New Mexico. Possible summer trip through TX to NM.

I mentioned to my near-wife, henceforth referenced as Ashley, that I wanted to take a longer vacation. We make our annual trip to TexRenFest every October, but I want to go see more and do more; stay gone for a week or so.

She says she wanted to see a cave. I immediately think Carlsbad Caverns...and Roswell. I mentioned Carlsbad and Roswell. She was immediately on board. Later I mentioned hitting the beach in Florida since we haven't done that in 9 or so years and she said she was already excited about New Mexico.

Summer of '06 I did a job in New Mexico removing an oxygen plant from an old copper smelter plant; and we stayed in Lordsburg. Haven't been West of Houston since then. Going on 12 years now. Wow, time gets away from ya. Always something about the desert that stirs something inside me. Not sure what. Sitting outside the little crummy hotel watching night creep from east to west, Nighthwaks and bats swarming the street lights chasing bugs, while I sip a nightcap of Crown and Coke. Rocks, dust devils, tumble weeds, dry rivers and wadis. Starting to sound like a Hemingway, I even had me a summer romance down there in the desert. :blush: LOL.

Went to Big Bend National Park when I was maybe 10. Still remember a lot of that as well.

So anyway. Looks like I am planning a trip to the Land of Enchantment. So far on the agenda is Carlsbad Caverns and Roswell. Maybe check out White Sands since we will be that far out West and not likely to go back any time soon. Though through the eyes of a toddler White Sands looks like a beach without water, and since she always says she wants to go to the beach, that may be a bit disappointing to her. LOL We are looking at a 12 hour drive. Not trying to do it all in one day. Odessa or Midlands TX will probably be a stop off point for us.

It will be me, Ashley and our daughter, who is 3 1/2. Maybe her daughter, 13, if she doesn't go stay with her dad this summer.

What is there to do in Roswell and Carlsbad?
What else should I be looking for in the area?

A science museum would be cool. I think they have a planetarium there?
For the toddler a zoo would be good. Petting zoo even better. Small water park, splash pad, playground.
Maybe...MAYBE a theme park.
Star gazing and just generally being outside to see the night come and the wildlife. I understand Carlsbad Caverns has a star gazing event?

Yes, I am looking online. Lots of info out there, just seeing if there are hidden gems somewhere.
I have to check out a local brewery while I am there as well. See what craft is on tap.

My idea is set up "base camp" in Roswell, or Carlsbad, and go out on short excursions during the day. But not to the extent we spend all day driving. If I have to get a room in the next town over, that's not a problem either.

I don't particularly like big cities, but I am not completely against going up to Albuquerque and checking out all they have to offer. Looks like Albuquerque has quite a bit to do. I know no one can say for sure "Yes it is worth the drive" (to me). But adding an extra 3 hours to the trip, one way, it better be spectacular. 3 hours is an easy day trip no doubt, but the trip home will be the bore. If I got that far north I will just make a loop and come back through the Texas Panhandle to see something different...maybe.

Handgun laws? Looks like NM is pretty lax like Louisiana. Just like to have my .45 in the car when we go places. Not concealed carry or open carry. Just in the car and the hotel room.

So any advice from our New Mexico folks or NM tourists?

Edit:
Forget my timeframe. Would like to make this trip toward the middle toward the end of May. But not sure how that will work with the teenager and school. I'm sure I would get "That's awfully short notice" at work as well. So sometime in June.

I am sitting in a hotel in Roswell right now.
Roswell has a LOT of fake alien stuff, entertaining to see once.
The real gem here is the Goddard collection at Art Museum, https://roswell-nm.gov/348/Robert-H-Goddard-Dreamer-Tinkerer-Pionee

M

New Mexico Space Museum, at Alamogordo:

https://www.nmspacemuseum.org/








Also nearby, White Sands Missile Range. https://www.wsmr-history.org/

If you are staying in Roswell check out the Bottomless Lakes state Park:

https://www.emnrd.state.nm.us/spd/bottomlesslakesstatepark.html

I just spent a few days last month kicking around southern NM with a friend. It was a great nerdgasm trip for me. There's a lot to see around Alamogordo.

• There's the New Mexico Museum of Space History: a few rockets and missiles, a rusted out tail of a V2 and a good historical display in the building.
• White Sands National Monument: yes, it looks like a big white beach, but it's not anything like a beach and it has a very rich history, both natural and military
• White Sands Missile Range Museum: very cool rocket/missile garden, a V2 rocket and a lot of historical equipment.
• Three Rivers Petroglyph Site: this is about 45 minutes north of Alamogordo. If you like the history of the SW, you'll love this. Over 20,000 petroglyphs etched onto the stones of the hills there.

