 When you hear the word Colorado, you likely think of mountains, snow, and skiing — and for good reason. Even the state’s license plates depict snowcapped mountains. The state boasts 4,053 named mountains, including 58 peaks higher than 14,000 feet, according to PeakVisor. And it averages 67.3 inches of snowfall each year, according to Uncover Colorado. That’s more than 5.5 feet. With those statistics, we weren’t surprised to awake to a white blanket outside our windows near Alamosa in April. Fortunately, it wasn’t a travel day. We lay low, and the snow melted before noon.  We were, however, amazed not to find a muddy mess as a result. We attributed that to Southern Colorado’s high desert geology. Sand covered the ground. Even more surprising was our realization that Colorado hosts Great Sand Dunes National Park, a strange phenomenon surrounded by towering, snowcapped mountains that reach the sky. In fact, the park is home to the tallest sand dunes in North America, rising up to 750 feet from base to crest, according to the National Park Service. The U.S. Geological Survey reports that average sand dunes measure up to 100 meters (328 feet) high. Intrigued, we decided to check them out for ourselves. Visiting Great Sand Dunes National Park As we drew near to the park, the dunes came into view. They didn’t seem like much in light of the colossal peaks looming behind them. And they definitely looked out of place. Like many others, we wondered what had caused sand dunes to be in such a mountainous location.  The 20-minute film in the visitor center gave us the answer: Every year, the surrounding Sangre de Cristo Mountains and San Juan Mountains shed their snow. As they do, the snowmelt carries sediment and pebbles from the mountains to the flatter ground. Over time, that accumulated to create these sandy hills that continue to be shaped by the wind. Satisfied with that answer, we loaded into Gulliver and drove to the dunes to see these marvels up close. With the wind in our faces, we started hiking, not an easy feat in the oxygen-deprived 7,500-foot elevation. The sand gave way under our feet, making us work for each step forward. Our hearts beat hard, and breath didn’t come easily. We reached a midway crest and sat down to rest and take in our surroundings. Unlike White Sands National Park, where lots of visitors sled down on round saucers, the mode of choice here was a sandboard. Similar to a snowboard, it has footholds. We watched a young man gracefully navigate down a slope, only to fall at the end. The sand, quite the opposite of fluffy snow, has no cushioning qualities. He lay on the ground for a while before eventually getting up. We opted not to attempt a high-speed descent here. As we sat on our perch, wind blew the sand grains all around us, covering our clothes and even filling our pockets. We relished the cooling breeze and magnificent views before making our descent, grateful we had made a point to visit this amazing wonder. You might also like Experiencing the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta. 
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 Durango, Colorado, in the Four Corners area, has a long railroad history. In fact, the city was founded by the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad in 1880 for mining purposes, and the railroad arrived the following year. Today, the city is still known for railroads — specifically, the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. Narrow gauge means the rails are about 3 feet, 6 inches apart. As a result, they can maneuver tighter curves than their standard gauge counterparts (4 feet, 8.5 inches apart), making them ideal for mountainous areas. Although most narrow gauge railroads in the U.S. have ended operations, a couple of them are still in service for passenger rides. The Durango and Silverton is one of them. The White Pass and Yukon Route in Alaska is the other. While journeying across Southern Colorado, we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to go back in time and experience the railroad in Durango. Here’s what it was like to ride the Durango-Silverton train. Climbing aboard Since the train line isn’t open to Silverton until early May, and we were in Durango in April, we opted for the five-hour Cascade Canyon round trip. Not knowing if we’d ever be in Durango again, we splurged for a first-class car, which gave us each a window seat with a wooden table between us, complimentary soft drinks, a breakfast muffin, souvenir cups, and a tote bag.  After getting our fifth wheel situated at the La Plata County Fairgrounds (for much cheaper than a campground in the area), we nestled in for the night, eager for our adventure the next day. We arrived a half hour early for our 9:15 a.m. departure time, parked, and followed volunteers’ guidance across the railroad tracks to get our first glimpse of the train. Heat emanated from engine 482, and white smoke floated into the bright blue sky. We snapped some photos, boarded our car, and settled into 20th-century luxury.  