The FMCA Elks Rally was for 5 nights. The mornings were in the low 30’s, but the sun quickly warmed us up. Breakfast and dinner was catered and we had a wonderful bluegrass band on Sat. night. One fellow Elk – named Bill – looked amazingly like another Bill you may recognize. Souix (80)and Bob Smith(81) (she’s the blonde) – are very active in FMCA and are a lot of fun. Here are some photos from the rally.
Alamogordo is at the base of the Sacramento Mountains. One evening, our group drove up to Cloudcroft – elevation 8,650 ft. – for dinner at Big Daddy’s. 
. It was a beautiful ride through the Lincoln National Forest. The higher we climbed - the more snow.
The National Solar Observatory is located at a height of 9,200 feet in the Sacramento mountains. It overlooks White Sands Missile Range in the Tularoasa Basin. The dry air of the southwest, isolation from any major source of air pollution, and plenty of sunshine make this an excellent site for observing the Sun.
Another side trip was to the Toy Train Museum in Alamogordo. They have converted the old train station into a museum of miniature trains. Remember the old Lionel train set under the Christmas tree? Well, it’s here.
The New Mexico Museum of Space History was a neat tour. The museum overlooks Alamogordo and you can see the White Sands Desert in the distance. The museum traces the history of space flight and honors astronauts from all over the world. Even Carl Sagan got mentioned!
One afternoon, Don & I headed toward Sierra Blanca Peak – elevation 11,973’ – because it’s snow covered peak was so attractive. We were soon driving through the Apache Indian Reservation and arrived at The Inn of the Mountain Gods Resort and Casino. We parked in the parking garage and took the elevator to the hotel lobby and casino. It’s a beautiful resort and I won $10.00 at the slots.
White Sands National Monument took us on an amazing 15 miles drive. The sand is blindingly white and with the amazing blue sky I have some of my best photos, ever! We watched the kids using plastic saucers to slide down the dunes.
From the Brochure: White Sand - A rare form of sand. The common mineral gypsum (CaSO4*2H20) hydrous calcium sulfate, is rarely found as sand because it is soluble in water. The rains would normally carry it to the sea, but there is no outlet and so it settles in the Tularosa Basin. The White Sands Missile range surrounds the park and is the testing ground for our rocket program.
That wraps up our touring around Alamogordo, New Mexico. We’ll soon be on our way to the FMCA Rally in Albuquerque. Hope you enjoyed this blog!
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