Thunder Road, Alamogordo, New Mexico

[Doug Kerr]

Our new home in Alamogordo, New Mexico is at 3102 Thunder Road. Just 1/4 mile to the east is the city limit, beyond which is the Lincoln National Forest. The foothills of the Sacramento Mountains begin to turn up there. Our home is at an elevation of 4575 feet MSL.

Thunder Road continues up the mountain as a steep and winding one-lane dirt road, reaching an elevation of over 5200 ft MSL. Along it are scattered some very impressive homes.

This shot from Google Earth shows the layout:

Thunder Road from the air - Courtesy of Google Earth​

The map tack labeled "Photo site ALM001" shows the site from which the next two images were taken. The elevation there is about 5140 ft MSL.

This is an overlook of Alamogordo (almost to the due west) from that site:

Douglas A. Kerr: Alamogordo from high on Thunder Road​

There are few safe spots along the road to park and shoot!

In the distance (about 15 miles from here) we can see the White Sands Dune Field. Beyond it is the San Augustin mountain range - the city of Las Cruces, New Mexico lies just beyond it (a bit to the south).

For those who know Alamogordo, this view is almost due west at a latitude of about "16th street".

Just ahead is a site where a new home is being built. Construction is very challenging at such a site.

Here is a closeup of the section of Thunder Road in the city limits taken from this site:

Douglas A. Kerr: Thunder Road, Alamogordo, New Mexico​

Our house (3102) is noted.

It is a stunning setting.

Best regards,

Doug

 

[Asher Kelman]

Doug.

What a careful engineer you are! no one has an excuse now to say they lost touch with you or passed by but couldn't locate you!

Douglas A. Kerr: Thunder Road, Alamogordo, New Mexico​

Is that a tank for natural gas in the foreground. It does seem as if there's a rim so that the container can rise. For water storage I'd expect it to be higher. For gasoline, it is rather alone. Usually there're more.

Asher

 

[Doug Kerr]

Hi, Asher,

What a careful engineer you are!

The best compliment!

Douglas A. Kerr: Thunder Road, Alamogordo, New Mexico​

Is that a tank for natural gas in the foreground. It does seem as if there's a rim so that the container can rise. For water storage I'd expect it to be higher.

It is for water. It is taller than it looks - part of the height is underground. The rim we see is just the "curb" at the edge of the paving over the ground grade (there is a narrow annulus of clearance around the subterranean portion). Some tanks are wholly underground, with the roof at grade, and do not have an annulus.

The tanks are quite closely spaced in the part of the town were elevation changes rapidly, so as to make pressure control less difficult. (We normally have 80 psig here at the house, the ideal for residential distribution. The pressure rises about 0.5 psi per foot of decrease in elevation.)

Best regards,

Doug

 

[Tom Robbins]

Whew, now this is the Southwest! Do you have any plans to explore the White Sands Dune Field with the camera, Doug?

 

[Doug Kerr]

Whew, now this is the Southwest! Do you have any plans to explore the White Sands Dune Field with the camera, Doug?

Oh, absolutely!

Best regards,

Doug

 

[Doug Kerr]

Just for reference, this shot shows the location of photo site ALM001, as seen from my mailbox:

Douglas A. Kerr: Photo site ALM001​

Best regards,

Doug

 

[Sam Hames]

This is an overlook of Alamogordo (almost to the due west) from that site:

Douglas A. Kerr: Alamogordo from high on Thunder Road​

I'm glad you haven't tried to exclude or minimise the road. Most people seem to think there's nothing interesting there. I disagree and I'm looking!

I'm intrigued that the city itself is so "flat", not in elevation terms but in terms of human buildings. It just kinds of sticks to the surface and doesn't rise up. Not necessarily noticeable while you're in the middle of it but...

I'm guessing this is typical for the region.

 

[Doug Kerr]

Hi, Sam,

I'm glad you haven't tried to exclude or minimise the road. Most people seem to think there's nothing interesting there. I disagree and I'm looking!

The road itself and its surroundings (botanical, geological, and architectural) are fascinating. But navigating it is a bit scary (although of course it is a daily event for the residents along it).

Here is a view from just a little bit to the left of the original vantage point. We see yucca (nearby) and ocotillo (spindly stems with red flowers) .

Douglas A. Kerr: Yucca and ocotillo on Thunder Road​

I'm intrigued that the city itself is so "flat", not in elevation terms but in terms of human buildings. It just kinds of sticks to the surface and doesn't rise up. Not necessarily noticeable while you're in the middle of it but...

Indeed. There are few building taller than two stories - a few bank buildings are four or five stories.

I'm guessing this is typical for the region.

True, especially for the smaller cities, such as Alamogordo. (The population is about 30k, and the area of the main city is a little over two miles square.)

By the way, there is some exposure to earthquakes here, although not severe, and I don't think that is a factor in architectural planning.

By the way, there is increasing earthquake activity in the region of North Texas from which we recently moved. It seems fairly likely that this is a result of natural gas exploration and production, both the hydraulic fracturing used to open up the subterranean rock to facilitate gas flow to the wells, and from the disposal by injection into deep wells of the salt water that comes up with the natural gas (same for oil production in other areas).

Best regards,

Doug