Day 10: Van Horn to Alamogordo

 We had come to the point in our AIAD where the weather had settled down, but we could still learn a lot from military bases and national parks in the coming days. On June 1, we targeted Fort Bliss and White Sands National Park, diving deeper into the Southwest. We ate a quick breakfast in Van Horn and drove west to El Paso, TX where Fort Bliss is. MAJ Hughes brought us to the Biggs Army Airfield's 3rd Weather Squadron, a group of Air Force meteorologists similar to other bases. We spoke with an airman who explained how he interacted with the numerous helicopter pilots stationed at Bliss, and that wind gusts and dust storms were their primary concern. El Paso is far less threatened by severe thunderstorms than the Midwest bases, but these factors can still prevent aircraft from flying safely. We learned how the topography affects weather conditions, and how Bliss serves as a sort of forward outpost for Midwestern forecasters. After our visit, we ate lunch at the PX food court and changed into comfier clothes.

On the way north to White Sands, I asked Dr. Kalkstein how there was an enormous dune sea in the middle of a valley, and he had no idea either. So upon arriving to the park's visitor center, we learned that gypsum from the surrounding mountains was washed down into a basin, where it formed crystals when the water dried up. These crystals get broken down by wind, and blown East towards Alamogordo forming a vast white sea of sand that stretches for over 10 miles. We were fascinated by the unique geography of the park, and explored some of the dunes on foot. Of course, we also had a great time sledding down the sand and bathing in the sun like it was a beach. However, it was very hot, we were getting sunburned, and the sand was covering us all, so pretty soon we wanted to get out of the other-worldly landscape.



Note: This is sign language for tornado.

Thankfully, MAJ Hughes had secured a hotel at Holloman AFB, next door to White Sands. We took plenty of time to wash all the sand off and get settled before going to a local Thai restaurant for dinner. We were all very tired, and hopefully the early end to our day got us enough sleep to prepare for the next day. Conveniently, we'll visit the weather team at Holloman, the Solar Observatory here, and find a hike in Lincoln National Forest as we start heading back East towards Oklahoma. There may be no more severe weather, but there's still plenty to do and learn.

A German fighter called the Tornado




 

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