Cumulative miles driven: 3,693

Leaving Roswell without a hint of seeing a real live alien we headed over the Hondos Pass to Alamogordo which was only a couple of hours drive. The reason for this little side trip was to see the White Sands National Monument which is the world's biggest white silica sand desert measuring 275 square miles. It really was white! The upside of the damp and cold weather we experienced was that we almost had the place to ourselves and it did seem remote when there was just our car in the car park. When it is warmer and dryer this place can, by the look of it, get packed with people enjoying walks and sledding on the sand dunes or using the many picnic and BBQ areas that are set up. It also is a popular 'spring break' destination for US college kids and for that reason alcohol is banned from February to May each year - two reasons to avoid the sands during that time of year anyway. The area can also be closed for short periods due to missile testing by the US Army in the adjacent area which also houses the Trinity Site where the world's first atomic bomb was detonated on 16th July 1945. You can now visit this site, once a year in April, which is deep within the White Sands Missile Range.

From seeing white sand, we went to see the black lava flows in the Valley of Fires Recreation area on the northern edge of the White Sands Missile Range area. The lava flow covers an area of around 40 miles long by 4 miles wide and in geological terms is fairly young at around 5,000 years old. We arrived at about 11.30am to find the Visitor Centre closed with a 'Gone to lunch, back at 1.00pm' sign hanging on the door! We could still walk through the lava field and left our entrance fee in an honesty envelope as all good tourists should do. The display boards recommended to allow at least 90 minutes to complete the 2/3 mile trail (yes, just two thirds of a mile) - needless to say we completed it in far less than that even reading all of the display boards. The average American must walk very slowly!

Our next base for three nights was Albuquerque, New Mexico's largest city, with us stopping on Route 66 that runs between Chicago and LA at the delightfully retro Monterey Motel. The place was run by a Polish couple originally from Wroclaw and was an easy ten minutes walk to the historic old town area which for us was just fine. The old town area is crammed full of touristy tat and artsy shops and worthy of a visit although business seemed slow which was not a surprise given the time of year. There are also a number of restaurants, the majority being Mexican, dotted around the old town too so there was no need to drive. The newer part of town centres around the railway station where we were fortunate to see the northbound Amtrak 'South West Chief' service on its journey from LA to Chicago - the rail equivalent of Route 66! We also managed to eat at The Standard Diner which was the first real 'Diners, Drive-ins and Dives' venue we have visited on this trip, other we have eaten in probably fell into each of these categories, but only this one had featured on the TV show of the same name.

We have so far been fortunate and missed all of the snow falls that have hit the USA since we arrived (very glad we chose a southern route across the country), including in Albuquerque where it fell the day before we arrived. There was however snow on the top of Sandia Mountain over 10,600ft above sea level. The cable car to the top was a great way to reach the summit in around fifteen minutes. The local skiers were happy as this was the first snow of the season to be on the mountain but we just enjoyed a walk instead along part of the crest trail for great views over Albuquerque.

Our New Mexico adventure finished off in Santa Fe, the state capital, which was an hours drive north of Albuquerque using I-25. We considered catching the 'Rail Runner' train (which would have taken over an hour and a half each way) but the timetable did not really work for us nor would it give us any real flexibility. Santa Fe had a really nice old city centre which was very walkable but seemed slightly less touristy than the old town in Albuquerque. We also visited the State Capitol building and unlike in Austin, Texas we just waltzed in without any security checks and sat down in the open public viewing gallery of the State Senate who were voting on various items. The building was really busy with hundreds of people just milling about - it seemed a really strange building to be in and if honest we were both pleased to leave as it did not feel like a place where serious business was being done. The return journey to Albuquerque was via the Turquoise Trail which was the old road linking the two cities prior to the opening of the Interstate highway. It was far more scenic and less busy too.

So we are off to Arizona next and we will possibly be the only people, on a cross USA trip visiting the state, not to be planning to see the Grand Canyon. Been there, done that!