Wednesday, November 14, 2018 (Sunny Acres RV Park, Las Cruces, New Mexico)

The reason for stopping in Las Cruces is to visit White Sands National Monument, and today is the day! So we all piled into Dave and Leslie's truck and headed off.
Beautiful day and scenery...Organ Mountains...

White Sands Missile Range in the distance...we'll stop there on our way back...

White Sands National Monument is in the northern Chihuahuan Desert in the U.S. state of New Mexico. It's known for its dramatic landscape of rare white gypsum sand dunes. Trails through the dunes include the raised Interdune Boardwalk and the Dune Life Nature Trail, dotted with interpretive exhibits on wildlife and other features. Dunes Drive is a looped road from the White Sands Visitor Center to the dune field.

We stopped at the Visitor Center, checked out the small museum and watched a 17 minute video about the formation of White Sands National Monument...

...and then headed out to see the dunes. Water in the distance...

Dunes Drive is an eight-mile (13 km) scenic drive that leads from the visitor center into the heart of the gypsum dunefield. The 16-mile (26km) round-trip drive takes approximately 45 minutes. However, you may want to allow additional time to explore the dunes, take photos, and/or learn about the natural and cultural history of the world's largest gypsum dunefield. Along the road, you will find outdoor exhibits, hiking trails, picnic areas, vault toilets, and parking areas.

It's like being in a winter wonderland!

Dave and Leslie taking Margaret for a run...

Steve goofing around...

A very interesting bus...lots of solar panels, round marine side windows and a motorcycle on the back. The water table is just below the surface, as the parking lot was quite wet...

Large parking area...

A snow bank....LOL!

Picnic area...

Amazing how the dunes just end...

Wow! That was amazing and well worth seeing!

On our way to the Visitor Center, we had passed the turnoff to the White Sands Missile Range Museum...so we decided to check it out.

The bombing of Pearl Harbor during World War II took place on December 7th, 1941. This caused the United States Government to respond. The U.S. military established a permanent presence in the Tularosa Basin during World War II, creating White Sands Proving Grounds, which is now called White Sands Missile Range, as well as the Alamogordo Bombing and Gunnery Range, known today as Holloman Air Force Base.

Other side of Organ Mountains...

You must show identification to get into the site, and unfortunately one of us had forgotten theirs and this time it wasn't Steve :)  No problem...we'll have to save that for another time. As we're leaving we get a fleeting view of some of the missiles on display...

Next on the agenda was a visit to Mesilla...so we headed back to Las Cruces.

Margaret enjoying the truck ride....

Mesilla is a town in Doña Ana County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 2,196 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Las Cruces Metropolitan Statistical Area. During the American Civil War, Mesilla briefly served as capital of the Confederate Territory of Arizona

Before checking it out, though, we decided on the Spotted Dog Brewery for lunch. Everyone ordered various types of burgers and all were good except mine. I decided to order the black bean burger and it came burnt...so much so, that I couldn't eat it. They offered to replace it but the service was very slow and by this time, everyone else was almost finished their burgers. In my opinion, and what we have experienced at other reputable restaurants, the burnt burger should have been taken off the bill...but it wasn't...so that left me less than impressed. On a positive note, everyone else's meal was delicious and the beer was good!

Now...time to explore Mesilla...
We are the epitome of small town charm at its finest, serving as a great location for afternoon shopping and dining, where award winning cafes and restaurants and unique stores surround the town's focal point of the historic Plaza.
Rich in history, culture and heritage, this little Town is far from quaint. Art galleries, entertaining events, rich history, unique shops and delicious cuisine are just a few staples that Old Mesilla has to offer.
We found the historic district, parked and wandered around...

It was late in the day so it was pretty quiet in the area. After wandering around, stopping at a chocolate stop for a treat, we were back home around 5:00.

Dave and Leslie came over and we had a quiet evening in front of the TV watching Survivor and Seal Team...the end to another great day!