Hello Again, Fellow Traveler!
In my
last post, I mentioned we left Tuesday, July 1st heading to Las Cruces, New Mexico. If you've never been to NM, put it on your bucket list. The mountainous terrain set against a powder-blue sky is just lovely - clouds or not. We timed our departure as often as possible to drive 3-4 hours (5 max!) and arrive at the campground or RV park around 1 pm.
Today we checked in to Hacienda RV Resort and let me tell you what a beautiful resort it is! All of the RV spots are paved and though they had no picnic tables, they were large enough to set up your own if you dared the heat LOL! Hacienda was pet friendly, with a fenced in dog park and a dog washing station. There was no swimming pool but a hot tub - which made no sense to me because, I mean, you are in the desert and it is hot, hot, hot.
Regardless, the restrooms and showers were roomy with attached dressing areas and blow driers in each. Check out their gallery and you'll see why this lovely place had me siging a happy tune the entire time we were there.
We had dinner at a beautiful Mexican restaurant (what else? LOL!). I think it was El Sombrero but not positive, but the decor was simply astonishing.
The next morning we set out to our destination: White Sands National Park.
Imagine driving along a desert road and seeing sand as white as snow!
Still blows my mind thinking about it. Mississippi and Florida are the only places I've seen sand this pristine.
Neither of us felt like trekking up the dunes much less sliding down on cardboard or on a sled. Besides, I had my dog with me and he would have had to stay in the truck and it's just plain too hot for that.
We did take the 8 mile drive that leads from the visitor center to the heart of the gypsum dunefield. The first five miles of this drive is on paved roads. You traverse the remaining 3 on hard-packed sand. Stay on the road though, because vehicles can get bogged down in loose sand.
These steep, rocky spires jut into the sky 9000 feet above the Chihuahuan Desert floor. Depending on what angle you're viewing, they do look like organ pipes.
After a pretty full day of traveling, we managed to sneak a sit in the hottub, and you know what? It really wasn't all that bad!
The dry, desert air made it fairly comfortable once the sun went down enough for us to find a spot of shade. Especially nice when you're sipping a homemade Sangria Margarita 😅
After our showers in the luxurious bathrooms, we settled in for the evening, watched a little TV then went to bed ready to wake up the next morning to a new adventure.
I hope you'll check back in a couple of weeks and come along with us for the ride to Phoenix, Arizona with a stop off in Tuscon.
Until then, take care and be safe out there on the open road.
PamT