The interior decor beckoned back to the 1880s: wooden beams and tables, padded wooden chairs, wire racks above our heads for luggage, a wooden counter, and a uniformed attendant who served us and shared stories about the train and the experience we were about to embark on.  Chugging along Two long, loud whistles sounded from the engine, and the train chugged into action, moving slowly as we meandered through town, passing people waving and taking pictures. The car moved back and forth, feeling less stable than a B-25 WWII bomber, as it followed the Animas River, offering beautiful views. The curvy, climbing route ascended through the San Juan Mountains, part of the Rocky Mountain Range, as the train rocked to and fro. The smell of burning oil from the engine drifted through the open windows, which offered breathtaking views of steep cliff faces, deep canyons, and the winding river.  Letting off steam One long whistle burst from the engine as the train slowed to a stop to refill its water supply. A few minutes and whistles later, the train roared back into action. After a couple of hours, we had navigated 26 miles and climbed about 1,500 feet in elevation to the Cascade Wye, where the train stopped moving and then backed up to get into position to take us back down to Durango. It came to a complete halt and let all 200 passengers off to wander the expansive area and enjoy lunch while the crew recharged. The destination gave us opportunities to capture more pictures with the train, this time in a mountain setting. We ambled away from the group to the rushing river and basked in its peaceful burbling, the wind in our faces. We lingered there, exploring the variety of colorful rocks. After trekking to the last of the 16 train cars, we noticed a wooden pedestrian bridge spanning the river and hurried toward it for a different perspective on the location, which featured fire pits and picnic tables. Contented, we slowly worked our way back to the train, not wanting to get left behind. Although we found the area inviting, we had been warned that the next train wouldn’t arrive until the following day. Backtracking We returned to our seats about five minutes before the engineer blasted the train’s whistle to warn passengers that we were about to depart. Since the train had made an about face, the journey back into town highlighted different scenery. We traded stunning glimpses of canyons and valleys for close-ups of craggy rocks that nearly hugged the train in places. We walked to the deck on the back of our car to experience the outside views for a bit before settling in for the duration. The way down the mountains offered different sensations as the couplers between train cars jerked from slack to taut. Still, we enjoyed the excursion into the valley and the captivating scenery it provided.  After two hours of descent, the train reached the end (er, beginning?) of the line and pulled back into the Durango station. We exited our car grateful that we had taken advantage of the opportunity to embark on such an amazing adventure.
You might also like 3 adventurous things to do in Alamogordo, New Mexico.  In five years of full-time RVing, we’ve seen a lot that this great country has to offer, from vast oceans to towering mountains to broad prairies to rolling hills to expansive deserts. Although we had managed to stand in three states at one point — South Dakota, Minnesota, and Iowa — one goal eluded us: visiting the Four Corners Monument, the only place in America where you can stand in four states at once. A brass plate in the ground marks the junction of Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona.  Much of the Four Corners region belongs to the Navajo Nation, as does the monument. Getting there from any direction requires driving through reservation land. We had traveled through the Navajo Nation from north to south on two different occasions — once on the western portion and once on the eastern. But we’d never driven through it west to east or vice versa. We used the Page, Arizona, area as our jumping-off point. After spending a week about 45 minutes southeast of Page in alluring Marble Canyon near Lees Ferry, we were ready to move on. We navigated to U.S. Route 160, which, coincidentally, is also known as the Navajo Trail — for good reason. It starts in the midwest section of the Navajo Nation and takes travelers northeast, directly to Four Corners before continuing into and across Southern Colorado and ending in Southeastern Missouri. In a three-hour span, stretching high desert gave way to beautiful red rocks, fascinating formations, and panoramic views. Eight flags flying in the wind signified we had reached the Four Corners Monument. We stopped at a booth, paid our $8 per-person entrance fee, and found a parking spot to take advantage of this rare opportunity and snap photos as proof.  