We’re Easin’ Along…Fort Stockton, TX to White Sands, NM

Del Rio was interesting and beautiful, and we were in no hurry to leave, but the time came to move on.  I always heard that Texas is big, but, until you attempt to drive across the state, it’s hard to fathom how big. Our destination was White Sands, New Mexico and a campsite at the White Sands Missile Range, but there was no way we could get there in one day.  Therefore, we booked a one night stay at Hilltop RV Park in Fort Stockton, TX, a town approximately halfway between San Angelo and El Paso.

Hilltop RV Park had the best reviews on RV Trip Wizard, and I understand why.  The Park is owned and operated by a lovely couple who were very welcoming to Helen and me.  The Park had spacious campsites, and the showers and bathrooms were spotless. That’s about all one could ask for during a one-night visit. Once we pulled in, we met Judy and Warren from Seattle who owns a fifth-wheel that is the same make as our Lucy.  Warren had a wealth of information on some of the features of Lucy that I had not yet discovered. The most valuable bit of information was a feature that resets our fifth-wheel to the precise position it was in when we unhooked and before we leveled it.  This feature allows us to reconnect without going through a bunch of steps to reset the hitch height.  Sounds trivial, but it makes a big difference on moving day.

I took three pictures in Fort Stockton; the park office, a statue of a Roadrunner, and a group of metal cowboy and Indian figures that stood on a hill across the highway. I thought they all made good pictures.

White Sands is a fantastic place and so very picturesque. All along the roads leading to the Missile Range, the California Poppies painted the desert floor a bright yellow (photo above). We stayed here two years ago on our first RV experience in Sherman. On this trip, we were assigned the same campsite on the end of the row of the eight sites there. I remember thinking on our last visit that this campground has to be the best-kept secret in the Military Campground inventory.  Only four of the eight sites were in use. As soon as we pulled in, a speedy Roadrunner greeted us.

 

The next morning, we woke early to catch the sunrise as the rays fell on the Organ Mountains to Lucy’s front. The view certainly added a pleasant experience to our morning coffee. We caught up on email and phone calls for the rest of the morning then watched our Tennessee Vols win a Sweet Sixteen game in the NCAA Tournament.

 

The White Sands National Monument is about ten miles from the Missile Range.  Helen wanted to hike one of the Nature Trails before dark, so we were off as soon as the final whistle sounded in the basketball game.  We arrived to find a surprisingly large crowd of tourists at the Visitor’s Center. Helen picked up a trail map and got a few tips from a nice Park Ranger.

 

The White Sand is white gypsum that comes out of the surrounding mountains and has no place to go. Water does flow into the area, but it settles through the gypsum into the earth below, and the white, granular material settles in the valley. The winds shift the “sand” into huge dunes. Driving in, we saw a lot of kids sledding down the dunes on plastic discs.  One girl fell off her sled as she chased her friend down a dune hill and gave me a chance to take her picture.

We chose a one-mile Nature Trail about three or four miles from the entrance.  Information markers along the trail pointed out the wildlife, reptiles (rattlesnakes) and plants found in the White Sands desert and made the short hike very interesting. According to the markers, most of the wildlife came out during the night to hunt for food.  We saw only a few hawks, but the scenery was the star of the show.

We left White Sands the next morning. Our visit was short, but we felt rested and ready for Tucson, AZ and a wonderful time searching for ancient Native American artifacts.  Please come back.  Until then, we’re Easin’ Along.