Traveling with the Longdogs: Is It a Winter Wonderland or the White Sands National Monument?

From Truth or Consequences, we headed south to Las Cruces. We debated where we would stay. There is a state park outside of town but it was a drive in to sightsee. I have stayed at the Coachlight Inn and RV Park before but the reviews were not good. Other parks are rather expensive and didn't sound that inviting. Carolyn called and talked to the manager at Coachlight. We decided to check it out. The motel is rundown, the pool is closed, etc. however, the manager could not have been more helpful. The RV park was neat, quiet, and the utilities all worked. All of us have EMS systems so we were sure the electric was okay. There were some RVs that looked like they were there longer term but their sites were neat and we felt quite safe there. We heard that the motel was bought out and renovations are starting. Not a super PA park but perfectly okay for our purposes.

Our first place to visit was White Sands. We saw this as we headed out.

There are some interesting painted water storage tanks and we were able to get pictures of a couple.

As we left Las Cruces heading east and north, we saw this.

And then we saw this...….the highway was temporarily closed due to missiles being tested in the area. This is not unusual. It is the only highway so you just wait patiently. It is nice to have an RV when this happens.

Carolyn found this while she was out checking progress. Have to say they were prepared for stops like this as there are bathrooms and the traffic is lined up in rows so it doesn't stretch so far back and block other areas.

Once we were back on the move, we ran into this. Again, not a big deal.....southern states are used to checkpoints.

Traffic moved through efficiently with a minimum of delay.

This is the entry to White Sands National Monument.

They have a decent museum inside that you don't want to miss.

It covers a lot of history.

The sand is very soft compared to most sand.

A look inside the walls of the museum.

Once you are on the road, you need to follow the rules carefully in terms of speed limits and where you can and cannot stop.

Aw, looks like snow but isn't cold. It is even whiter than it looks in these photos.

Nope, definitely not snow.

They have a nice boardwalk with lots of info about what you are seeing......and there is a lot more to see than you would expect.

Lots of plants inspite of the desert setting.

There are areas where you can park and go play in the sand.

Carolyn was worried about getting sand all over her feet and not having water to wash it off but I convinced her to feel it and it brushes right off so she had her time in the sand.