1 Mar 2019 - Arrived at White Sands Missile Range NM

 1 Mar 2019

Today we pulled chocks at Roswell at 0815 hrs and headed west and south to White Sands Missile Range (Army) NM.  It was a beautiful drive.  The headwind and elevation climb took it's toll on the fuel mileage but the scenery made up for it!  The climb started at Roswell 3573 ft, peaked at Apache Summit 7519 ft and then down hill to White Sands Missile Range 4346 ft.  Here are a few scenery pictures from the drive.

The drive started very flat with a few hills in the distance.  The ground was pretty barren and very dry.

The further west we drove, the bigger the hills became.  The road was very smooth and there was literally no traffic which made for a great drive.

 Snow capped mountains in the distance were visible, and we drove through elevations that had snow in the shadows along side the road.

 We passed Apache Summit and it was pretty much all down hill from there.  Off in the distance white sands came into view.

 The closer we got, the more brilliant the white sand became.  It extends for was appears to be hundreds of miles.

We passed a few small towns and scattered buildings and houses, some appeared to be adobe construction.

 From Tularosa and Alamogordo, around past Holloman Air Force Base we skirted the edge of the White Sands area.  We plan to come back to this to see it in more detail.

 Mile after mile of pure white gypsum sand.  Approximately 275 square miles of area.  It is quite a beautiful site.

Just before reaching the Organ Mountains we turned south and after just a few miles entered the White Sands Missile Range Headquarters.  The Missile Range itself encompasses over 600,000 acres, the largest military installation in the United States,  and is used for military testing.  The history dates back to 1930's and was the site for Trinity where the first nuclear bomb was detonated.  The headquarters for this operation is here, an Army facility that also has a nice RV park where we will stay for the next four nights. 

We quickly found the RV park and per their instructions found a vacant site and set up the RV.  Then I had to go to the golf course clubhouse to pay, which is closed and now the home of the MWR office who manages the RV park.  $10 per night for full hookup - that's insane!  The KOA in Albuqueque on our return trip, and the KOA in Apache Junction/Mesa are both over $60 per night!

There were only two vacant sites and they were identical.  The sites are very narrow and we had to 'thread the needle' to park the RV such that the slideouts would clear nearby structures and the utilities would reach. 

Our US and Air Force Colors flying high and proud.  

There are only eight RV sites here, so we feel fortunate to have secured a reservation.

The sites are pretty plain.  Gravel sites with gravel areas in between

About four or five inches between the passenger side living room slideout and the shelter.

Only a couple inches on the driver's side between the kitchen slideout and the power box and water fixture.

Each site has it's own little shelter area with a concrete picnic table and benches. 
We can only imagine hot brutally hot it is here in the summer months.

Out of the desert comes beauty.

Beautiful scenery right outside our door.

The Organ Mountains with a setting sun behind.

We have a lot on the list to squeeze in for the next few days.  We want to get back to a pistachio farm we passed on the way here, plus visit the White Sands National Monument.  Time permitting we would like to return to Alamogordo and visit the Space Museum.  We also will visit the Missile Museum right here on post and we hope to get to Las Cruces to see some sights there too.  Tuesday morning we head to Tucson AZ.