Roswell to Las Cruces

Yesterday (Sunday) started out with a 30 mile bike ride loop around Roswell.  Did you know that Roswell is the Dairy Capital of the Southwest?  I didn't either.  We saw (and smelled) several big dairy farms and pecan orchards.  We also discovered that Roswell produces most of the US cheeses.  There's a big cheese factory that contracts to the major food companies (think Kraft).  There's a big cheese festival once a year, the only time the factory allows tours.

That afternoon we went to the UFO museum.  Very kitschy, kinda fun, and cheap. The city of  Roswell plays up the UFO thing well.  Little green aliens can be seen on just about every block.

This morning we left Roswell for Las Cruces where we are staying with some friends, Jeff and Sue Kramer. On our way, we stopped at White Sands National Monument.  It's like being on a beach in the middle of a desert.  White dunes of  gypsum for miles and miles.  People were sliding down the dunes on sleds.  The most fascinating thing was the eerie silence.


Our surprise of the day was stopping at McGinns Pistachio Orchard near Alamogordo. We took a 30 minute tour where we learned about tree  graphing, nut harvesting, the difference between a male and a female tree, and other fun facts.

So tonight we ate a delicious meal and are sleeping in a real room, thanks to our Sue and Jeff.  Tomorrow we explore Las Cruce