We also drove another 3 hours up to the VLA - probably underwhelming for the average tourist, but it was really cool to see those big radio dishes. I was actually standing under the closest one to visitors center when it adjusted its angle about 20 degrees.

I can post some photos if you'd like, but they're not much better than what you'd see online. And it's all worth seeing!

-brant

If you’re crossing over from Roswell to get to Alamogordo to get to the Space History museum and/or White Sands, there is also the solar observatory at Sunspot, NM near Cloudcroft, which is on the way from Roswell to Alamogordo by one of the routes over the mountains.

While you’re in the Caverns, look up at the “ceiling” in the lunchroom where the lights are. My wife helped install those. Her Dad was a ceilings and insulation contractor in Carlsbad and they got the job to put that stuff in.

Why is it when someone posts on a rocket forum that they are taking at trip to a place rich in aerospace/rocket history, people automatically thing said someone wants to see rocket/space stuff?! LOL. That's a joke folks.

Bottomless Lakes looks like a pretty good idea. Swimming, splashing and sand. The toddler, Emmy, will think it is a beach, just without the waves and sea shells. Took everyone to Galveston last summer: Moody Gardens and the beach. After the second dead jellyfish I was a bit concerned. Then a live one passed within two feet Emmy. That was enough beach for us.

Roswell Museum and Art Center is happening for sure. Don't know how much of the silly UFO stuff we will visit in Roswell. But just like we can't go to the beach without looking in all the beach shops, we can't go to UFO central and not look at at least some of the UFO shops.

When in the caverns, I'll be sure to look up. Last cave I was in was Ruby Falls in Chattanooga...I wasn't really impressed. It was neat and all but still. Hope Carlsbad is better.

The Observatory was originally on the to-do list, but not so sure now. None of the others seemed to enthused, same with the Petroglyph Site. I actually have some cousins live in Cloudcroft, or did. Haven't seen or heard from them in years.

Likely will head over to Alamogordo. New Mexico Space Museum and White Sands both the monument and the missile range museum. Everyone thinks they are "neat". If there is a real V2, that is nearly reason enough for me. And they do motor coach tours up to the Trinity Site. I could get in on that but not gonna drag the women folk out to the middle of the desert to look at a monolith. They don't understand the significance of the place.

Looks like they Roswell and Alamogordo both have zoos. Will check on those. Always like going to zoos. But not gonna let that get in the way of the other stuff, I mean we have zoos here after all.

Any nice quirky hotels/motels? I'll admit I usually stay in Hamptons. One reason is the company I work for puts me up in a Hampton when we go TDY and I use the points when we go elsewhere. But the ones in Alamogordo and Roswell are 150+ and I don't want to blow the budget on hotel rooms. :/

Good info folks. Keep it coming.

I've been in about 20 major caves in the US and Carlsbad Caverns is easily the best. Big, bold, beautiful, filled with dripstone. I've been there three times now. Definitely go there. Carlsbad is a decent town. Not too big, but has a variety of food and lodging.

Guadalupe Mountains National Park is about an hour south of there. Great hiking if you're into that, otherwise there are some westward-expansion-era historical ruins to see.

Big Bend National Park is about 5 hours south of Carlsbad. IMHO one of our best national parks and worth the excursion if you have time. You would probably want to spend at least one night there.

White Sands is great for various reasons, be it the missile range or the curiously cool-to-the-touch gypsum sand. The expanse of brilliant white sand against the distant mountains on a sunny day is a sight to behold.

As casual UFO enthusiasts, my wife and I made a point to go through Roswell. It was worth the stop. The signs and museums were kitschy but informative and amusing.

Hatch, New Mexico and its chili pepper culture was an unexpectedly entertaining little stop.

Gila Cliff Dwellings is maybe 6 hours west of Carlsbad, but would be cool if you've never seen ancestral Puebloan ruins.

May would be a great time to go to the area.

Yes there is a V-2 at White Sands. See attached. I realized that I don't have an overall view....but it's hard to get far enough away to do that in the building where it is housed. The skin is off on one side so you can see what's going on, and it's undercover and protected which is good.

The Trinity site is only open one or two days a year (I don't remember which) so that takes some real timing.

Yes, Hatch if you go to Las Cruces and then head north up I-5. I met my wife (the Carlsbad girl who did ceilings and such when she was a teenager) at New Mexico State in Las Cruces, but we have been living in the Seattle area now for 39+ years....and Hatch chiles are something we relish whenever we can get them.

I'm not sure a homebase in Roswell is going to work; the distances are just too vast.

