This morning was the first time we needed to replace our propane tank on the trip, which runs our hot water tank and refrigerator. Fortunately we have solar, so we don’t need propane for our electricity (and we plug in when we’re in RV parks), nor do we have to run a noisy generator.
We weren’t sure how much it would be, but it was a reasonable $45 at Love’s, and we anticipate that we’ll need to replace it less as it gets warmer since we won’t need the furnace on either (which we’ve been running a few times on those icy cold nights). We also bought some new fuses, and success! Our water pump runs again.
We arrived in the city of Las Cruces on a Saturday, so we were able to check out the small but wonderful farmer’s market. Here, we tried green chile nut brittle (and bought a packet with pistachios), and also purchased banana bread and churros. Sheila was able to come because it’s dog friendly, and there were other dogs hanging around the stalls selling dried chilies, fresh fruit and vegetables, salsas, and other items. Just next to the farmer’s market there’s a bakery called Proofed that does amazing sourdough–including ube (Filipino purple yam)! Lisette tried a sample and was almost tempted to buy it, but we still had a lot of sourdough from Barrio Bread when we were in Tucson. While we didn’t stay for long in Las Cruces, as the second-most populous city in New Mexico, it seemed like an open and welcoming city, with flyers still up for its annual Pride Parade in October, and a diverse range of restaurants and stores.
Mesilla is a town that neighbors Las Cruces, and it’s a historical, small town feel, with galleries, gift shops, cafes and restaurants surrounding the central plaza. We saw Chile Ristras–strings of vibrant, dry red chiles–hanging on doorways, which is common all over New Mexico. They’re sometimes used for decoration and to bring good luck, but are also dried for cooking and eating. When we went, it was quiet and relaxing. Being the foodie (and tea lover) that she is, Lisette went into Old Barrel Tea Company, a New Mexican tea shop that has stores in New Mexico, Colorado and Arizona, and purchased a green tea blend that includes–you guessed it–green chile. Imagine the rich sweetness and earthiness of a green tea that has a spicy endnote. Unique and delicious!
We have friends in Australia who LOVE seeing big sculptures (if you’re reading this, hi Nat and Glen!). If you’re into big sculptures, you’ll want to check out the Big Chile Inn & Suites, an accommodation known for the big red chili pepper in front of it. Yes, we did a drive by to take a quick pic.
The Space Murals Museum: A Must, Must See
The Space Murals Museum and Gift Shop is still in Las Cruces, but you’ve got to get on the highway and do a quick turn once you see the sign, as we almost missed it. Once we arrived in the parking lot, Lisette thought the Museum looked closed–there was one car parked, but otherwise there were no signs of life.
Deciding to go in and check it out turned out to be one of the highlights of our day! We were immediately greeted by Odette, who works most days at the Museum and is one of the most enthusiastic, funny and passionate guides we’ve ever met. We loved her so much that we took a photo with her at the end as a souvenir from our visit. When Lisette introduced herself, Odette’s face lit up and said the “-ette” in Lisette’s name meant “little” (to which Lisette said that yes, her name is a little variation of Elizabeth), to which Odette quipped that her name means she’s a “little bit odd”!
It turns out that Saturday is one of the quietest days, because most people who visit are from out of town, and weekends are typically when they’d have other commitments–a wedding, visiting family, etc. Which was fine for us, since we essentially had a private tour of the place with Odette!
The Space Murals Museum (free entry) is a bit of a misnomer, as it’s much more than simply murals and a gift shop. Sure, one of the standout exhibits is an outdoor 1.2 million gallon (over 4.5 million liter) water tank, with murals around it showing the progress of the US Space Program from the beginning to the fatal accident of the Space Shuttle Challenger. However, the Museum has also been called “The People’s Museum” as many of the artifacts have been donated or are on loan from people who were active in the space museum. These include a V-2 rocket (which was launched and recovered at White Sands Missile Range), a replica of the Space Shuttle Challenger, a fuel cell used in the Apollo and Skylab missions, and countless other memorabilia, including photos, newspaper articles, models, and merchandise. You don’t have to be into space to appreciate everything that is on display, and we could have spent longer hanging out at the Museum had it not been for the threatening rain clouds overhead, and wanting to get back to Sheila who was waiting patiently in the RV.
White Sands Missile Site
Not far from the Space Murals Museum is White Sands, which is still used today for missile testing, so there can be road closures when this happens. It also has the White Sands Missile Range Museum, a free museum. Since it’s on an active military base, you need to provide your driver’s license, car registration and proof of insurance to enter. We didn’t go into this museum, but it’s another option for folks that want to learn about the origins of the US missile and space programs, and the beginning of the nuclear age.
PistachioLand
Our plan for the following day was to go to White Sands National Park, which gave us some time before settling in for the evening to go to PistachioLand, in the town of Alamogordo, which we found out about because of the very extensive number of billboards (often in quick succession) they had in the area advertising themselves. Advertising can work!
At McGinn’s PistachioLand, you can take a photo next to the world’s largest pistachio structure–a 30-foot sculpture that’s a tribute to the orchard’s founder, Tom McGinn. There was a long, long line to buy the bright green pistachio-flavored ice cream, but inside there’s an extensive gift shop that sells different flavor-infused pistachios that you can sample beforehand. We tried everything from margarita lime, cinnamon, green chile, red chile, habanero, classic roasted & salted, cocoa, and more! We ended up buying the green chile flavored one (because we are obviously embracing this New Mexico flavor in virtually everything). There are other souvenirs as well, including plushy pistachio stuffed toys, different flavors of salsas, and of course branded clothing, postcards, and other merchandise.
Our campsite tonight was at Holloman Lake, a dispersed camping area with plenty of room for RVs and other vehicles to stop for the night. The lake does serve as the wastewater reservoir for Holloman Air Force Base, and it does contain very high levels of forever chemicals, so definitely be careful with your pets when walking them there. While scary to know, the sunset was absolutely stunning overlooking the lake, and we were happy to have a peaceful and serene end to our day.
Route Map
