I remember a small section of southern New Mexico along the Rio Grande. During the 1960s and 70s, the highway from El Paso to Las Cruces became familiar to rocket crews working at White Sands Missile Range. We stayed at motels in Las Cruces, set out each morning north and east and over the Organ Mountains to drop down into the long valley of white sand confined within rugged rocky borders.
These launch campaigns were high stress operations. Early on, failure was not unusual and our jobs hinged on success.
We loved what we were doing and enjoyed the camaraderie of the other crews but had little free time. When an opportunity arose I often headed to Mesilla, just south of Las Cruces. Mesilla is known for having held Billy the Kid in its jailhouse. I went there to a little rock shop to buy colorful geodes. Joan loved them. Occasionally I found time to take a few pictures.
