March 9 Monday Las Cruces Mesilla Alamogordo

We had a good night at the Chili Inn. It has a huge chile pepper out front. Another couple took a picture of us out front.

Ten minutes later we arrived at the New Mexico Farm & Ranch Museum. The place looked deserted but the CAA book said it was a "GEM" so we went in. They promised a "Dairy" movie which did not materialize and the greenhouse was locked.

The sheep, goats and horses were around for us to look at.  In the halls the exhibits were quite well done but we were on a schedule so we skimmed through.

Nearby Mesilla has maintained a historical section of town with an old town atmosphere and shops. The most interesting site is the building where Billy the Kid was found guilty and sentenced to hang in 1881.

When I read about White Sands National Monument, I thought I would very much like to see it. It happened to be on our way to our next stop. Driving to White Sands through the San Augustin Pass had us stopping to take pictures of the view.

Half an hour later, we arrived at White Sands. The Visitor Center provided some information about the area and its geological origins. Driving through the park, we were astounded to see how much the sand looked like snow. The dunes are huge and white and they have to shovel the sand off the roads. Kids were toboganing down the hills. Carl took his shoes off and climbed up the dune. Just then it started raining; just a little rain for just a few minutes but it was enough for people to pack up and leave, as we did.

In Alamogordo, we checked into our new home for the next two days and made plans for dinner.