Where to from here? From Four Corners, exploration opportunities abound in every direction, all rich in Native American history. Northeastern Arizona showcases Monument Valley, also part of the Navajo Nation and the most famous area of the Four Corners region. Featured in numerous movies and popularized by Forrest Gump’s enduring run in the eponymous film, the spectacular red rock formations draw more than 400,000 annual visitors to see the marvels for themselves, according to bluffutah.org. We had the privilege of glimpsing the incredible buttes in 2021 and found ourselves in awe of the amazing landscape, although we opted not to pay the fee to get up close.  Southeastern Utah boasts its own red rocks and magnificent formations en route to Moab and stunning national parks, including Canyonlands and Arches. Northwestern New Mexico features the largest city of the Four Corners region, Farmington, with a population greater than 46,000, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The area is also home to Zuni Pueblo, the state’s largest, as well as Aztec Ruins National Monument and Navajo Lake State Park. In Southwestern Colorado, vast farmlands coexist with historical sites, including Canyons of the Ancients National Monument and Mesa Verde National Park, which displays one of the best-preserved cliff dwellings. Finding direction Having spent ample time in Arizona, Utah, and New Mexico — though more in the Albuquerque area than the northwest — we opted to head to Southern Colorado. We had originally planned to spend much of our 2025 travel season in Colorado but changed our minds after driving Interstate 25 from Wyoming to Albuquerque in 2024. The traffic congestion, on a Saturday, made us want to avoid our old stomping grounds in the Denver area, where we had lived as newlyweds. During that time, we didn’t explore much of Colorado outside of Denver. The state offers a different landscape and climate than the other parts of the Four Corners region, with breathtaking views of snow-capped mountains that make us grateful for our Creator and the RV life we get to lead. You might also like 3 cool things to do in Yuma, Arizona.   South Dakota is known as the Mount Rushmore State. It’s also our state of domicile. As such, we made a point to visit its eponymous monument to the birth, growth, development, and preservation of our country while boondocking near the Badlands. The 60-foot-tall granite faces of Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln took 14 years to complete. Today, those faces greet more than 2 million visitors annually on a mountain that stands 5,725 feet high in the Black Hills, a 5 million-acre forest plagued by controversy. Only 16 miles away is another, much larger granite monument we didn’t know about at the time we visited Mount Rushmore. This one, of Crazy Horse, is a tribute to Native Americans. Like us, you may have heard of Mount Rushmore and wonder if the Crazy Horse Memorial is worth visiting. Read on to decide for yourself. Envisioning Another Monument The entire Black Hills area was sacred to numerous Native American tribes and was granted to the Sioux and Arapaho tribes through a treaty in 1868. When Colonel George Custer and his expedition team found gold in the area in 1874, the Americans wanted the land for themselves. This led to the Battle of Little Bighorn, which ended with the tribes losing their rights to the land. Before the completion of Mount Rushmore, Lakota Sioux Chief Henry Standing Bear commissioned New England sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski, who assisted sculptor Gutzon Borglum on Mount Rushmore, to carve another sculpture in the area to honor Native Americans. “My fellow chiefs and I would like the white man to know the red man has great heroes, too,” Chief Standing Bear wrote. Ziolkowski met the chief in 1940. After serving a call of duty in WWII, Ziolkowski agreed to take on the project to create a 100-foot sculpture of Crazy Horse, the Lakota war leader who fought the U.S. government to preserve Native American land and the Lakotan way of life. In 1946, Ziolkowski sculpted a scale model of Crazy Horse. A year later, he moved to the Black Hills to begin working on the full-scale project. Upon arrival, Ziolkowski decided to enlarge the sculpture to 563 feet, even though he knew he could never finish it in his lifetime. While five of the nine survivors of the Battle of Little Bighorn looked on in 1948, Ziolkowski made the first blast on the mountain, seven years after the completion of Mount Rushmore. Forgoing a salary and rejecting funding from the federal government, he pledged that the project would be nonprofit and educational. Exploring Crazy Horse Seventy-six years later, donation-funded work continues on the Crazy Horse Memorial, which became quite a sight to behold on its 50th anniversary in 1998. At that time, during a dedication ceremony, Ziolkowski’s widow, Ruth, unveiled the complete face of Crazy Horse. Although the sculpture is visible northbound on US Highway 385, more than 1 million visitors pay $30 to $35 per carload to navigate the winding road to the Crazy Horse Welcome Center. There, they pay their respects and glimpse the world’s largest mountain carving.  From the parking lot, they’re greeted with a side view of Crazy Horse’s face, outstretched arm, and pointer finger. A round window in the granite marks the beginning separation between Crazy Horse and his horse.
