An Evening Walk on the Malpais Trail @ Valley of Fires In Carrizozo, New Mexico

Yellow flowers grow 

trailside.

The Lava Flow has a golden

hue in the early evening

light.

Delicate purple flowers

All the Yucca spikes have

gone to seed.

There's the moon

This photo was taken looking

into the setting sun.

The Lava is black.

Eric flashes me a smile.

After sunset, the sky has

a pink glow...

The rectangle next to the

tree is our motorhome.

I am going to walk the Malpais Trail tomorrow and then I'll compare those photos with the ones I took in April 2019.

Driving Northeast to Carrizozo, New Mexico

 DrivingInterstate 10 East/

US Route 191 North.

The Dragoon Mountains are

giant piles of boulders.

THE THING? is an interesting

attraction to visit.

Cattle are out for a walk.

Eric & I have never seen

Solar Panels arranged on

a tilt before.

Continental Divide

Elevation 4, 485 Feet

Welcome to New Mexico

Land of Enchantment

I drive while Eric relaxes

& takes pictures.

Akela Flats is a popular

Tourist Shop.

Welcome To Las Cruces

Explore, Experience, Discover

This exit will take Eric & me

to US Route 70 East.

The Rio Grande

White Sand drifts toward

the roadway.

Alamogordo City Limits

Elevation 4,335 Feet

We will stay in the second lane

on the right to continue on

 US Route 54 North/70 East

toward Tularosa.

The Giant Pistachio at

Pistashioland. 

Driving on US Route 54

 North to Carrizozo.

Train Spotting

There's a lot of truck traffic

as we continue North.

Oversize Load

Eric & I return to the Valley

of Fires Recreation Area.

Fire Danger Today is

Moderate

Visitors can pay for camping

online or leave cash in the 

box on the left.

When Eric and I camped here in April 2019 we visited Trinity: The site of the first Atomic Bomb Test; The Very Large Array: Radio Telescopes that continue to explore the Universe;, Smokey Bear Historic Park: The tribute to Smokey the Bear and his final resting place; Fort Stanton: Built to put down Apaches, the Fort has been used for many other purposes; and Lincoln: Site of the Jail that Billy the Kid broke out of before his death.

Outdoor Exhibits @ The Pima Air & Space Museum in Tucson, Arizona

 There are many Planes and Helicopters outside.  My favorites are...

This "Whale of a Plane" is the

Aerospaceline's 377-SG

Super Guppy.

NASA used it to carry parts of

Saturn Rocket.

BUD RB-1 Conestoga Transport

Plane is made of Stainless 

Steel.

The Military used the

Beechcraft TC-12B Huron to

transport personnel & cargo.

The Sepecat Jaguar GR 3A is

a French & English creation.

This color was chosen for

desert combat during the 

1990-1 Gulf Waer.

The Agusta A 109C is the first

Italian designed Helicopter

to be mass-produced.

The Kaman OH-43 D Huskie 

does not have a tail rotor.

This very large "Insect" is the

Sikorsky CH-54 A Tahre

(Skycrane) .

It was used by the US Army

from the 1970s to 1990.

Boeing B-52 Stratofortress

Long Range Subsonic 

Jet Powered Bomber

The Convair B-36 Peacekeeper

is the last piston engine

bomber produced by the US.

Grumman E-1B Tracer:

Airborne Radar Tracker

The Lockheed C-130A Hercules

is a Transport Plan

The Sikorsky S-43 Baby Clipper

was designed as an Airliner & a

Military Transport.

Air Force One: Douglas VC 118A

Liftmaster served Presidents

Kennedy & Johnson.

Presidents Kennedy, Johnson,

& Nixon flew on this jet

propelled Boeing VC-137B 

Stratoliner.

Visiting the Pima Air & Space Museum in Tucson, Arizona

 Hey Jim - This one's for you!  Our friend Jim loves The Pima Air and Space Museum so much that he gave me this book that lists many of the 400-plus aircraft on display here.  

This is an amazing book &

I have the information I 

need about aircraft in my

blog at my fingertips.

Thanks, Jim!

Eric rolls down his car

window for this picture.

Eric & I outside this

sprawling Museum

complex

It was difficult, but I created a list of my favorite Planes and Helicopters to share in this post and a following Blog on the Aircraft that are displayed outdoors.

A replica of the Wright Brothers' 

1903 Flyer

The first powered flight occurred

on December 18, 1903.

The Starr Bumble Bee was built

to break the record as the 

World's smallest airplane.

This HUM-1 two-man Helicopter

was manufactured by McCullough

Motors Corporation

This Widgeon Flying Boat is called

The Petulant Porpoise, made by

 Grumman in Bethpage, New York

 in the early 1940s.

Pontoon Planes were popular early in aviation history because there was a small number of airfields and this type of plane could be landed on lakes and rivers.  

The US Navy Blue Angels' precision

flying is a mainstay of many large

Air Shows.

Grumman F-11 A Tiger

This is a V-1 Rocket.

Fieseler Fi103-A Hoellenhunds

were built in Germany in the

early 1940s to bomb London.

Military Pilots were trained in

Boeing PT-17 Stearman Kaydeets 

during World War II.

After the War, this biplane became

popular with Civilian Pilots.  

Lockheed  SR-71A Blackbird

It was requested by the CIA to

replace the U-2 Spy Plane.

Vought F4U-4 Corsair

Baa Baa Blacksheep TV

Series featured this plane.

The Vought FM-2 Wildcat was used

on American & English Escort

Carriers during World War II.

Consolidated B-24J 

Bomber

Ammunition for the front

mounted guns.

Consolidated Model 2-AMC 

Canso A was originally a

Navy Plane.

My favorite Airplane

has its own Museum.

The B-17 Flying Fortress 

Heavy Bomber &

Colonel Richard Bushong

The Colonel flew 28 missions over Germany during World War II.  During his time as Pilot and Crew Commander, Colonel Bushong always returned to base, often with bullet holes in the fuselage.  

The Colonel volunteers at the

390th Museum & shares his

experiences with visitors.

A ladder allows access to the interior of the Flying Fortress.

A photo of the Front

Gunner's perch in the

nose of the Plane.

Some of the Bomber's

payload

A picture with

Colonel Bushong