Above the clouds & border patrol...
White Sands National Monument is just west of a town called Alamogordo. East of Alamogordo is a little town called Cloudcroft. It is literally above the clouds, on the right day. You drive up about 4,000 feet and about 20 miles from Alamogordo to get there. It's long been a mountain town, respite from the heat of the desert, and a winter sports town, since it gets lots of snow.
In 1899, when the railroad was built, it was designed to haul timber from the Cloudcroft area down the hill. Once the area was deforested, the train became a passenger train, for those escaping the desert floor. It ceased to be a viable means of transport in 1947 and the 58 trestles were left to fall into ruin. Some local historically minded inviduals decided at least one trestle should be saved in the 1990's and spent a lot of time and money to bring the trestle, seen in the pic below, back to it's glory. Unfortunately, you can't walk on it, but just enjoy it from a distance.
At this particular bend in the road, as you look west, you can see the shimmering white of White Sands in the distance. I also appreciated that they used old railroad ties to create seating at this overlook. I know my dad, the train buff in my life, would appreciate this pretty stop.
The town of Cloudcroft has a few little shops and cafes and is a good detour for an hour or two, if you're ever in the area.
Border patrol you ask...yep, on our drive towards, we found the National Border Patrol Museum, just north of El Paso. They have an interesting collection of both border patrol means of transport and confiscated vehicles that people have tried using to get both drugs and people across the border. They museum also provides a really good history of how the Border Patrol got it's start and how things have changed over the years for them. Given our present state of politics, it will be interesting to see how their jobs change again, in the years to come.
We also fit in some Texas BBQ, on our quick pass through the Lone Star state. Check out Rudy's, if you're ever in El Paso, it was divine.
In 1899, when the railroad was built, it was designed to haul timber from the Cloudcroft area down the hill. Once the area was deforested, the train became a passenger train, for those escaping the desert floor. It ceased to be a viable means of transport in 1947 and the 58 trestles were left to fall into ruin. Some local historically minded inviduals decided at least one trestle should be saved in the 1990's and spent a lot of time and money to bring the trestle, seen in the pic below, back to it's glory. Unfortunately, you can't walk on it, but just enjoy it from a distance.
At this particular bend in the road, as you look west, you can see the shimmering white of White Sands in the distance. I also appreciated that they used old railroad ties to create seating at this overlook. I know my dad, the train buff in my life, would appreciate this pretty stop.
The town of Cloudcroft has a few little shops and cafes and is a good detour for an hour or two, if you're ever in the area.
Border patrol you ask...yep, on our drive towards, we found the National Border Patrol Museum, just north of El Paso. They have an interesting collection of both border patrol means of transport and confiscated vehicles that people have tried using to get both drugs and people across the border. They museum also provides a really good history of how the Border Patrol got it's start and how things have changed over the years for them. Given our present state of politics, it will be interesting to see how their jobs change again, in the years to come.
We also fit in some Texas BBQ, on our quick pass through the Lone Star state. Check out Rudy's, if you're ever in El Paso, it was divine.
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