RV Road Tripping, New Mexico, USA
Airing Date: Mar 10th, 2007
Some would say the only way to experience 'real' America is to jump in a RV and set out on a road trip. An RV (or recreational vehicle) is considered cheaper travel than going by car. You just have to remember that the RV is wider and longer and heavier than a normal car so you need to take extra care when driving one.
You can follow the path of the Rio Grande River, travelling from
Taos all the way to the border of
Texas. Along the way take a look at the 40 Earthships at the Greater World Community, located about 15 minutes from Taos. In the States there are about 200 Earthships in total.
The Earthship is basically a passive solar powered and wind powered house made out of natural and recycled materials. The major structural building component of the Earthship is recycled car tires filled with compacted earth to form a rammed earth brick encased in steel belted rubber.
Just off the highway on the way to the infamous town of
Los Alamos is an eccentric and unofficial museum called
The Black Hole. It may look more like a junkyard than a museum but both the place and its owner Atomic Ed (Ed Grothus) offer an insight into the atomic history of America. Over 30 years ago he quit his job as a scientist and began collecting what he calls "nuclear waste" non-radioactive high-tech discards from the Los Alamos National Laboratory.
Looking for somewhere to park the RV overnight. Well look no further than Walmart in Belen, where you can park overnight for free.
Just off Interstate-25 midway between the thriving metropolitan cities of
El Paso and
Albuquerque is one of the most publicized and unique health resorts in the United States. Originally named "Hot Springs" and now called "Truth or Consequences", this city has received more national publicity via television and radio than any city of its size in the United States. It changed it's name following a competition run by a radio show of the same name.
Despite only having one hotel and one RV park, New Mexicans claim this town is the chilli capital of the world with over 30,000 acres of chilli cultivated annually. Every Labour Day 30 000 visitors come to the town to celebrate. There are cook offs, chilli testing and lots of chilli related activities.
The Hatch Chilli Express Shop claims to grow New Mexico's finest chilli.
White Sands National Monument has a landscape that looks out of this world. People come to surf the sand dunes, to have a picnic, to watch beautiful sunsets or to simply run the white sand through their fingers.
