White Sands National Monument

The white sands of the monument were formed over thousands of years as rain water and snow melt, which dissolved gypsum from the San Andres Mountains, flowed into the Tularosa Basin. The shallow lake that formed dried up as the climate changed, leaving behind a large gypsum playa. Strong winds from the southwest are constantly breaking down the gypsum crystals into the fine sand of the dunes and piling them up into ever-changing shapes.

 The monument has a small visitor center with exhibits and a short video. A sixteen mile scenic drive winds through the dunes with stops at picnic areas and hiking trails. 

    The visitor center and theater are accessible. The Interdune Boardwalk is accessible however the area is off limits due to the 2024 crash of an Air Force jet. The pilot ejected before the crash and was uninjured but the area is not safe for visitors. The Playa Interpretive Trail is about 1/3 of a mile out and back. It's hard packed and accessible with assistance and leads to a seasonally wet area where gypsum crystals form. The interpretive signs are too high to be read from a seated position. The other trails and the dunes are not accessible with a standard wheelchair. 

The visitor center lot has long RV spots. Most of the other parking lots are large enough for any vehicle. Monument   32.77918, -106.17214

 

James Canyon Campground

This pretty little campground is right off of Hwy 82 so it's not secluded or private but it is convenient. It's also very small with two sites that are large enough for RVs and three tent sites that are accessed by crossing a bridge that spans a dry stream bed. 

The campground web site states that it's limited to RVs 16' or less in length which I didn't notice that when I was researching. Our 25' RV fit into the sites but I don't recommend turning into the campground if your RV is long or if you are towed or towing because there isn't much room to turn around. 

Amenities include picnic tables, fire rings, and vault toilets.  

The RV sites are accessible with hard packed dirt, picnic tables with extended tops, and fire rings with high sides.   Campground   32.90454, -105.50528

Coleman RV Park

There are two sections in this city park campground. The west section has trees but the sites are not well marked, the ground is not level,  and the electric may not work. The east section has sites marked off with telephone poles laid on the ground and new electric hookups. The east section was fairly crowded with large fifth wheels when we pulled in but by early evening they had all packed up and left. We figured they were oil workers and had been called to a new job-site. 

The campground has water, a dump station, and a dumpster but no restrooms or picnic tables. Several parks with playground equipment, ball fields, and picnic facilities are within walking distance. 

The eastern sites may not be wide enough to deploy a lift.   Park    33.17287, -102.27534

 

Buddy Holly Center

 Buddy Holly was born into a musical family and spent his childhood in the little Texas town of Lubbock. After graduating from high school, Buddy formed a band and often opened for national acts when they came through town. Buddy and the Crickets were soon recording their own songs and had their first number 1 hit with "That'll Be the Day" in 1957.

The Crickets split up a year later. Due to financial problems caused by the breakup, Holly went on a winter tour in the Midwest - an exhausting schedule of twenty-four performances in twenty-four days. The freezing weather, unheated buses, and breakdowns caused so many problems that halfway through the tour Holly charted a small plane to go to the next stop. Richie Valens, and the Big Bopper, J.P. Richardson, part of the tour group, joined Holly. The plane crashed shortly after takeoff killing everyone on board. Buddy Holly was only 22 years old. 

The museum is small and we were disappointed that there weren't headphones to listen to the music. The exhibits tell the story of Buddy Holly's life and short career but very little about the tragic plane crash. No photos are allowed in the Buddy Holly galleries but, not realizing that the restriction covered both galleries, I took some photos of the bedroom suite Buddy Holly had as a teenager and a  dinette set that Buddy and Maria Elena Holly had in  their New York City apartment. The museum also includes a fine arts gallery featuring changing exhibits by local and regional artists.

The museum is accessible.

We missed touring the J.I. Allison House, where Allison, the drummer of the band "The Crickets", lived as a teenager and where many of the group's songs were written. 

The parking lot is large enough for any vehicle.  Center  33.5785, -101.8423

 

2026 Rubber Tramp Rendezvous

 We're back. :) I've been volunteering for Homes on Wheels Alliance since 2019 but recently I began serving as the interim executive director when Suanne Carlson stepped down after holding that position for about 8 years and Phyllis Bickford retired. We've been a little shorthanded and the Rubber Tramp Rendezvous took a lot of planning. It went very well but I was extremely busy and took no photos. 

Here's a screenshot of Jaime, one of our trustees, and me announcing the winner of the ambulance Bob Wells donated to Homes on Wheels for a fundraiser. 

I'm going to get back to regular posting in a few days. The posts will continue our trip across country to Arizona so they'll be about a month back in time.