Samuel and Dad: Mountain West Roadtrip: Trip #2: Mountain SW Rd Trip Day 7, Gila National Forest NM to Guadalupe National Park, TX

Day of Post: 08-14-2019
Day of Event: 6-14-2019

Mountain Southwest Road Trip 2019 Day 7

Highlights of this day included:
1. Waking up at campsite at NFS Bighorn Campground on NM 180. Beautiful drive through Gila National Forest.
2. (Not a highlight.) Heading uphill into Silver City, attempted a legal pass around a dark Dodge pickup going slowly (NM MNA-xxx). Dodge then sped up, not permitting us to pass, and nearly caused us to have a head on collision with oncoming traffic. Slammed on brakes and swerved back into our original lane.
3. Nice drive through Las Cruces, NM. I wanted to stop for good Mexican food, but Samuel didn't.
4. Organ Mountains National Monument. Beautiful. Stopped at Visitor Center with intent to hike to Dripping Springs. However, heat (it was 100F) and some emergency vehicles around there talked us out of it. So it became a driving tour.
5. White Sands National Monument - beautiful area. Thought it was also going to be about the nuclear and bombing testing, but it was not. The WSNM is only about the geography and geology of the place.
6. El Paso, TX. Trip to National Border Patrol Museum.
7. El Paso, TX. Visit to Stanton Street Port of Entry Border Crossing
8. El Paso, TX. Nice meal at Julio's.
9. Gas!!! See below for story.
10. Arrival and camping at Guadalupe Mountains National Park, TX.

So....let's get to some pictures...

Gila National Forest, Bighorn Campground, NFS, NM

Organ Mountains National Monument, NM.

Organ Mountains National Monument, NM. An anticipated trip to Dripping Springs was canceled due to oppressive heat and some emergency vehicles and processes ongoing.

White Sands National Monument, NM. Nothing nuclear here. Just sand....nothing but sand.

Samuel played in the sand.

We saw the Bleached Earless Lizard. Samuel said: "I didn't know there were eared lizards."

Our personal snapshot of the bleached earless lizard, made more visible when resting in the shade.

National Border Patrol Museum, El Paso, TX

National Border Patrol Museum, El Paso, TX. This was a display of some of the homemade vehicles and contraptions made by undocumented immigrants trying to enter the country illegally. Far in the background are two hoods from 50s models pickups welded together to make a strange boat.