True to sculptor Ziolkowski’s commitment, the memorial grounds include museums, a university, and a conference center. In the welcome center, guests find an informative film, a gift shop, and a restaurant. From the welcome center, visitors can hop on a bus to the base of the mountain for $5 per person — weather permitting (if there’s lightning in the area, tours stop) — to get a better perspective of the size of the mammoth monument. For an extra $125 per person, a van provides a guided tour to the top of the mountain. Even without taking a tour to get closer, the sculpture is truly a sight to behold and worth the visit. We’re glad we got to see it. You might also like Exploring Valley of Fire State Park in Nevada.  The East is full of history, spanning the first American settlements to the Salem witch trials to the Revolutionary War to the Civil War. Having grown up in Massachusetts and majored in history education in college, Bob knows a lot about our country’s beginning. He introduced me to historical sites in his home state during my visits there in the early days of our relationship. I didn’t know a lot about the Civil War, though. I knew it was the bloodiest battle in American history and that it was fought between North and South about states’ rights, especially in regard to slavery, but not much more than that. We decided to explore some of the amazing landmarks that hearken back to Civil War days as we made our way up the East Coast, starting in Charleston, South Carolina. The state of Virginia played a pivotal role in the Civil War. In fact, the majority of battles took place there, at least four times as many as in any other state. The capital city of Richmond served as the capital of the Confederacy, only about 100 miles from Washington, D.C., the capital of the Union. Today, Virginia is known as the place for lovers, according to a popular slogan. Between 1861 and 1865, however, it was a place for combat. Although we didn’t visit any of the state’s battlefields, we did explore Gettysburg when we traveled through Pennsylvania in 2020. Looking Back Instead, we checked out the American Civil War Museum in downtown Richmond with friends Jim and Jenny. It’s an interesting spot shrouded by old brick facades that remained after the burning of the town during the war. The museum sits on the former site of Tredegar Iron Works, the supplier of half of the artillery to the Confederacy during wartime, and is only about 5 miles away from the White House of the Confederacy, which is also open for tours.  At the museum, we worked our way through various displays and interactive exhibits to learn about the area’s war history. The collection included letters from soldiers to home, creations by prisoners of war, information about slaves, the suit Jefferson Davis wore when he was captured by Union forces, and an authentic robe worn by a Ku Klux Klan member — with the face mask cut out of the hood. In addition, the museum featured a musket demonstration. A staff member in period uniform regaled us with stories about artillery and ammunition used during the war. He even loaded and shot a a long-barreled rifle. We jumped at the deafening pop and wrinkled our noses at the smell of smoke, getting a feel for the noise and chaos soldiers experienced standing side by side. Paying Respects After many hours at the museum, hunger pangs motivated us to leave in search of lunch. Jim and Jenny took us to a Mexican joint to fuel our bellies before heading to Hollywood Cemetery. A 90-foot-tall pyramid and numerous gravestones commemorate soldiers who gave their lives during the Civil War. The cemetery is also the permanent resting place of two U.S. presidents (James Monroe and John Tyler) in what’s called Presidents Circle. And it’s the burial site of six Virginia governors, two Supreme Court justices, Confederate General Jeb Stuart, and Confederate President Jefferson Davis.
The American Civil War Museum and Hollywood Cemetery are only two examples of the many ways to commemorate the Civil War. Plentiful others abound. We continue to brush up on our history as we make our way around this great country. You might also like Getting a Taste of History in Boston.  We had planned to navigate Gulliver to Charleston, South Carolina, with Tagalong in tow. But when the weather forecast called for rain, we decided to leave Tagalong behind in Virginia and rent a house in Charleston through Vrbo for five nights. We wanted to explore the city before boarding a cruise ship to the Bahamas. Charleston is a historical locale with varied architectural styles, delicious cuisine, and a beautiful waterfront offering plentiful activities. Friends Jim and Jenny climbed into Gulliver with us for a seven-hour ride that included a stop at our first Buc-ees, an overwhelming experience. Upon arrival at our destination, we found five memorable things to do in Charleston. 1. Tour a Military Ship or 2  Aircraft carrier USS Yorktown, a veteran of WWII and Vietnam, is proudly perched on the Cooper River in the heart of the city. Part of the Patriots Point Naval and Maritime Museum, she’s a beauty to behold. Wanting an up-close view, we paid about $30 each and spent five hours exploring the ins and outs of the ship. Four clearly marked tours allow visitors to guide themselves up and down the many ladders and through the narrow corridors where those who fought for our freedom walked and lived. We saw the engine room, bridge, catapult room, sick bay, brig, captain’s quarters, crew berths, galley, and much more. The ship features a collection of about 20 aircraft that span its flight deck and main deck, including an F-4 Phantom, an F-14 Tomcat, a Corsair, a TBM Avenger, and a B-25. In addition, the ship displays a replica of a space capsule in commemoration of the role it played in retrieving the astronauts and capsule from the Apollo 8 NASA mission. For those who want more to explore, the museum also includes a destroyer ship. USS Laffey is the most decorated WWII ship that still exists, according to the museum. Having visited the USS Alabama battleship in Mobile about a month earlier, we opted not to tour the destroyer. 