Alamogordo, NM (area)
Heading east from Silver City, my next destination was the area around Alamogordo, NM. Between Silver City and Alamogordo was Truth or Consequences, NM, and with a name like that, I had to go through the town.
| Getting to Truth or Consequences required crossing a fairly high mountain range, with spectacular views. The valley in this picture is the valley of the Rio Grande river, that runs from Colorado, south through New Mexico, and becomes the border between Texas and Mexico. |
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Truth of Consequences was just another older western town, with an interesting name. It had renamed itself after a radio show, so that the radio show would broadcast from there once every year. |
Getting from "T or C" to Alamogordo required going south on I-25 through a number of small towns to Las Cruces (which turned out to be much less interesting than I expected), and then east on US-70 across the White Sands Missile Range.
| Going east from Las Cruces, US-70 goes over a high pass and descends into a very large basin. Coming down from the pass, there is road to the south leading to fairly remote camping and recreation areas. |
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But, immediately ahead is the vast expanse of the White Sands Missile Range (formerly known as the White Sands Proving Grounds). This is the area where the first atomic bombs were tested during WW II and is now the site of missile testing. The area is dotted with secret government (and government contract) installations that are still testing weapons and missiles.
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| Some of the installations are quite large |
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And, there are various signs that leave you with the feeling that someone is watching and that, if you crossed the line, you would be noticed. |
