Valley of Fire

The Carrizozo Malpais, or the Valley of Fire, spans about forty miles along the northern part of the Tularosa Basin in New Mexico. Estimated to have flowed about 1000 to 1500 years ago, the lava flowed from a vent near Little Black Peak and not from exceptional volcanic activity. The flows oozed and cooled down creating large, rock-climbing worthy surfaces, craters, and shallow caves perfect for bats and curious kids. This is one of few parks that encourage you to leave the trail and experience the uneven rocks. A little over ten miles of desert separate the black rock fields from the White Sands.

Smokey the Bear

Prior to World War Two, there was no real campaign for the prevention of forest fires. With the movie "Bambi" in 1942 there was more awareness of preventing fire but no official image was used until 1944 when the campaign introduced Smokey the Bear. The Forest Service played up the war effort propaganda by advertising that the prevention of forest fires would save the timber needed for the war. When Smokey wasn't in use, the Forest Service relied on other war time ads to push home the need to prevent fire.

By the time the war ended and Americans, happy to return to some normalcy, began to travel and camp, there was a renewed urgency in encouraging people to properly put out their camp fires and cigarettes. On May 4, 1950, a discarded cigarette butt started a fire in the Lincoln National Forest, raging for days and destroying 17,000 acres. A badly burned bear cub was found hanging onto the side of a burnt pine tree. This little guy was cared for, placed at the National Zoological Park in Washington, D.C., and became the living representation of Smokey the Bear. The bear lived to the age of 26 and then was buried in what is now the Smokey Bear Historical Park. The museum in Capitan, New Mexico, claims that Smokey the Bear is only second to Santa Claus in popularity.

Fun Fact: A couple of days before we went to the museum, I was watching an episode (or five) of Mysteries at the Museum and there was a segment of the show about the harness below and a brief history of Smokey.