So Day one is the drive from Louisiana to Midland that's a REALLY long drive

From Midland-Odessa, Carlsbad Caverns is a few hours north and a full day at the park. The little one is going to be exhausted. It's a long hike down to the floor and then the walk around the Big Room is vast. Spend the night in Carlsbad. Next day north to Artesia then west through Cloudcroft to Alamogordo. This is a beautiful, scenic drive. Sunspot outside Cloudcroft is neat but its not going to work for a little one. About two hour drive.

In Alamo check out the space museum (about hour and a half to do it slowly) then Alameda Park with the miniature trains (on the weekends), model railroads in the old station house, and a small zoo. From Alamo, 30 minutes to the White Sands National Park - drive and play in the gypsum but be mindful that if you want to get to the Missile Range, the missile park and museum close at 4 and its about a 45 minute drive at high speed to get there. Plan on staying in Las Cruces. That'd be a heck of a full day.

Next day, take I-10 to Deming about 45 minutes then North on 180 to 61 (20 minutes) then 20 more minutes North East to City of Rocks state park. It's some kind of geological upthrust, but it is absolutely unforgettable once you've seen it (great for the little one.) Two hours+ to hike around. Then back to 61 and North through the Minbres river valley past Lake Roberts to the cut off for the Gila Cliff Dwellings. (about an hour maybe a little more). The ruins are about 30 minutes North. The Ruins are cool and you do get to hike through them. You are getting there in the afternoon so they are in the shade. Then South, to Silver City to spend the night.

You might want to plan to spend a day in Silver City after three days of hiking. All of these places are over 4 thousand feet and you are going to be tired and irritable (or the little one is) from Oxygen deprivation. Silver has a mining museum and the coolest, old-tyme Commercial Sales store (Army Surplus stuff) around.

Decision time - back west through the Gila Wilderness to Hillsboro then south through Hatch (Stop and eat at Sparky's; best Green Chile hamburger on the planet) to Las Cruces. OR North on 180 to 12 around the Gila Wilderness to 60 and the Very Large Array, this is a long but beautiful drive around and through the central New Mexico highlands. You can stop at the Array, but I think the visitor center closes at 3:30. Continue on 60 to Socorro. Gas up, then south on I-25 for 15 minutes to 380. In San Antonio, and eat at the Owl Cafe. Then 380 east all the way to Roswell. You'll drive past Trinity Site, but as someone else mentioned, its only open twice per year and they've cleaned out any evidence of the explosion. That is a very long day's drive.

Spend a morning with the Goddard stuff and more UFO kitsch than you can possibly imagine and then start heading back to LA.

That's a heck of an ambitious itinerary. Well over 1200 miles of driving in NM alone at fairly high altitude. You probably already know these drives are very remote and you will go many miles with out any sign of civilization other than the asphalt. The usually Driving in the West rules of keep your tank full, cell charged (there are LOTS of areas with no service) and have lots of water in a cooler apply.

Lots more good info.

Big Bend and the Cliff Dwellings are a bit of a stretch from our original plans. I loved Big Bend when I was there last but just too far out from this trip. And adds to the driving time. I wouldn't be concerned with the drives but for the youngun. It is the home trip that will get us. Add 6 hours West and I'm looking at 3 days to get home. I would prefer to punch through all the way to Roswell in one day, but not going to even try. With three women-folk we will be stopping quite a bit I imagine. The teenager seems to be the worse. LOL Midlands/Odessa will be about 7 hours. A good drive for sure. They have some sort of nature center there that we can let the youngun run around and see something new. And a planetarium as well. Just south of Dallas is a Dinosaur park that is an option for a stop off point either going or coming.

Awesome itinerary there MarkB. I appreciate the time and effort put into it. We won't be able to take in all that but your timeline will help out a lot. May have to do White Sands museum in the AM and catch the monument in the PM. I must see the V2! Maybe stay after dark and star gaze. May try to plan it around a full moon. Or maybe no moon to better see the stars. The City of Rocks looks pretty freaking awesome, but it is also quite a drive.

The Trinity Site is only open 2 days a year. So won't bother with it.

I expect the teenager will get bored and the youngun just generally exhausted. Not sure how any of us will adjust to the altitude.

This is a lot of great info. I'll run it by the family and see just what they want to do. Then I'll be able to plan better.

Thanks again!

Stay at the Rocket Inn if you’re near Truth or Consequences. Great little classic motel with a bit of a space theme. Cool T-shirts too!

Gila Cliff dwellings, White Sands Missile Museum, Bosque Del Apache, Very Large Array, Petroglyph NM, City of Rocks SP, are all cool, depending what you like.

