The road from Ozona to Las Cruces and even on to Tucson was pretty flat with mountains all around. The mountains varied from sharp craggy peaks to rounded domes. Not much vegetation, just dirt and dust, most of which was blowing around in high gusty winds. Driving the RV took concentration, to say the least. One of our readers has asked for a mention of El Paso. Well, our most prominent impression of El Paso was the dirt yards in the residential areas, most of which was blowing around. Dirt yards are common out here, mainly because of low rainfall. As already mentioned, we are not seeing the wild flowers we expected because of a dry season. We arrived in Las Cruces and discovered that the Hacienda RV Resort's price for a back-in spot was as good as anywhere in town, and a really nice facility. Once settled in we had time to make the drive over the mountains to White Sands National Monument. These are dunes of fine gypsum granules (powdered sheetrock!) and looks like snow. The dunes are constantly moving as the blowing sand builds up on the windward side and eventually falls down the other side, 'walking' the dune along. We learned that the area between dunes in 'interdunal'! We were there for the guided 'Sunset Stroll', which turned out pretty well. See more pictures of the dunes in the Photo Gallery. Click on the new Category on the right side above. Since we got home dead tired around 9:30pm after the 150 mile round trip, we decided to hang around until noon checkout time and relax. We did drive a few blocks to visit Mesilla, a little historical area of Las Cruces, now restored into an artsy shopping and restaurant area with a plaza. We were there around 10am, so not many people around yet. On the road again to Tucson. Here is the second Border Patrol checkpoint we encountered. It was a 'wave-through' both times. (they are in south Texas, too). As mentioned, driving through pretty flat areas with mountains all around. By the time we got to Tucson and gassed up, it was too late to go to the state park nearby (and looking like rain) we opted for a Walmart on the outskirts of Tucson. It was a really nice area for the 8 RV's in there for the night. And as the sun sets slowly over the mountains, we turn in for the night to get ready for tomorrow. Quartzsite, Arizona. Stay Tuned.
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Who Are We?
Chuck and Mary Lou have been traveling in their RV since 2002 and have lately been taking longer, extended trips. This is our way to share our experiences. Trip Reports
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