Day two: Amarillo, TX-Las Cruces, NM

Day Two –June 11, 2013

Amarillo, TX - Las Cruces, NM 
Temp: 88-109 degrees
Mileage: 400 miles
Time from hotel to hotel: 12 hours

 Cadillac Ranch

Cadillac Ranch to see some cars buried in the ground.  They were out 200 yards in a field.  There were hundreds of spray paint cans littering the bare ground.  If you could find one that still had paint in it you could tag the cars yourself.  It was sooo windy out there the boys had to spray downwind from us.

 

 

 

 

Palo Duro Canyon

 

This is the 2^nd largest canyon in America.  We drove down to the bottom and took a short hike into the dessert area.  Saw some prickly pear cactus up close that inspired Seth to make a parody of Dumb Ways to Die song.  He is going to title is Dumb Ways to Die: Vacation Style.  One line: put your face on a prickly pear.  Sullivan didn’t want to do much of the walk as the ants were huge and they were terrorizing him (his thoughts, not actual happenings).   He and Brian walked back to the car and waded in a stream.  We saw The Cowboy Dugout which was a re-creation of how the cowboys lived so long ago.  We saw some four stranded 20-somethings on the opposite side of a creek.  They had a little water but believed they’d be able to get back to their camp.  They didn’t accept water offered by us.

 

Roswell

 We drove miles thru the town and construction to find the UFO museum which should also be known as a reading museum.  There was SO much to read. Ain’t nobody got time for that! But, we did read some.  We started watching a movie about crop circle that Sullivan was very interested in.  We watched it for 20 min then found out is was a TWO HOUR movie – we’ll get the dvd or watch it on youtube.   Kids were denied their first souviener  at the alien gift shop.  They did get some ice cream later as it was 109 degrees!  I was expecting the town to be littered with touristy gimmicky aliens.  People dressed up like aliens, stores covered with aliens and an overwhelming sense that something is watching me.  I got very little of that expectation.  It was on our way so I don’t feel too jipped but over all Brian and I were not thrilled with Roswell but we can say we were there.

 

The drive from Roswell to Alamogordo covered much area. We climbed to 7200 feet and the temp dropped to 88 degrees. The topography changed from desert dry brushy area to an almost Durango, Colorado feel with large pine trees then back to dry brush lands on the decent.

 

White Sands National Monument

Um WOW! We got here near the end of our day – 5:30.  We bought out national parks pass here - $80.  Entrance would have been $12.  (Let’s keep track of that info! How much will we save this summer????).   The dunes were as the name implies – white sand for miles with occasional brushy bushes. Even though it was 102 degrees the  sand was very cool to touch.  It was also very, very soft, powdery soft.   We took off our shoes and ran up/down and up/down.  Saw some lizards quickly scurring across the sand.  Blrgh!  On the way out of the park we learned we could have used sleds to ride down the dunes! UGH  why didn’t I know that!?!?!?  How much fun could that have been.

 

 Favorite parts

Brian: The drive from Roswell to Las Cruces through the Capitan Mountains.

Seth:  White Sands was awesome.
Sully:  White Sands cuz I was doing jumps in the air and landing in soft sand.
Sarah:  White Sands – great photo ops and super soft sand.

 

Worst thing:

Brian:  The tow chains kept dragging and I had to keep fixing them. AND the construction in Roswell.
Seth: The gift shop horror of being denied a souvenir.
Sully: Too many ant hills in Palo Duro Canyon.
Sarah:  At the hotel when I lost patience and needed to sleep.