Southerngirl wrote:
There are some gorgeous places to see and spend time. We have Inks Lake and Devil's Waterhole where kids like the jump off the cliffs, you can also rent kayaks. Guadalupe River is cold and great for a tube trip. Plenty of places to rent from. There are bat flights in the area but I forget exactly where. Colorado Bend area north of Inks Lake has a short hike to Gorman Falls you may like. Farther West on the way to Big Bend is the frio river area near Concan. Another nice state park is South Llano River. Tons of BBQ places all thru the hill country.
I certainly agree with this about the Hill Country (though, of course, Springtime is the far better time--but that won't fit)
Taking your trip as you have outlined it: if I were in White Sands, I'd scoot on up to Albuquerque and Santa Fe. If you have to choose between these two, it's Santa Fe all the way. Just up the road is Taos. From there you could go on up into Colorado, but this time into the Arkansas River Valley: Salida, Buena Vista, and Leadville.
Depending on the time you would have left you could go on up to the Black Hills of South Dakota (I'm leaving out Rocky Mountain National Park because you have spent good time there) and Custer State Park, Mt Rushmore, etc.
From there you'd need to head back east, so maybe through the UP of Michigan and Mackinac Island.
May be too much, but at least it is a brainstorm and for sure I stick to the New Mexico and Colorado parts.
