To Carlsbad and Back: Day Three
Day Three of this trip found us packing up our campsite and heading home. Which was probably a good thing, because we were pooped! Carlsbad took more out of us than I thought it would. After breakfast, we broke camp and loaded up the car to head toward home. I had a few stops left, though!
On our way home, we stopped at the New Mexico Museum of Space History in Alamogordo, New Mexico. New Mexico has had a long connection with NASA and space exploration- a lot of the spacecraft testing has taken place in New Mexico, and now we have the first private spaceport! While the museum is small, it certainly has a lot of displays and information on the space race! One of the boys’ favorite exhibits was the space flight landing simulator, where they got to play a video game that asked them to land the space shuttle. They both need a bit more practice before they’ll be captaining those flights! Another favorite exhibit was the dress-up station, where they got to dress up like astronauts! Overall, it was a great stop.
Our final stop before heading home was White Sands National Monument, just outside of Alamogordo, New Mexico. This monument is special because of the gypsum sand that makes the area unique. The sand creates dunes, just like any other sandy beach or place, but because of New Mexico’s heat, it becomes a unique ecological environment, where plants and animals have adapted to living in a water deficit and an ever-changing environment. It’s also a gorgeous place for portrait sessions because the sand easily reflects the colors of New Mexico’s sunrises and sunsets. The boys had a great time playing in the sand dunes, digging holes only to realize that a couple inches below the surface the sand was damp! They buried each other, and tried to bury me in the sand as well. We didn’t stay very long because everyone was pretty well pooped.
Overall, this trip was a wonderful getaway with my sweet boys. I got a bit of research done for my book, and created some wonderful memories. We’re planning to head toward Taos, New Mexico after a week of rest and laundry at home, so stay tuned for our next adventure!