658 Miles and a Red Burrito, Part 1

It's a long way from Clovis to Las Cruces---about 658 miles round trip, diagonally across the 5th largest state.  We did this drive last Saturday, accompanied by Bucksnort, 3 Pirate Dogs, and doggie cousin Esmerelda.  After an hour and a half of the High Plains, the road begins the climb into the Sacramento Mountains.  Small towns with names that elicit fantasies of Billy the Kid and John Wayne--Hondo, Tinnie, Ruidoso.  Then the summit, over 6000 feet.

The clear cold prairie winds became squalls of snow.  The Element hadn't been in this type of climate since leaving New Hampshire in 2007.  Winding down past Ski Apache, the southernmost Alpine ski area in the country, and the casino and sawmill that fuel the  Mescalero Apache economy, our intrepid band reaches the Tularosa basin.  The sky cleared to the warm blue for which New Mexico is famous.

Rest stop in Alamarosa, a small district between the towns of Tularosa and Alamogordo.  We made a great discovery---the McGinn family's Pistachio Tree Ranch and Winery.  Green chile dusted pistachios, Atomic Green Chile Pistachio Brittle, treats for the palate and more than satisfying the urge for hot NM chile.  A superb oasis for this trek.

The next stop was at one of the most beautiful locales on this planet---White Sands National Monument.  The Pirates and Esmerelda made excellent use of the walking area by the parking lot, exploring the totally different sensory experience the High Desert offers as a contrast to the High Plains.  Mescal bushes, Christmas cacti, Yucca.....how the dogs must have appreciated these olfactory differences.

Drive through the missile range and into the Organ Mountain.  San Augustin Pass is about 5700 feet.  Then the Mesilla Valley and Dona Ana County appear before us.  The growth of Las Cruces over the past ten years has manifested itself with the spread of housing developments further along the eastern mesa, almost to the foot of the majestic mountains.  Not much longer to the cool downtown residential area known as the Alameda, some fine dining, and the park along the Rio Grande where the Pirates and cousin could relax, out of the crate and into the warm sunshine.