2. Be Part of a Flag Raising  One of Charleston’s biggest claims to fame is Fort Sumter, where the first shots were fired in the Civil War. Visitors can take a 30-minute ferry ride for $37 per person from Patriots Point or from downtown to investigate what’s left of the fort. If you take the first ferry of the day from Liberty Square in downtown, you can participate in a flag-raising ceremony. We took advantage of that option on Memorial Day, boarded a three-deck boat, and found seats at the back of the top deck. En route with the wind in our faces, national park rangers and volunteers regaled us with historical details about the site.  After reaching it, we walked through a gated opening in the brick wall around the fort, got up close to cannons and what’s left of the brick walls, and toured a museum there. The best part was watching in amazement as a gigantic flag ascended a pole to fly proudly over the fort, an achievement that took about 30 to 40 volunteers. 3. Go on a Downtown Adventure  To get a closer look at the city’s architecture, you can participate in a self-led scavenger hunt. We purchased the Charleston adventure through Urban Adventure Quest for $49 and were not disappointed. Starting at the Four Corners of Law — a unique intersection that houses four buildings representing federal, state, city, and religious law — the quest led us through the city to various points of interest. We navigated to an 1800s bell tower, a couple of cemeteries, a museum displaying a replica of the H.L. Hunley submarine with a storied past, the waterfront, and Rainbow Row. We enjoyed learning about the history of the area while solving puzzles to find clues to our next destinations, a three-hour ordeal, including a stop for ice cream at Off Track. 4. Visit a Plantation  Charleston is home to more than 300 expansive plantations full of interesting artifacts. Bob, Jim, and Jenny toured the Boone Hall Plantation one morning while I worked. They returned with beautiful photos of foliage and loads of intriguing facts. One of the most interesting facts: For how much of an oak tree you see above ground, there’s an equal amount under the ground. Founded in 1861, this particular plantation provides a live presentation of the Gullah culture, a subgroup of African-Americans who live in the Lowcountry region of South Carolina and Georgia. Unlike most plantations, this one is still home to a resident and is a working farm. Guests can take a tractor tour around the 738 acres and go inside the plantation house. 5. Bring Out Your Inner Child  In the middle of a half-mile rotary in North Charleston sits the largest inclusive park in the world. Aptly named Park Circle Playground, it offers activities for all ages and abilities, including those with autism, sight and hearing impairments, and Down syndrome. It’s a safe space surrounded by a short fence, with rubbery ground and overhead shades. We spent probably an hour there trying out the various equipment, seesawing, swinging, “ziplining,” climbing a rock wall, and taking a stab at “American Ninja Warrior”-type training equipment. It’s an amazing place to visit. You might also like 7 Historical Things to Do in Virginia.  With an area spanning more than 268,000 square miles, the state of Texas has a great deal to offer, from large metropolises to small towns to expansive ranches to large roadside attractions. We could probably spend a whole year traversing the state and still have more to see. Although we didn’t come across anything as big as the world’s largest pistachio while hanging out near Lubbock in Western Texas, we did find a few hidden gems worth sharing. Free City Parks  When Texas entered the Union in 1845, it did so under an agreement that allowed the state to keep its public lands rather than turning them over to the federal government. As a result, boondocking options on Bureau of Land Management or forest service land in Texas are largely nonexistent, although the 28th state does house 89 state parks, according to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. In addition, many of the state’s cities offer free RV parks that include electricity, water, and dump stations. Most of these have a three- to four-night limit. The idea is that by offering free stays to RVers, the cities will reap the benefits of those RVers touring their vicinities and adding to their economies. We tend to do that wherever we stay, so to us these parks were a win-win. Walk of Fame  You’ve likely heard of the Hollywood Walk of Fame, known for engraved stars in the sidewalk to commemorate popular celebrities. But did you know Lubbock also has a Walk of Fame? Rather than stars in the sidewalk, however, this one features plaques on a wall to honor musicians from the area. The major draw to the West Texas Walk of Fame is a statue of Buddy Holly, Lubbock’s rock ‘n’ roll pioneer who opened for Elvis Presley and caught the world by storm before his untimely death at age 22. His legacy lives on in the city with the Buddy Holly Center, Buddy Holly House, Buddy Holly Gravesite, and more. Prairie Dog Town  Prairie dogs are fun creatures to watch, with their extreme stillness while on lookout and their twitchiness when off guard duty. When we learned Lubbock featured a Prairie Dog Town, we had to check it out.
