One of Several New Mexico

  Subject: New Mexico 

 Hello All, 

 Well, today is May 25th.  It's my grandson, Bryce's, birthday.  HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRYCE.  And my Mom's birthday was yesterday so HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU TOO, MOM.  I talked to them both today and they seemed to be having great birthdays!! 

 We are in Alamogordo, New Mexico in an RV park.  We did our laundry and look forward to seeing the White Sands National Monument tomorrow.  We can see the dunes from here - they look huge and extremely white.....like clouds.  

Last time I wrote, we were near Carlsbad after seeing the famous Caverns.  We visited a place called the Living Desert Zoo and Gardens State Park.  It was very cool.  Only cost five bucks and had lots to see.  It's about a mile walk through the gardens which have most of the animals that live in the area on display.  They are mostly rescue animals, or were born in captivity, so they're pretty pleased to be part of the zoo I think.  I especially liked seeing the bobcat up and about even though it was a hot afternoon.  There were two of them and they were very vocal as well as awake.  More than I can say for the cougar...but she sure was pretty.  The prairie dogs were a riot and the babies were so cute!!!!  The cactus this year is extraodinary and I hope I'm not boring you to death with cactus bloom photos. 

We headed north on hiway 285 towards Roswell.  We stayed at a place called Bottomless Lake State Park.  They had the strangest sign posted near the water.  What do you make of it?  I mean, it's like saying "no flotation devices allowed without life jackets"  or something.  I always thought there were the same thing.  I guess they mean you can't go out in the lake in an innertube without a life jacket on......weird.  Who thinks up this stuff?  

Roswell has, of course, a UFO and Alien Museum.  We went and it was actually pretty informative.  What really did happen there?  What did they do with the alien that lived?  Anyway, it all tied in with the visit to the telescope place and to the museum we went to today here in Alamogordo.  The New Mexico Museum of Space History was very interesting.  And the Imax film we saw about the Hubble telescope was really mindboggling.  Moving.....I actually cried a couple times it was so amazing.  I'm feeling very small today. 

 We've actually been up in the Lincoln National Forest near Ruidoso for the last few days before coming down to Alamogordo.  I didn't take any pictures but we camped in two locations near a river and Mike got to build campfires and do a bunch of projects.  We really do like being the National Forest camping.  It's usually in pretty remote places and has hiking involved.  We tried to do a hike yesterday but didn't get very far because you had to ford the river and there was too much water to do so comfortably.  We were up around 7,000 feet and there was snow above us and the streams were really running high.  

Everyone here is super nice.  Not that they aren't other places but they seem to be especially nice in these National Forest places.  Maybe because it's early in the season and they're not sick of all the "tourists" being jerks.  And we met a couple guys that showed us the trout they caught in the nearby lake......nice fish.  Mike is talking about getting a license soon.  I hope he does.  I'd love to have some trout for dinner. 

 So that's what we're up to.....not a lot but that's the whole idea.  Till next time,  happy trails... 

 Love, Gayle (yeah, he's asleep but I will admit, he does all the driving!!)