Saturday, February 22, 2020 - Exploring Las Cruces and the Surrounding Area

Saturday, February 22, 2020 - Exploring Las Cruces and the Surrounding Area

This morning we headed out for a "look see" of the immediate area.  We drove to Old Mesilla, but it was too early to stop as the shops were not open yet, so we drove back toward the RV Park, and then went south.

Onion field

Pecan trees galore

We still had an hour or so before the stores at Mesilla would open.  In checking out 25 things to see and do in Las Cruces, two things nearby were the Toucan Market and the Recycled Roadrunner.   We were expecting the Toucan Market to have fresh fruit and vegetables but it turned out to be much more than we expected.  It was a full grocery store.  Today they had a cooking demonstration (held every other Saturday) on preparing fish in their lounge area.  They offer free coffee for those who want to come in and meet up with friends and there are several small tables and chairs in this area.  Their parking lot was packed, and there was standing room only left for the cooking demonstration, and it appeared most were enjoying the free coffee too.

We bought some fruit (pineapple and canteloupe) and vegetables (yellow squash, zuchinni, broccoli and cauliflower), and lunchmeat from their deli.  

We wanted to drop the food off at the RV.  As we pulled in, the owner saw us and stepped out to motion us to stop.  Our mail arrived this morning.  Talk about service!  After putting the groceries away, we drove out to see Mr. Roadrunner!  

Recycled Roadrunner - clink on link for information

By now it was nearly 11, so our next stop was at Historic Mesilla.  We quickly realized we probably should have arrived here a little before 10 (when the stores open) to find a parking spot.  Parking is limited and in a dually truck it is even harder to find a spot for it.  We finally found an area we could pull off the road a few blocks away.  We didn't mind walking so it worked great.  We headed straight to La Posta.  

Historic Mesilla - click on link for more information

Our friends Frank and Joyce recommended we stop at La Posta while we are in Las Cruces.  We both ordered the fried tacos, that came with rice and beans.  They brought chips and salsa which were very good.  Dean doesn't care for salsa so he ordered queso - but it was not like any queso we've had before.  It was more like a slightly cheese gravy with green chilies.  I thought it was just okay, and Dean didn't care for it at all.  However, our meal was very good.

I forgot to take a picture when our food arrived, so you get a picture with one taco gone, whoops!  This is the room we were seated in, and the front of their menu that offers the history of La Posta.

After our meal, we headed out to visit the shops.  Most of what they offered was clothing, jewelry and of course souvenirs of the area.  We were not looking for anything special just browsing.

A sign outside of Legacy Pecans.  We had no idea that New Mexico was such a large producer of pecans.  From the many pecan trees we saw earlier this morning, I guess we shouldn't have been surprised.

One of the shops was "Billy the Kid", so we stopped in.  While looking around we found some little toy guns (for little guys) that came with a plastic belt.  One of our grandsons loves to watch a cowboy show.  For Christmas, between his parents and us, he received a number of cowboy items.  Megan told me they never found a "little boy" play gun, so when we saw these we thought of him.  I sent Megan a text later to see if he ever got a set.  She replied a short time later to let me know he did not.  We had already left by then, but we will go back tomorrow and get one for his birthday, which is coming up in a couple of months.

Loved this entrance door along the sidewalk in Mesilla.

Gazebo at the park in the middle of Mesilla.

An old building off of the main road in Mesilla.

This was located across the street passing through Mesilla.  They had lots of red chili peppers, hanging up in bunches, in the bags, in decorations, etc.  

After leaving Mesilla, we made a stop at Bentley.  Shortly afterwards we headed north, then east to White Sands Missile Range.  On the way we enjoyed the beautiful Organ Mountains as seen in the pictures below.

Organ Mountains

More pictures of the Organ Mountains

We weren't sure what we needed to do, but noticed several cars in an area to the right, so we pulled in there and walked to the entrance gate where a guard met us.  We told him we'd like to visit the museum, which is on base.  He asked for our driver's license, so they could do a background check.  Within 10 minutes or less, he gave us a pass, explained that we could take pictures, however no pictures to the west at all, and none of the gate coming into the base.  We could walk over and take a picture of the entrance sign (shown below), which I took just before we left.

Entrance sign at White Sands Missile Range

 In the museum, I only took a few pictures.

Picture of Moon Landing, autographed by Astronaut Jim Irwin.

The "wires" in the lead casing above, are copper with paper insulation.  There are 909 pairs in the lead casing.  Dean explained all of this to me, as he has worked on this type of telephone wire over the years.

White Sands Missile Range - sign on the administration building across from the Museum.

We enjoyed walking through the various missiles and other items on display here.

The museum.

After our tour here, which we really enjoyed, we left the Missile Range and headed on west to White Sands National Monument.

Entrance Sign

 We stopped in front to go to the Visitors Center.  People were coming and going in a small area.  We asked about a map and were told we could pick it up at the entrance gate.  We didn't realize it would be a drive through area.

This was an amazing place and we immediately thought of the grandkids and how much fun they could have here.

As we first approached the park

 I took several pictures inside of the park - more than you will want to see, but as we moved along the dunes became more sand and less grass.  They were just awesome to see.  It looked like snow drifts.  Fortunately, there was only a little wind today.

It was very overcast.  Here's the sun trying to break through but it never did.  Notice the picnic tables.  There are a few places in the park where there is plenty of room to pull your car and/or your RV in.  There are no overnight stays, but you can bring them in for the day.  We saw several in the park, and a few were using the grills available at these sites.

This is a picture I wish we could capture - only with all of our grandkids.  What fun that would be!!

Of course, we had to take a selfie!

Sliding down the sand dune.  When the guy riding it got to the bottom, he ran into the bushes, so I didn't include it.  People were having a blast here!

And it looks like prom pictures were being taken by a professional photographer too!

Unfortunately, the sun never cooperated for a sunset picture, but the sky was still beautiful.

What a wonderful day we had seeing the sights in and around Las Cruces, New Mexico.

We had one last stop to make.  We had not eaten anything since lunch around 11:30, so we made a decision to stop at Dairy Queen on the way back where we thoroughly enjoyed blizzards!  What a day!

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