Happy Fathers Day! Before I describe our journey, I have to report back on our second trip to the caverns yesterday. We really enjoyed the ranger-guided tour, and the rooms we visited were spectacular--my favorite was the Queen's Palace. Coincidentally, this is also the place where we experienced "total darkness." The ranger had us all sit down (apparently folks have experienced vertigo during this experience while standing). Then they turned out the lights and everything disappeared. Everything. We were 1,000 feet below ground with no possible way for any natural light to reach us. The blackness was absolute. And it somehow affected our vocal cords because the 50 or so people on the tour abruptly became totally silent. After a few minutes, the ranger used his lighter to show us what one-candle-power would look like. It was fairly amazing how much we could actually see by the light of that single flame.
Leland's Junior Ranger status had been conferred on him the night before at the bat flight, but Natalie received her designation this day.
Now, on to Fathers Day. We hit the road. Our ultimate destination was Albuquerque. On the way, however, we drove through the Sacramento Mountains and were again astounded by the variations in terrain. We left the bleak desert and entered high green valleys dotted with barns and cows. The steep decline out of the mountains was a challenge (to our brakes and my nerves). But we made it safely back down into the desert again and arrived at our interim destination: White Sands National Monument. http://www.nps.gov/whsa
We had learned a little about gypsum at the caverns, and it was fascinating to see just a tiny portion of the more than 275 square miles of pure gypsum sand at the monument. (Trivia question: Do you know the difference between a National Park and a National Monument? Answer: National Parks are designated by Congress and National Monuments are designated by the President.) Here are a few pictures from our 112-degrees adventure in the dunes:
We left White Sands, drove through Las Cruces and then headed north toward Albuquerque. We hadn't realized how close we had been to the Mexican border until we were stopped at a checkpoint, complete with a drug-sniffing dog, and asked by Immigration officers if we had anyone in our trailer. George answered, "No," and I guess we must've looked trustworthy because the officers smiled at us and passed us through without verifying the contents of our trailer.
Day 11, Monday, June 22nd (295 miles)
Two driving days in a row! We headed north toward "Four Corners," a way point on our travels. The kids were excited about being in 4 states at one time, and I was excited about revisiting another childhood memory. We learned that we were actually standing in 6 places at once: Utah, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico--and the Navajo Nation and the Ute Nation.
When we stopped at our campground (or, technically "Kampground," since it was a KOA), we re-thought or original plan to leave the next morning for Utah. Three driving days in a row didn't seem like such a good idea anymore. Plus, the campground was inviting, the pool was beckoning and we learned that we were only a few miles from Mesa Verde National Park (thanks, Randy!). So we decided to extend our stay for a second night.
At 7 o'clock in the evening, it was still in the high 80s, and the kid's sure enjoyed the pool. They made some instant friends with the family "next door." We shared ice cream, glow-stick bracelets and made plans for a joint campfire with them for the next night.
Day 12, Tuesday, June 23rd
I'm writing this as we prepare to head to Mesa Verde National Park to visit the historic Indian ruins and cliff dwellings. More to come!
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