winds
For more pictures, see (in-work) Adventure Album: Nuclear New Mexico+
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