Branson, MO

A nice view of Table Rock Lake

Branson Scenic Railway -- looks impressive - almost

two hours on a train. There are two tunnels but the rest
of the time there are trees on both sides of the train.
Great if you like GREEN! For future reference,
we don't recommend this tour, $24 per person.

There was one thrill from the train...
Our motorhome site is right on the lake!
See the the gold and black rig?

Inspiration Point Tower in Branson, MO on
Shepherd of the Hills Parkway

View of Branson from the Tower


This horse is getting an ice cream cone -
downtown Branson.

THE CABIN

Went by the Kern cabin today to check it out. All's well.

A DAY AT THE RACES

Ruidoso Downs

AND they're off!

The Finish Line

We were pretty lucky today thanks to John's Tip Sheet and our keen eye for the strongest horses.

White Sands National Monument

The Source of the Sand

Many people visit the dunes but not many take the time to learn where all that white sand comes from, so here's the condensed version...First of all, it's not sand, which is normally made up of quartz, it's gypsum. 250 million years ago this area was a shallow sea. The gypsum bearing marine deposits were uplifted into a giant dome when the Rocky Mountains were formed. 10 millon years ago the dome started to collapse, creating the Tularosa Basin.



Gypsum is rarely found as sand because it is water soluble. Rain and snow in the mountains east of the area dissolves the gypsum from the rocks and carry it into the Tularosa Basin. No rivers drain the Tularosa Basin, so the water and the gypsum deposits stay there. The water evaporates, leaving huge selenite crystals - some 3 ft long! The weather breaks down the crystals into tiny sand-size particles which are light enough to be carried by the wind. Strong winds blowing across the playa pick up the gypsum particles and they accumulate to make the dunes. Of course, this happens over thousands of years...



Now there are over 275 square miles of desert here and the largest gypsum field in the world! The dunes are brilliant white and the wind carries the dunes approximately 30 ft. per year. Over time, Alamogordo, 15 miles away will be engulfed in white sand. Only a few species of plants grow rapidly enough to survive the burial by the moving dunes. So when you see a yucca sticking out of the sand... it could actually be six to eight feet tall!

Rolling East

LAS CRUCES, NM

This is the beautiful view of Las Cruces from the bluff where

the KOA campground is located. At night the mountains

disappear but the lights of Las Cruces sparkle.

Here's our new motorhome at the bay in San Diego. We're getting ready for a long trip. Will be posting to the blog on a regular basis so stayed tuned!

Phaedra Comes to Visit

Crawling with Grandpa Steve