Disappointed With Alamogordo (Albuquerque, Las Cruces, Santa Fe: living in, stats, gardening)
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We visited White Sands monument several times over the last 30 years and have not be disappointed during any of these stops. Even better is to go up the hill to a place like Sunspot and look over the whole valley from the cliff.
Has anyone here been to White Sands Gypsum dunes and if so what is your opinion?
Thank you, appreciate your honest assessment.
AP
Yes I have been to White Sands a few times over the years. The first time in the sixties firing missiles with the U.S. Army at White Sands Proving Grounds. The last time over five years ago. It's 250+ miles one way from our house. If I were closer, we would go more often.
Depending on where you are from, there can be a lot to see in New Mexico...
The mile plus dune walk is well worth the stop if you only have a couple of hours or so. We were there over spring break and the place was crowded with Texans sledding the dunes. They even sell em in the visitors center. Weekdays are quieter. Not a great place when the wind is up because of gypsum dust. Blows all the way to Las Cruces.
I can relate to everything James wrote in this post, except for Roswell, which I haven't been to, and I mean everything. When we first arrived here 5 years ago, my wife was actually crying when she saw Alamogordo for the first time. The funny thing is now, after 5 years, it really doesn't bother me as much as it used to. I've learned to accept that great portions of this country are incredibly depressed economically, and for the most part, the economic engine in this country lies in its suburbs of large cities. I am from the northeast, and rural areas there are generally much more prosperous than the rest of the nation as a whole. That was really one of the big adjustments that came with making a move to another part of the country. I think, however, by any stretch, that Vaughn and Corona are just about some of the poorest places anyone is going to drive through. Those places are tough to fathom if you are from the midwest, or the northeast, or Coastal California.
I especially liked, and agreed with your overall assessment: "Overall, New Mexico to my eye is truly the land of enchantment. It is magical in its beauty. But the effects of man on the land are sad to see. " Those three sentences sum up much of New Mexico. There is a positive way for man to imprint his settlement on the earth. However, when those who settle are not well off financially, what you witness is what you drove through on US-54. It's not very pretty to look at.
"Land of Enchantment?" In Albuquerque many call it the "Land of Entrapment." HaHa.
Yes I have been to White Sands a few times over the years. The first time in the sixties firing missiles with the U.S. Army at White Sands Proving Grounds. The last time over five years ago. It's 250+ miles one way from our house. If I were closer, we would go more often.
Depending on where you are from, there can be a lot to see in New Mexico...
Didn't one go off course back then and land not too far from El Paso?
One of the captured German V2 rockets that were fired from White Sands Missile Range after WWII did in fact fall in the outskirts of Juarez with shock waves felt all over the El Paso/Juarez area in 1947. I remember the event, and how the windows in the house rattled as if in an earthquake.
A reprint of the original El Paso Times story can be found here.
My mother was born in Tularosa, and I've lived in Almogordo. I still have a few cousins in La Luz & Pinon. All of my immediate family, and many of my relatives now reside in "the old cemetery" (Aka: Monte Vista or "the founder's cemetery"). My grandfather was Jack Forest Hollomon, and my grandmother was Evelyn Rowena Hollomon.
Funny thing is, Alamogordo claims to cherish their rich history & their founders, yet they've let the old section of Monte Vista return to the desert! Usually, it looks terrible!
My mother was born in Tularosa, and I've lived in Almogordo. I still have a few cousins in La Luz & Pinon. All of my immediate family, and many of my relatives now reside in "the old cemetery" (Aka: Monte Vista or "the founder's cemetery"). My grandfather was Jack Forest Hollomon, and my grandmother was Evelyn Rowena Hollomon.
Funny thing is, Alamogordo claims to cherish their rich history & their founders, yet they've let the old section of Monte Vista return to the desert! Usually, it looks terrible!
A lot of history for you. 'gordo looks like another elderly retirement spot. Lots of health services near the "Space museum." Beyond that the mall is dying (I was there at State Fair time) and you need a car to get out to release the boredom from a conservative mecca. My take: if I were to move back to NM I'd pick Las Cruces. More services and I've lived there. Easy access to El Paso for more. Merry Christmas.
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