Park 180- White Sands National Monument, Alamagordo New Mexico

After parking in Las Cruces, New Mexico, we headed up about 55 miles on US 70 to get to White Sands.  Sadly, we encountered a fatal accident involving a car and a motorcyclist, and traffic was stopped for 45 minutes while they worked the scene, even as we were within a mile of the park entrance.  The wreck happened as the motorcyclist was pulling out of the park entrance, so they had it all blocked off, so they directed us to pull over on the side of the road, and we waited another 15 minutes, then they let us cross over and go into the park.

It must have been one hell of a wreck, there was impact debris all over the place, and they had the MAIT team out from the State Highway Patrol doing a detailed crime scene type of investigation. 

As we lost an hour or so, we still had time to drive into the park proper, after stopping at the VC for a couple of stamps.  We went in about 6.5 of the 8 miles, amazing dunes....

On the way back out, we stopped at the entry station and got that stamp, after Bette admonished me for not getting it on the way in, but because of the back up from the wreck, I thought it better not to ask then, with a long line behind us..  Anyway, we got the stamp. 

Then, as it was just at 4 pm, and we knew the movie was starting, we stopped back at the VC and watched the 18 minute movie about the park and how the dunes came into being, and about the wildlife and such.  Excellent movie. 

I also asked for the missing 25th Anniversary stamp, and got it, and then discovered I missed another stamp by not asking for it, but I did get 4 of 5. 

Drove home in about an hour and a half.  Beautiful park, Bette was glad she went. 

Got a pin and a hiking medallion...