#roadtrip newmexico sanddunes organmountains

[laaventuramexicana]

Road Trip Day 2

Today was everything you hope a road trip will be. Unexpected discoveries, beautiful weather, easy driving, slap-happy jokes, and a remarkably calm dog in the back of your car. We began our morning on route 66, stopping at an simple but friendly diner called Annie’s. Next we made our way to White Sand Dunes National Monument. These babies are gorgeous. Reminded us of the Great Sand Dunes of Colorado, except snow white. The sand is also much wetter; there is water coursing underneath, and if you dig just a couple of inches down from the top, the sand is cool and damp, reminiscent of being at the beach. Luna had a blast, but was overheating a bit and began digging sand pits underneath rough brush. After a couple hours at the park, we were back on the road and driving to Las Cruces. On the drive you are treated to the gorgeous and dramatic Organ mountain range. We sought out Dripping Springs BLM, where we took a 2.5 mile hike and admired the climbing areas. We spoke with a climber on the trail who said there is some really great granite climbing, including a 10 pitch-ish grade 5.6 route (sounds like my kind of climbing). Obviously we have to come back! Finally we had “Mexican hot dogs” for dinner at Andele’s Dog House. We were charmed to find these things because we recently attended a house party where the two New Mexican hosts fed us Mexican hot dogs--hot dogs wrapped in bacon, cooked, then smothered in a wide variety of toppings including the typical Ketchup and mustard, but also baked beans, jalapeños, salsa, cooked and raw onion, and cheese. YUM. To top it off and ensure we gain at least 5 pounds just on the road trip down, the 24oz beer is only $.50 more than the 16 oz beer, so, the choice is obvious. Now the icing on the cake. When we arrived at our hotel, we encountered our neighbor with a beautiful collie (think Lassie) standing in a common space near our door. We let Luna hop out of the car since our door was right there. She immediately shouted “Get your dog on a leash!” As Luna made an initial approah to say hi to the Collie, the owner yelled “GET BACK. STOP. IT’S THE LAW TO HAVE YOUR DOG ON A LEASH!” We sheepishly apologized but as I walked into the room I was singing “It’s the law, It’s the law!” The reason this is so hilarious is Bernardo and his brother, who are Mexican, were tickled to death on their road trip through the US (some 15 years ago) by all of the signs demanding people do something and emphasizing “It’s the law”. Buckle up, It’s the LAW. No drinking and driving. It’s the LAW. Well, this was our last chance for someone to tell us about the law before crossing into Mexico tomorrow morning, so thank you neighbor.

PS. I took a picture of her license plate in case she decides to deflate my tires or something. As I did, I noticed her bumper stickers: “Wag more, Bark Less”, and “Dogs are people too.” Do people belong on leashes? I’m sure I’ll have an entire post about the stupidity of always having a dog on a leash. Trained dogs are much, much better behaved off leash than on. But that is for another day. 

Abrazos y besos!