NEW MEXICO

White Sands National Monument

Quite a remarkable place. Unlike regular quartz sand dunes, these are made out of gypsum, which gives it its bright white color, and it has a different consistency than quartz as well. A couple of guys were attempting to sandboard without much success -maybe it has to do with the fact that gypsum gives slightly under pressure, making it harder for the grains to roll over each other. It also makes it much easier to walk on. (If you know the answer, let me know) There is a three hour hike that goes through the dunes all the way to a vast, dry salt lake type flat area; that is supposed to be where the gypsum crystals form from evaporated water, before being broken down, eroded, and blown by the wind to form the dunes. Unfortunately I didn't have time to do that, or I would not make it to my next stop -the Very Large Array Observatory- before dark, or I would have to add another day to my journey.

Very Large Array Observatory.

To most people, the National Radio Astronomy Observatory is just a collection of big "satellite dishes" in the middle of the deset. Who cares, right? So I will just put the one token picture here.
But if you're like me, you may want to see a few more.

Roswell

This was actually my first stop in New Mexico; to my surprise, there was absolutely nothing of interest in Roswell, -I guess I was expecting some sort of UFO-freak show, or at least some sign of the events that transpired several decades ago, but other than a run-down museum, it could have been one of dozens of similar small towns.- so I didn't take any pictures and continued on.Learn How I Uncovered A Government Conspiracy