Day 12 ~ Wide Open Spaces Tour 2012 ~ Las Cruces, MN

Fun shopping and climbing on silly sand . . . 

We had a great day in the sun in Mesilla and White Sands National Mountment...

more string for our map

RV parks in the deep south are not what we were expecting, they're all gravel.

This was something Dan had never seen before, part car & part bike.

Downtown Mesilla

Cute shopping area

There was this guy following me . . . it's OK he had the wallet  $$    ;-)

Pretty gates

The church here was Catholic; of course!!  Masses in English and Spanish

so would you go in this shop?  notta

See Britt; your car is fine.  It is looking at the mountains in this picture  LOL

Post Card shots:

We blew the budget in the little shops and headed to White Sands.   During the 45 mile drive Dan was in the co-pilot chair and also in-charge of the camera shots.

Many mountain peaks

Many beautiful sights

In order to get to the White Sands National Monument we had to pass through the missile range

It's hard to believe that there was still snow on the mountain in 70* temps.

Luckily they weren't working on today

This was a FIRST!  We had to exit the highway and go threw this Border Patrol Inspection Station.  A officer and dog walked around the car and another officer talked to me. 

The Visitor Center was cool but not much vegetation.

This would really hurt!!!

It's hard to believe anything could grow in this gypsum

Looks like snow covered road up north (Michigan), but it's all sand.

before . . .

2012

fun dunes

750 sq. miles of white gypsum sand

That is Pam in the middle

Like talcum powder !

A gust of wind in the distance

glad that is not us in the wind gust

post card shot!  looks like a fishy shanny on Lake Huron  LOL; except for the mountains

awe......

Kids sledding down the dunes, we watched them build a small bump to jump over

How could anything grow in this gypsum?

but this plant does!  All the little holes are where animals live in the mound the plant made

another beautiful shot on the way back to RV and puppy

Took him for a ride ~ enjoyed all the attention he got from people that saw him in town