Stardate 2019.173

Chihuahuan Desert Southern New Mexico Style
Snowcatcher and I recently spent a week in southern New Mexico. We attended the Quinceañera of her great niece. We enjoyed the festivities in Alamogordo, New Mexico. Alamogordo is a handful of miles northeast of Lac Cruces, New Mexico.

Southern New Mexico also is home to pecan and pistachio farms, White Sands National Monument, International Space Hall of Fame, Holloman Air Force Base, White Sands Missile Range and Trinity Nuclear Test Site (first nuclear bomb test). The city of Alamogordo (which means fat tree) lies between the Organ Mountains to the west and the Sacramento mountains to the east.

Our first stop was the Valley of Fires lava flow.


In Alamogordo, I like to spend time at the International Space Hall of Fame. I could spend an entire day here. Years ago, many people journeyed to "Alamo" to witness a space shuttle landing at Holloman — how's that for cool?

The first trained test animal (chimpanzee) to go into space was Ham. Ham's name was an acronym for Holloman Aero Med (Holloman Aerospace Medical Center). Ham was selected from 40 candidates and made his journey toward the heavens on January 31, 1961. Ham was able to push certain levers while in flight, demonstrating it was possible to work in space.



Ham was perched atop an 83-foot Redstone rocket launching from Cape Canaveral, Florida. His top speed was 5,800 miles per hour at an elevation of 155 miles. Ham's flight lasted 16 minutes, 39 seconds. Later in the day, Ham was fetched out of the ocean 420 miles down range from the launch site.

Ham died in North Carolina in 1983. His body was sent back to Holloman and buried at the foot of the International Space Hall of Fame.

Lots of rocket/space-type static displays are scattered on the Hall's grounds.





That's it for now. Thanks for reading.

Lizard: 7
Parkinsons: 0

Adios

Stardate 2017.553

Enchanted Wedding Bells of the Chihuahuan Desert
Ahoy mates! Snowcatcher and I traveled southwest to Las Cruces, New Mexico, for the marriage of her neice. The southwest, especially New Mexico, is quite enchanted. New Mexico's slogan—Land of Enchantment—is also quite apropos.

We caught a flight out of Denver International Airport to Albuquerque and drove the rest of the way to Las Cruces. Snowcatcher spent her youth in Alamogordo, an hour and a half east of Las Cruces. Thus, she made a great tour guide for me. She knew the good eateries along the way as well. If you're ever in Socorro (home to New Mexico Tech), try the Blake's Lotaburger (I understand it's been there since God was a boy) and make sure to get it smothered in Hatch green chili. Mmmm...............

Anyway, enjoy the pics, starting with a cleared for take-off from DIA shot.




Good morning sunshine!




At a cruising altitude, we were high and dry above a fog bank.




The wedding aisle awaits its chairs, guests and wedding party.




This is a real century plant (yucca family). Every 100 years or so, it blooms.




The Chihuahuan desert is stark, beautiful and deadly, all wrapped up in one package.




This is a rain squall delivering the goods to a parched landscape.




There are a lot of different cacti here, including this large stand of prickly pear. Snowcatcher expressed interest in canning these. Another time.




Bosque Del Apache National Wildlife Refuge (Socorro vicinity)




That’s it for this round. Thanks for reading!
Adios