I was in New Mexico last week and I saw some amazing geological wonders.

No way my cell phone pics do Carlsbad justice, but this video gives you a better idea:

You gotta just get on a plane to El Paso and see Carlsbad Caverns for yourself.

There is nothing manmade that even comes close, really.

Also amazing, White Sands National Park:

The gypsum sand dunes were cool to the touch, and stretch out over 200 square miles of desert in the southern part of New Mexico.

You can sled down the dunes!

These dunes were formed by gypsum deposits from an ancient sea that covered the Southwest 260 million years ago.

Pics don’t do it justice, really.

Also got to see the world’s largest pistachio in Alamogordo…

You can see a little Supermodel got in this pic… trying to upstage the giant nut!

I was in NM with my good friend and her 5 yr old daughter…

Some silliness took place while on vacation :::::::::::

We went to New Mexico in November because the weather was still in the 70’s during the day… and discovered that the leaves were changing as well!

November is a great time to visit the Southwestern United States in general.

Anywhere trees were growing (mostly in valleys) there were brilliant splashes of vibrant yellow.

We visited Sante Fe and hiked in the mountains just north of the city. It was cool and piney at 10,000 feet, we could feel our hearts pounding as we climbed up the mountains in thinner air.

I’m used to Tampa sea levels, for sure.

New Mexico is full of topographical contrast; rolling lowlands, flat desert, and pine forest in the mountains.

Driving across the desert is fun:

I rented a Ford Edge SUV and I looked down at the speedo surprised to find myself going 100+ mph!

Vast, empty, and beautiful… especially at sunset!

With no trees you can see 20 miles out on either side of the road. At one point I looked at the mountains up ahead and tracked the distance it took to get there… the range was 30 miles from my original observation point!

There are so many cool things to see across the United States, and each trip is unique and different.

I’ve been walking 10,000 Fitbit steps for the last two months (had knee surgery back in March) and all that walking certainly made this New Mexico trip more dynamic, more fun, and pretty healthy all around!

As winter begins my options lessen… who wants to go hike with me?

Not sure where next trip will take me.

Ben Alexander

November 9th :::::::::::::::: 2021