This is an amazing cold spring (actually an artesian well) in Santa Rosa, where a number of movies and TV series scenes have been shot. As you can see, the water is exceptionally clear!!

Historic roadside America is disappearing...Plan a trip to the back roads as soon as you can!!

Some great ice cream is to be had at Bill's Place at 291 S. 4th Street in Santa Rosa!

This treasure - the historic Pecos Theater - is still in operation. From the Cinema Treasures website, here is its history:

"The El Paso Tiempo Theatre was opened in 1919. Located along historic Route 66 (4th Street) in Santa Rosa, over the years it was renamed several times. By 1934 it was the Kiva Theatre. In July 1936 it was renamed Pecos Theatre. In 1965 following a remodel it was renamed Rodeo Theatre. It operated as a 350-seat movie house until closing in November 2010 with Jim Sturgess in “Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole”. It features a Mission style façade of adobe and stone.

It was purchased by Guadalupe County in January 2016 and following renovations which included a new marquee and vertical sign installed in June 2019. It was reopened on September 7, 2019 with Dwayne Johnson in “Fast and Furious Presents: Hobbs and Shaw”. The seating capacity has been reduced to 126 leather chairs with retractable armrests and cup holders, and a retractable screen. The theatre has Dolby surround sound."

Talk about a gorgeous public park just up the street from the Blue Hole!

No real introduction needed here...

Just outside Carlsbad Caverns National Park...

Some of the cactus seems to be flowering.

You really haven't lived until you visit PistachioLand, just outside Alamogordo, New Mexico... You'll see the billboards for miles along the highway!

According to Google: "Southern New Mexico counties are well suited for commercial growing of pistachio trees. ... Pistachio trees thrive on heat; better nut filling and less blanks are produced in hot-weather climates. However, winters need to be cold enough to complete their dormancy (a rest period during winter)." Groves of trees are everywhere in the area!

The entrance to PistachioLand. They actually offer tram tours as well as a store filled with all forms of the tasty nuts (yeah, we bought  a few pounds of the delicacy!). Not to be missed if in the area.

This is the visitor center for the park...The following images speak for themselves. What an incredible place...another must when in Southern New Mexico  - about a 135-mile drive from Roswell.

A brief shower leaves shallow puddles that reflect the gorgeous New Mexican sky. They dry up quickly as the water sits atop the layers of Gypsum that make up White Sands...

The dunes are constantly being eroded / reshaped by wind and rain. It's a major job to keep the park road graded to be passable!

A storm to the east darkens the sky. It barely made it to the park as we departed.

Where there's water. there are birds! These little guys were not really afraid of someone approaching with a camera!

Our final stop (we just had to) was a diner in Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, just off I-25 between Las Cruces and Albuquerque, before heading home the next morning. As darkness fell, we were treated to an amazing, almost nonstop lightning show to the east in the area of Lincoln National Forest and White Sands...Great ending to a great trip!

- Dennis and Donna