Meandering to Maine and Back: Day 10 (July 2nd) or Green Tree covered Mountains and White Sand covered Dunes

We had put in a hard days driving to get even an hour from Gila Cliff Dwellings and had slept like rocks. We woke to cold, mid to low 50’s cold, but after all the heat we had experienced, it was refreshing. It was an enjoyable, normal morning, we were off by 8am for the 9am start at our fourth cliff dwelling experience. The odometer said we were 2964 miles into our trip.

Gila is impressive. It's just over a mile round trip hike up into a canyon with an actual water filled stream running beside you. Once up into the cliffs you get to explore the dwelling themselves, peeking over walls, and peering though doorways.There is even a wooden ladder you can climb. The only drawback to this monument is its location. It’s a slow four hour round trip to the nearest civilization of Silver City, via a winding mountain road that turns from pavement to gravel all too soon. The good news is that there is plenty of boondocking, as well as a campground, near the monument. It’s a beautiful drive and well worth the trip.

I try not to allow it, but we have become a slave to time on this journey. I wrote the Itinerary in a vacuum, and sticking to its schedule is a puzzle we think about and solve daily. Our wake up time is ruled by when areas open in the morning, our evenings determined by when visitors centers close at night at the last destination of the day. So far we have been successful.

We even managed to squeeze in another Planet Fitness visit, but without hydromassages this time. We stood visiting with a local in the parking lot while we wolfed down lunchmeat sandwiches. We had asked him about this large gravel hill structure next us. Turned out it was a dam.

White Sands National Park was our destination and we made it with 30 minutes to spare before the visitors center closed at 5pm. This gave us time for souvenirs and the park movie before doing the scenic drive through the piles of white sand. The park stays open until 9pm, so we had plenty of time to enjoy ourselves. We strolled along a boardwalk that leads out a 1/4 mile, played on the dunes, and let Austin dig his wheels through a couple sandy drifts the were next to the road.

It was still light when we hit the NM/TX border, but dark by the time we rolled though El Paso. Highway 62 would be our route for a bit, but boondocking wasn’t readily available. We ended up at a picnic area just off the highway, but we were so tired the noise of the frequent vehicles passing by wasn’t a detriment to sleep. 

We did have some neighbors that joined us for the night. They started celebrating an early 4th, giving us a firework display as we lay in the back of Austin. They had fireworks that would be illegal in Oregon, other than the one fountain they fired off. 

The northern horizon also gave us its own light display as thunder storms lit the night. They were pretty far off into the distance, but we practiced wrapping RC in the tarp brought just for the purpose. It’s an older tarp, 5’ by 7’, and we might upgrade to one size larger if this rain covering doesn’t end up working. I’m not sure how waterproof it will be considering when it does rain in these areas it’s generally a downpour.

Places visited:

Gila Cliff Dwelling National Monument Visitors Center/Park Movie

Gila Cliff Dwelling Loop Trail

White Sands National Park Visitors Center/Park Movie

Interdune Boardwalk