Kicking the White Sands from Our Shoes

I love White Sands National Monument and want to drive through it whenever we are in Alamogordo. Bill isn't as enamoured of an expanse of gypsum dunes but I love the changes I see each time we come. It is so amazing to me that this stuff is being blown daily and is expanding wider and wider burying the land as it goes. Also the white against the blue sky with the green and yellowish plants, just reminds me of the white houses with blue roofs in the Greek Isles. I'd so like to see them someday. They are at an elevation of 4235 ft and cover 10 acres, something very evident from up on Cloudcroft yesterday. After a quick drive through and a few more snaps we headed over to Heart of the Desert to pick up a few more nuts and cookies for Barb and Bets and then retraced some of our steps taken on Sunday to Carrizozo. This time, instead of heading north to Vaughn and Santa Rosa we turned west toward Socorro. A year ago yesterday we'd followed these roads in the opposite direction. I think we are almost natives we know our way around this State so well. As I noted in the prior post my sleep pattern last night was notable for its lack of sleep. I was able to stay away until a few miles outside of San Antonio where I dozed for about half an hour. When a woke Bill asked if I wanted to go to the Bosque--what a question! Of course, I want to go to the Bosque. He said he was hungry so we stopped at The Owl, another tradition for a bacon cheeseburger for me, a green chile cheeseburger for him, shared onion rings and lemonades for each. Then down the road for the tour road. Lots of clearing going on in the wildlife refuge and lots of fields flooded that aren't usually, creating almost mini-lakes. Lots of ducks, some Canada geese and a pair of snow geese, where one of them has a damaged wing. Probably couldn't fly and so did not migrate north and since they pair for life the partner stayed, too. Sad, because I think the injured one will be food for a cougar and maybe the mate, too. A few hawks and deer but no javelinas or cougars. Never have seen a cat here. The cranes are gone, but expected that, since we saw them in La and Tx. Will probably head down early tomorrow morning as we usually do and then come back and decide what is next. Have to talk to Gloria tonight --not sure a visit right now is in the cards. We'll see. Bets called and we chatted a bit. Bill went out for dinner, I'll eat leftover Carino's. Nice big room on the third floor--large window on which I'll keep the curtains open so hopefully less claustrophobic and I'll sleep. Some Aleve PM too, I think. Short day, relaxed, not too demanding on lung power. So, now I'm caught up on our travels and travails. Hopefully, things will take a turn for the better. Don't think we'll make Ca this year at all--lost too much time.Our trip is half over today and we've been sick half of the half--so far a quarter of the trip. Demoralizing. Later, KandB