White Sands

Mountains rich in gypsum from  ancient seas surround the  Tularosa Basin. This basin has no outlet and the gypsum rich waters evaporate leaving behind the gypsum behind. The prevailing winds form 275 square miles (32.779264, -106.172344)  of glistening white gypsum dunes.

Sledding on the dunes is very popular. (video)

Sledding works because the gypsum is a soft mineral and is very rounded by wind erosion. The spherical grains flow like ball bearings.

Paul 

and Carol having fun.

Out and About

The WINs are a great group to travel with because they always have interesting activities. Our latest outings were to the Model Train Depot and Pistachio Land.

We all took a ride

This early model train is steam powered.

Margret checking out the model train collection

One of the smaller train tables.

This is a steam powered locomotive

Australian train set.

Bill checking out the N scale train table.

Early advertising that you would never see today.

A very large HO gage train table

Yes, they did have other examples of early train advertising, but it was not as photogenic.

Billed as the worlds largest pistachio. It remends me of the OJ stands on CA why 99 when I was a kid. The juice stand was a large orange. 

Our guide is tell use that there is 1 male tree for every 18 female trees. 

The male flower

The female flower is wind pollenated, and NM has wind in spades.

Pistachio trees are native to the middle east. They need lousy soil, intense heat, wind for pollination and a little water. New Mexico is a perfect environment. 97% of pistachios are grown in CA, 2% in AZ and less than 1% here. More than 1,200 trees grow at Pistachio Land on 95 acres.

A Sad Day

George & Ms Tioga, May 2003

Ms Tioga is gone, George is OK. George is a great vagabond and a personal inspiration.

In George's own words.

"On Saturday, March 15th, close to noon, MsTioga and I were driving on Interstate #5, a bit south of Bakersfield, California. Suddenly we were in a field to the right of the Interstate. I had no clue how I had arrived stopped in that field!"

At the Hospital:

"Soon it was discovered that I had an irregular heart beat. While the top half of my heart beat at about 60 beats/minute, the bottom chamber beat in the 30 beats/minute range. The doctor told me that the irregular heart beat likely caused me to pass out."

On Tuesday, March 18th, I went in for open heart surgery. It was found that I had one blocked artery to my heart. Also, my heart's aortic valve was badly formed. This valve had a great deal of calcification and stenois, a disease that causes a narrowing of the aortic valve opening.

I would have my chest opened up in order to replace my aortic valve with a fabricated one of cow tissue. The blocked artery would be replaced as well.

Visit to Ms Tioga

Not one wall-hung cabinet remains attached to its wall! The contents of those cabinets is scattered all over the interior. Most stuff is now on the floor. A scrambled heap of stuff, all tangled in electric wires and construction materials. There was nothing to do but retrieve what could be found, and leave. MsTioga had died in that accident. We had been together from February 25, 2003 to March 15, 2014. Eleven years! And what glorious years they were!

George is now recuperating at a friends home in San Diego.

Good luck George  (blog)