Well the storm got me yet again today. I stopped for breakfast in the little town of Alma, about midway between Glenwood and Luna. I talked to a trucker there that had just come over the pass from Arizona. He informed me that there was about 6 to 8 inches of snow on the road there, and it was still coming down pretty heavy. As I sat and ate, every person that came in looked at me like I was crazy, once they figured out that the motorcycle outside belonged to me. Then an old timer came in and announced to everyone (and no one in particular) that he had lived here for 25 years and never seen snow in the pass in May. Just my luck. I try to call Mike to let him know I won't be meeting him in Winslow, but no cell service here. I just want out of this damn state...

So I turn around and take 78 into Arizona, which turns out to be beautiful, despite encountering rain, sleet, ice, hail and, within about a 2 or 3 mile distance, signs for: falling rocks, sharp curves, dips, bumps, wind gusts (getting used to these), flowing water, animals, and finally, no road markings for the next 10 miles. If it wasn't raining so hard, I might have stopped to take some pictures.

I am heading into Arizona today, and thought I'd aim somewhere near Winslow, AZ to meet up with Michael (who left Oregon yesterday). That way we could go to the Petrified Forest National Park and Canyon de Chelly.

I decided to go up through Silver City and over into Eagar through the San Francisco mountains.

Watching the news this morning before leaving I heard that the awful winds I rode through to get to the VLA were actually 60 mph winds. No wonder I was so miserable. At this point, I just want out of this state. (Although I think the storm is all across the West. Heard a semi blew over coming from Tucson...won't go that way)

Unlike quartz-based sand, the gypsum stays cool and can be walked upon with bare feet, even in the hottest summer months. The dunes constantly change shape and slowly move downwind, covering the plants in their path. Some species of plants, however, can grow rapidly enough to avoid being buried by the dunes. Some are seen in the dune behind my Beemer.

The majority of sand found in the world (like 99% or something) is made of quartz. White Sands is unique because it is formed from gypsum, which is rarely found in the form of sand because it is water-soluble. Normally, rain would dissolve the gypsum and carry it to the sea. Since the Tularosa Basin has no outlet to the sea, rain that dissolves gypsum is trapped within the basin, and the rain either sinks into the ground or forms shallow pools which subsequently dry out and leave gypsum in a crystalline form on the surface.

After having my fan installed today at Badlands in Las Cruces*, I visited White Sands National Monument, east of Las Cruces NM.

Driving past the White Sands Missile Range was pretty neat. I had wanted to see the Trinity Site yesterday (where the first atom bomb was detonated), but unfortunately didn't have time. Maybe next trip...

For some cool pics, see http://www.wsmr.army.mil/ and wait for the pictures to change.

*Side note on finally finding someone to install the fan. The guys at Badlands in Las Cruces were very good about making time to work on my bike despite a full schedule. The mechanic was kind enough to let me watch him work on it, and I didn't feel so bad when he had trouble getting the damn thing pulled out of there just like I did. He busted the plastic tab (as I'm sure I would have too if I had kept working on it) but reattached the unit with some silicone.

If just one antenna dish was constructed to do the work of these 27 dishes, it would have to be 20 miles in diameter.

Each dish is 82 feet wide and weighs 230 tons.