Trip was a good time for all. The teenager is at her dads in New Hampshire so it was me, Ashley and Emmy. We left Wednesday morning and got back tonight. Original plans went out the window on day one, as was expected. LOL. Got a late start leaving Wednesday and it rained for the first 5 hours, then we stopped early in Abilene. That left a 4.5 hour drive the next morning to Carlsbad Caverns. In Abilene we took Emmy to play Putt-Putt. About 3 holes and she had had enough. We turned in our clubs and went to a splash pad and imagination park (really awesome playground). She of course enjoyed both of those. Back at the room we order pizza and blew her mind having someone bring food to the door of our new home. LOL This turns out to be the only cheap hotel we stay in.

Another late start the following morning (takes about 2 hours from the time we crawl out of bed until we actually get on the road) put us getting to Carlsbad about 2ish I think it was. I was trying to not to rush anything. I was on vacation after all. We spent all day in the park. The caverns are gorgeous, I like rocks and rock formations and what not. Thoroughly enjoyed it. The park was more than we expected, and no time for the Living Desert Zoo and Garden. So now our timeline is way messed up. We stop off an Milton's Brewery and fill my growler with 64oz of Pale Ale goodness. This will be my friend the rest of the trip. Up to Roswell for the night. Ashley is playing on my Hilton Honors app and through some miscommunication, books the Hampton Inn and Suites for 180 bucks for the night. I manage to get it cancelled but searching Roswell for other hotels is a bust, either not enough beds, smoking, dirty, what not. So we take the Hampton; it is Hamptons from here on out. I prefer interior rooms myself and Hampton's are usually reliably nice.

The Roswell Museum and Art Center was great. Had the Goddard stuff, his workshop even, Nell and some other neat rocket stuff. Had some old Sharps and Winchester rifles. Very nice place. Wasn't much interested in the art. Emmy lost interest pretty quickly and resulted to laying on a bench playing her mom's phone while I took in all the Goddard goodness. All the alien/UFO stuff was pretty neat as well. Reading some of the eye witness accounts, makes one wonder just exactly what happened down there. Wild stuff. Had lunch at UFO McDonalds and headed over to Alamogordo by way of Ruidoso.

Ruidoso is a nice little mountain town. We checked out the Billy the Kid museum, that is a nice little gem in itself, then stopped off at Funtrackers for go-karts and bumper boats. Emmy even got on the turtle track and drove herself around, only hitting the wall twice. This was a nice drive up through the mountains to Alamogordo. We can see White Sands as we top some of the hills. We ate at Margo's. Very good mexican food!

First morning in Alamogordo we hit White Sands National Monument. It was neat and all, and I am glad I got to see it, but I was underwhelmed. Maybe it was the altitude; or the fact that I was a smoker for 17 years; or the fact that I am no longer in shape and pushing 40; whatever reason, twice up the side of a dune was enough. Going up the end was much easier of course. Riding a saucer down the dunes was REALLY overrated, but watching Emmy scoot down the dune behind her saucer was priceless. We chased lizards and beetles, dug holes and played in the sand for about two hours and that pretty much sums up the Monument. The Missile Museum and rocket park were great. Had a great time and talked to some BYU guys whom I am guessing were part of the Spaceport America Cup as there were also a few college guys from Canada and several other schools. We finished the day at the Museum of Space History in Alamogordo. Awesome place. If I could have slipped out with one of their trash cans, I sure would've! Played in the dirt and watched the sunset outside the hotel before bedtime. I used my Hilton points to get a free night and half price on another night. Whew.

Yesterday we put Alamogordo in the rear view and took the route up through Cloudcroft back to Carlsbad. Beautiful drive and nice little town. We didn't stay long though but enjoyed the rest of the drive. It was gorgeous. Back to Carlsbad to see the Living Desert Gardens. It is around noon and HOT. The museum here and the gardens are nice, but need to be done EARLY. Ashley and Emmy both got too hot and we had to cool off a bit in the reptile exhibit before hurrying back to the museum for some A/C and water.
Trip home was pretty much a bore as I knew it would be. Only thing different was it didn't rain and the wind farms were spinning. Spent last night in Sweetwater TX, the nicest and cheapest Hampton of the trip.

Emmy had the most fun riding on the luggage cart and pressing the buttons for the elevators. LOL. She told me today though when I asked, that her favorite part was the rockets.

I will try to post some pics soon.
Thanks for looking
MIchael

A few pictures from Alamogordo.

The Junk you find just lying around town. This was over behind the Toy Train Depot in some sort of old granary. All kinds of space junk lying around.


Looking out over Alamogordo from the Museum of Space History


Little Joe II


Me and my Gremlin


More to come...