White Sands and Las Cruces, NM

Our next drive took us from desert landscapes to steep climbs and forests to White Sands. As we descended from higher elevations, we came upon a vast open area. Mountains hugged the skyline ahead in both directions, and at the base of the range we were able to make out the sea of White Sands. We passed a sign advising us not to pick up hitchhikers (they may be escaped convicts) and then we passed another informing us that we were soon to be surrounded by missile ranges. Dodging hitchers and deadly flying objects, we made our way to White Sands National Monument.