White Sands Missile Range – Alamagordo, NM

I, Bernie Harberts, did not use generative AI to write or illustrate this article. Spell check and grammar check, yes. AI, no.

The White Sands Missile Range straddles the White Sands valley for almost forty miles, from Alamogordo to Organ, NM.

I rise at 2:00 AM, stuff my frozen tipi into Maggie’s cart and start out across the range.

The moon is full. As we jog along the waves of sand dunes, the mounds appear like herds of black and white Indian ponies loping at our side. I look behind at Maggie in the moonlight. It looks like Woody’s towing his own tiny sand dune.

The day dawns purple across the screen of mountains we’re riding toward.

Green signs point out the occasional missile range.

It promises to be fine missile flying weather but we see no intercontinental birds of prey.

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