New Mexico’s Scenic South - The Most Scenic Drives in America: 120 Spectacular Road Trips - page 506

Locked in a struggle to eke out a living, the animals that inhabit this region must con-
stantly cope with extreme conditions—blistering heat, chilly nights, scant moisture, and
strong winds that sometimes stir up sandstorms. Yet they manage to survive. For most, in-
cludingmammalssuchascoyotesandkitfoxes,thetrickistostayoutofthenoontimesun,
so they remain in burrows during the day, then go on the prowl by night.
Humans, fortunately, can simply admire the terrain, then head back to air-conditioned
comfort. The Dunes Drive, an eight-mile road into the national monument, makes the trip
convenient as well as scenic. It begins at the visitor center, and at any one of the several
pullouts along the route, visitors can park and explore the dunes—some up to six stories in
height. You might even spot sand surfers slashing down the steeper slopes.
Did you know…
White Sands National Monument is part of the world's largest gypsum dun-
efield, where glistening dunes rise 60 feet high and cover 275 square miles.
It shares its massive area with White Sands Missile Range and Holloman Air
Force Base.
3. Cloudcroft
The next leg of the drive makes a steep, serpentine ascent on Rte. 82. The gain in elevation
from the desert floor to the Sacramento Mountains brings cooler temperatures and an in-
crease in vegetation. The roadsides, green now,are edged with pine trees and apple orchar-
ds. Stop along the way at Tunnel Vista, an overlook that provides simultaneous viewing of
both the forested mountains and the desert basin.
Cloudcroft,perchedat8,700feet,beganasaloggingtownandretainsmuchofitsturn-
of-the-century flavor. Today it's also known as the home of the southern-most ski resort in
the country.
If you have the time, you'll certainly enjoy the 15-mile Sunspot Scenic Byway. The
two-lane road passes evergreens and meadows bedecked with raspberries and wildflowers
on its way to Sunspot. At drive's end is a solar observatory, where visitors can stop by for
a firsthand look at sunspots and solar flares.
4. Ruidoso
Thick, cool woodlands crowd in around State Rte. 244 as it snakes through the mountains
to join Rte. 70. Still farther, the drive veers west on State Rte. 48 to Ruidoso—a Spanish