4 Mar 2019 - Last Day at White Sands, Missile Museum

4 Mar 2019
Chilly night, close to freezing @ 34 degrees F.  Warmed up to 58 this afternoon.   Spent some time this morning on the phone trying to determine the urgency of a service message that popped up on the truck yesterday.  After checking with my dealership at home and the dealership down here, general consensus was it was not that urgent and can likely wait until we get home in May.  Good news.

Next issue is my defective back.....  About a week ago I started to feel severe pains, like electric shocks, radiating down from my lower back to both legs.  It occurs primarily when I stand up.  Sitting is fairly comfortable. This is very similar nerve pain to what Doreen experienced with her spinal stenosis, before she had surgery to correct it this past summer.  In the past couple days my pain has gotten worse, so I called Dr. Ledet, a comrade from the Iowa Air Guard and Doreen's pain management doc.  I spoke with his nurse and got some suggestions starting with a visit to a local urgent care and a couple prescriptions for a steroid to calm the irritated nerve(s) and treat the nerve pain. We will set up an appointment with Dr Ledet in the days following our return to Iowa in May.

We had  planned a trip to Las Cruces to see the sites today, but we ended up sitting in an Urgent Care for what seemed to be the entire day....  The good news is the doctor here and the pain management nurse from Des Moines came to the same conclusion and we picked up the prescriptions at Walgreens.  It was a nice drive, though as we got to see the other side of the Organ Mountains, opposite from the campground.

A Nike Missile display between Las Cruces and the exit for White Sands Missile Range

The White Sands Missile Ranger headquarters where we are camping.  

The western face of Organ Mountains

So we basically lost the day and did not get to see anything of Las Cruces.  Good excuse to come back, I guess!  We headed back the the base and thought we would salvage things by stopping by the missile museum.  It was closed for remodel....  The outside displays made up for it, however.  We were the only ones there and took our time walking through all the static missile displays.  Here are a few pictures:

The entrance to the outside displays.  Hundreds of missiles, including this Patriot Missile Battery 

Pershing II

Fat Man Bomb - same as what was used on Nagasaki Japan during World War II

Hermes A1

MLRS Multiple Launch Rocket System

RP-76

IGOR - Intercept Ground Optical Recorder - tracking telescope for photographing missiles

Their displays here are awesome!!

TOW missile - fly by wire!

MK5 Guided Missile Launcher

MK39 5-inch Gun (ship mounter)

Pershing

Captured UFO - Just kidding - Balloon Launched Decelerator Test Vehicle

Hound Dog

XQ-4 Drone

Little John

QH-50 Dash - Drone Anti Submarine Helicopter

Lacrosse

Nike Ajax

F4 Phantom Aircraft

Pershing II

This evening we spent talking with Jill and Steve Briggs.  I served with Jill at the 132d Fighter Wing in Des Moines and then when I was appointed as State Command Chief we worked together at Headquarters. They have been camping in the Apache Junction area and are headed back towards Des Moines.   It is a small world!!

Tomorrow we travel to Tucson AZ and will be there three nights before we head to Apache Junction/Mesa KOA Campground.  

Next report, Tucson!

3 Mar 2019 - White Sands National Monument

3 Mar 2019

This morning we headed east about 35 miles on Hwy 70 to the White Sands National Monument.   We arrived at the visitor center which is located in a Pueblo-adobe style building, created during the Great Depression. 

Inside we found various interpretive displays, a gift shop and an orientation film.  Unfortunately it only plays every couple hours and we missed the start.

The visitor center was full of hands-on displays and very educational especially for children. 

From there we drove to the fee station, presented our Access Pass and received a map through the dunes area.  The first five miles of the trail are paved and the last three miles are hard-packed gypsum sand. 

We drove down the trail and stopped at the 'Dune Life Nature Trail'.  

A one mile loop along a nature trail.

The trail starts with hard-packed gypsum sand that leads up to the base of the dunes

As we climbed the dunes, the sand was no longer hard-packed. 
The shaded sand was surprisingly very cool on the toes.

The sandstone walls give way to the touch

Miles and miles of pure white gypsum sand

Displays along the way show local critters and what they eat

Most of the vegetation is very dry and brittle

Sleds are available at the visitor center and you can ride down the dunes like snow!

The wind creates ripples in the sand.

More sandstone walls

Some green in the middle of the sand!

The trail leading to the parking lot.  Not all of the areas are sand

From the Nature Trail we drove past the end of the pavement to another  access point.  We climbed quite a ways up on top of the dunes and the view was incredible! 

This family was having a picnic on top of the dunes!

We can only imagine how hot this place would be in the middle of the summer.  We are glad we visited this time of the year.

When we left to drive out of the park the truck reported a 'service required' message on the electronic vehicle information center, so we will contact our dealership in the morning to see if this is urgent or can be held until we return home.

One final mountain picture from this morning!  Awesome!