Day 17: June 29, 2019
Enchanted
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What we have here is a case of mistaken identity. Between Lordsburg and Las Cruces US-70 and I-10 run together. US-70 isn't actually signed for any part of that distance. The last US-70 sign just leads you to the expressway where you're left to wonder if you missed something until there's a chance to check the all-knowing internet and verify that that's the way it is. There is at least one current US-70 sign in downtown Deming, where I spent the night, but that only served to confuse me. But all that has little to do with these pictures beyond noting that the US-70 sign in them is the first I've seen for awhile.

Back in March, some friends, who we'll call Amy and Steve, were driving across the southern US and sending me brief updates now and then. Some identified attractions as "worth it" or not. One "worth it" attraction was a giant roadrunner sculpture. When I noticed that a big roadrunner was in the area, I assumed it was the one mentioned in March.

The fun began after I'd exited I-10 onto US-70 and realized that I wasn't about to reach my roadrunner that way. So I turned around, drove the two miles back to the split, and returned to I-10. I reached the sculpture in about a mile and instantly noticed it didn't look like the picture I'd been sent in March. Amy's roadrunner was Paisano Pete at Fort Stockton, Texas. My roadrunner was an entirely different bird although he was quite handsome and the location offered a great view of I-10 heading southward. I returned to the expressway, drove 3+ miles to the next exit (passing the roadrunner on the way) and the 4+ miles back to the split, and got a second picture of that US-70 sign.

Just as it had been the first time, it was fun to see the asphalt pavement disappear into the sand then watch the whole world turn white at White Sands National Monument. I just drove around the loop and watched others slide down the slopes and bury themselves in the sand.
Pistachio Land also has a connection to that couple I'm calling Amy and Steve. They stopped here in March and raved about trying a bunch of samples. I'd stopped here myself in 2012 but it was closed and I didn't get inside. Today I did and tried several varieties of flavored pistachios then finished with a big scoop of pistachio almond ice cream. They had ice cream in flavors other than pistachio and some people were actually ordering them. Strange but true.
Just a couple of down-the-road shots to show some contrast.
Lost Hiker, in Ruidoso, New Mexico, was the first of two breweries I visited today. It was a simple one-and-out stop that kept me hydrated.
Fox Cave has lots of attention getters but I was specifically targeting the cowboy muffler man as I drove by. The cool crane sign is actually in the town of Roswell but it doesn't really fit with the other pictures I took there.
I've been to Roswell before and consider most of it silly but fun. The exception is the Robert Goddard section of the local history museum. But I didn't even stop for that today but just did drive-bys. The first picture is of the UFO Museum which is probably the town's biggest attraction. (It should be the Goddard stuff.) I suspect that any Main Street business without an alien of UFO theme would be doomed to failure. Here are four that aren't taking that chance. The last is a picture of a gimmick that I actually like a lot. For the price of a couple of pieces of black tape, the town's brand is seen everywhere.
The Roosevelt Brewing Company, my second brewery of the day, is in Portales. It's where I had dinner.
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