The dedicated space for the squirrel relatives got its start in 1935 when a man named K.N. Clapp wanted to do something to preserve the black-tailed prairie dog from extinction by the government’s poisoning program. The animal town began with four rodents and two burrows, with Clapp named the mayor of Prairie Dog Town in perpetuity. Over the years, the creatures multiplied, as did their burrows. We spent about an hour at the attraction, although we almost left pretty rapidly after not seeing any obvious signs of life. While observing the broad field from the cab of the truck, however, Bob noticed movement out in the distance. I left the truck to drop some trash in a wastecan and saw a prairie dog standing at attention outside the fence of the official enclosure. As I stood and watched, birds encroached on the creature, which held its ground, undeterred. The birds moved on, and the prairie dog went off duty, moving to another burrow. But it was fun to watch while the show lasted. These are just a few hidden gems we happened upon while visiting West Texas. Another trip another time will undoubtedly reveal more. Meanwhile, we adventure on, in anticipation of what lies ahead. You might also like Exploring Valley of Fire State Park in Nevada.  We had plotted to head east for our 2024 travels, unaware of the upcoming solar eclipse. When we discovered we’d be in Texas at the scheduled time of this rare phenomenon, we made plans to spend the week on its route. When the moon passes between Earth and the sun, it forms an eclipse, with the path of totality varying greatly. Seven years ago, in 2017, Americans had the opportunity to witness this event, with prime visibility stretching from Salem, Oregon, to Charleston, South Carolina. That was the first time for such an occurrence in the U.S. since 1979, when only five states were privy to totality. The 2024 solar eclipse extended viewing opportunities to numerous Americans, from Texas to Maine, for a chance to witness a total eclipse of the sun. Watching and Waiting The weather forecast in our location near Paris, Texas, called for clouds the day of the eclipse, so we weren’t sure what to expect. Would we be able to see the sensation? We gathered with a handful of fellow campers on a grassy knoll under a largely cloud-covered sky, solar glasses in hand, for our chance to view this wonder. As the clouds slowly moved, we caught glimpses of the disappearing sun through breaks in their cover — no glasses needed. The moon’s passing in front of the sun converted the orb to an arc. An occasional clear patch of sky emerged, allowing the brightness of the small sliver to penetrate through, forcing us to don our eyewear, which blocked everything but the yellow arc. As the moon obstructed more and more of the sun, sand bass in a nearby lake jumped as if it was evening, their activity increasing in the rare low light of midday. Birds hushed. The temperature dropped, making me grateful I had brought my sweatshirt. Light dissipated, and everything turned gray.  Viewing Totality Then our surroundings grew darker. The clouds vanished to showcase this anomaly of the moon completely blocking the sun from sight. A “ring of fire,” visible by the naked human eye, replaced the sun’s bright beam, its rays peeking out from behind the smaller moon.  About four minutes later, a small red light materialized on one side of the halo, a sun ray poking through with the appearance of a diamond ring. Shortly thereafter, we had to put on our special glasses again if we wanted to continue looking at the growing crescent on the opposite side of where we had seen it before.  Darkness evaporated, birds started singing, fish stilled, and the temperature warmed. The moon continued moving away from the sun, and life as we know it returned to normal.
