After gassing up in Carrizozo, I headed south on US 54, paralleling the lava fields and then dessert on the road toward Alamogordo. Nice road, but for some reason it had only a 55 MPH speed limit. Without cruise control on the little Neon, it was hard not creeping up way above the limit. For lunch, I stopped at Casa de Suenos in Tularosa. The green chili cheese burger was fairly good. Just before entering Alamogordo, I stopped at the Eagle River Ranch. Eagle River is the oldest pistachio farm in the area I tasted several flavors of pistachios and bought some extra hot and red chili versions to take home to friends. I skirted around Alamogordo and headed 40 miles west to the administrative area of White Sands Missile Range. The Range is enormous - 4,000 square miles. Base security took only a few minutes, but then I was only going a few hundred yards to Missile Park and the adjacent museum. The museum has a little bit about everything, from the Native Americans, to early settlers, to the history of the base. The cameras and equipment for tracking test rockets is the most interesting. The "park" with its
many missiles, outside, didn't take long to visit, it was mainly a photo
opportunity. I would love to get some pictures at Missle Park at sunset
and after dark.
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