I remember seeing a partial eclipse in Arizona in 2017 by watching the sun’s shadow through a pinhole in a shoebox. Although cool, that paled in comparison to witnessing a total eclipse. We’re thankful we had the opportunity to observe this unique display and to do so in the company of fellow RVers. Life is good, and we are blessed. You might also like Experiencing the Wonder of the Northern Lights.  Alamogordo, New Mexico, may not sound like a destination. What drew us to the obscurely named city (meaning “fat cottonwood”) of just over 31,000 was its reputation for white sands: White Sands National Park and White Sands Missile Range. The city’s military history dates back to WWII and includes the gathering of more than 1,600 German scientists, technicians, and engineers after the war to advance rocketry, medicine, synthetic fuels, and other research. Today, missile testing still closes U.S. Highway 70. Although we didn’t see a missile launch from White Sands, we did see a Starlink rocket ascend while camped in the desert west of Phoenix.  After spending a week living off-grid in Alamogordo, we found ourselves amazed at the abundant things the vicinity offers: the Southwest’s oldest zoo, myriad chain restaurants and hotels, unique experiences, and expansive mountain views. Our schedule didn’t allow for us to explore the White Sands Missile Range Museum, but we did find three adventurous things to do in Alamogordo: 1. Sand Sledding  By far my favorite thing we did in the area was sledding down sand dunes at White Sands National Park. The white sand, visible from space, is made from gypsum, which is the key ingredient in sheetrock and plaster. You can purchase a round sled and a block of wax at the visitor center gift shop and head out on the 8-mile Dunes Drive, stopping wherever you like to ascend a dune and sled down it — without getting cold. If a sled trail hasn’t been made, the first run can be a bit slow. We found the best success by waxing the bottom of the sled after every run or two to make the descent a thrill. The National Park Service app says there are three sledding areas of varying levels: beginner, intermediate, and experienced. We climbed an intermediate dune for our first run, amazed at the firmness of the sand under our feet, perhaps a result of the rain the day before. Although the hill looked awfully steep, one run down made it clear we needed that pitch to get enough speed for a smooth slide. After a few times of trudging up the dune and sledding down, we loaded back into Gulliver and drove to the steeper, experienced-level dunes, finding them exhilarating. We left with smiles plastered to our faces and somehow managed to avoid getting sand inside our shoes. 2. Exhibit Exploring  Alamogordo offers numerous museums to honor its railway and military history. The New Mexico Museum of Space History is well worth the $8 admission. It chronicles the progression of space and missile science in New Mexico, plus a whole lot more. A tour through the five-level facility starts on the fifth floor, leading visitors down through varying exhibits. One level is devoted to space science in New Mexico, including a commemoration to John P. Stapp, “the fastest man on Earth.” He sustained 46.2 Gs when testing the effects of gravity during deceleration while stationed at Holloman Air Force Base in Alamogordo. Another museum floor is dedicated to living and working in space. One is focused on rockets and missiles. We found the level about science fiction fascinating. Its placards discussed how many of the ideas in science fiction have become reality. The last level is an interactive one. But hands-on exhibits and photo ops are available throughout, including a flight simulator to land a space shuttle and a mock “Beam me up, Scotty” transporter, as seen on “Star Trek.”  After about four hours, we found ourselves in the museum’s gift shop. If the weather had been cooperative, we would have stayed longer to explore the outdoor exhibits. 3. Nut Noshing  No visit to Alamogordo would be complete without a trip to PistachioLand, home of the world’s largest pistachio. Besides photo ops, the unique attraction features pistachio and wine tasting, nutty gifts, fudge and ice cream made on the premises, and farm tours for only $3 per person (at the time of this writing).
The 30-foot towering pistachio at the entrance to the locale was erected in 2007 to honor the late Tom McGinn, who owned and ran the ranch and first introduced pistachio farming to southern New Mexico. On the tour through a portion of the farm’s 125 acres, we learned how pistachio trees had to be grafted into native trunks from the Middle East in order to survive against southwestern America’s harsh environmental conditions. Most U.S.-grown pistachios (97%) come from California. The other 3% come from Arizona and New Mexico. PistachioLand offers a variety of flavored nuts, all salted and roasted on the ranch, from lemon lime to cinnamon to garlic to green chile. There’s something for everyone. We left with a bag of red chile-flavored pistachios and a cone of pistachio ice cream, thankful for the experience that reminded us of the Corn Palace in Mitchell, South Dakota. You might also like 3 Cool Things to Do in Yuma, Arizona.  The red rocks of Moab, Utah, draw upward of 1.8 million visitors annually to take in their beauty. We had passed through once, in awe of the vibrant scenery around us — and of the number of people thronging the road. Despite the crowds, the city of 5,200 left us with a desire to return when we had more time to explore. The big attraction in Moab is Arches National Park, which beckons tourists to navigate its 76,519 acres in search of more than 2,000 sandstone arches. A drive through the park provides glimpses of a handful of the natural structures. Seeing the others requires hikes of varying lengths.  In a 3.5-hour span with multiple stops, we lay eyes on about a dozen of the magnificent rock formations, in addition to petrified sand dunes and other captivating displays. The mesmerizing beauty left us in awe and hearkened back to a bygone era, documented at one point by petroglyphs on a rock. One thing we noticed missing from this national park that we’d encountered at others was wildlife — although Gulliver did get a not-so-secret admirer.  Going on a Dino Hunt A lesser-known noteworthy aspect of Moab is its dinosaur history. In addition to a couple of museums, the city offers three dinosaur track sites, with imprints of massive wildlife of old. Mill Canyon Dinosaur Tracksite showcases fossilized dinosaur footprints preserved in limestone, protected by a boardwalk around the “stomping ground.”  According to plaques at the site, algae covered the shallow lake, capturing the dinosaurs’ tracks before the water, mud, and algae dried up and hardened into limestone, with the prints intact. We saw 10 different kinds of tracks, representing dinos of varying sizes, from velociraptor up to brontosaurus. Thinking about the gargantuan creatures roaming the area made us feel small and gave us a completely different perspective on our surroundings. Wild Pterodactyl Chase Wanting to see a more impressive display, we headed to Copper Ridge Dinosaur Trackways and set out on Dino Flow Trail, which we believed to be 1.5 miles. Nearly 3 miles later, it had become quite evident I had taken Bob on a wild pterodactyl chase. After the trail meandered over multiple rises and around numerous bends, no track site came into view. We decided to cut our losses and turn around. Returning to the parking area, the actual location of the imprints became apparent. We had read that this location offered two areas of tracks. We didn't realize they both started at the same trail. Reviews said the site closest to the beginning of the Copper Mine Ridge trailhead wasn’t too impressive. The more alluring site lay 1.5 miles up the trail. Having already put 5 miles under our belts, we forwent the latter and settled for the first, finding it plenty awe-inspiring. We could actually stand in some of the enormous footprints and imagine the weight and size of the behemoths that made them.  Picking a Bone Our dino hunt didn’t end there. The Moab area also offers a place to see fossilized dinosaur bones intact in hardened rocks, not in a museum. We headed to the Mill Canyon Dinosaur Bone Trail. A sign warning of soft sand and recommending only four-wheel-drive vehicles beyond that point stopped us in our tracks. Since Gulliver isn’t four-wheel-drive, we didn’t want to risk getting stuck in the soft sand like we had done in Traverse City, Michigan. It seemed we’d have to end our dino hunt. I reread reviews about the dinosaur bone trail and learned we weren’t the only ones who didn’t want to drive beyond the sign. Others had parked nearby and walked the half mile to the trailhead. We decided the additional 1-mile round-trip trek would be worth it. The walk through soft sand and over rocks confirmed we had made the right decision in not taking Gulliver down the path. Arriving at the Mill Canyon Dinosaur Bone Trail, we noticed paths in three different directions. Where were we to find the bones? We opted for the trail just past a visitor sign-in podium and encountered a plaque a few strides later. We had chosen wisely.  Hardened Evidence Signs like the first were sprinkled along the trail, describing what to find in each area, with detailed information about where to look. Had it not been for the plaques, we wouldn’t have known the rock color variances we observed as we walked along a ridge were actually bones from giants that once walked the land. The fossils looked darker than the rocks in which they were wedged. More amazingly, they felt different from the rock surrounding them, lighter in weight like calcified bones.  We saw and touched foot, toe, arm, leg, rib, and spine skeletal parts from sauropods — the generic name for plant-eating dinosaurs with long necks and tails that could span 20 to 112 feet in length. I found it hard to believe that a creature so large could survive on plants alone. We also observed bones from a meat-eating allosaurus with a max length of about 30 feet.
Playing paleontologist made our Jurassic adventure a fun and memorable experience. It also gave us a greater appreciation for prehistoric times, when colossal animals roamed the vast Earth. You might also like Exploring Valley of Fire State Park in Nevada. |
AuthorThis is the travel blog of full-time RVers Bob and Lana Gates and our truck, Gulliver, and fifth wheel, Tagalong. Categories
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