Ride with Norman Reedus (2016) s02e04 Episode Script
New Mexico: White Sands
A military testing ground
and alien hot spot
a blacktop highway
We're out in
the Wild West right now.
That stretches on forever.
I'm gonna get myself over to New Mexico and I'm never looking back.
This is insane! I feel very Steve McQueen right now.
Not a bad way to start the day, am I right? Land as far as the eye can see, killer trails and riding with these two Ernie Vigil and Nick Apex.
A good friend hooked me up with them.
They're locals and two of the best stunt riders around, tearing it up in Hollywood, at competitions, and on the streets.
They know all the sick riding spots.
Like this one, Montessa Park 577 acres of desert just south of Albuquerque.
It's like riding a bull.
That was awesome.
More, more, more, more, more, more, more.
How do you step out of this and not have people see your boner? So good.
That was awesome.
Awesome ride.
How'd you like that thing? I love that thing.
It's so fun.
Man.
I love you.
So good.
How long you in New Mexico for? Just a couple of days.
I'm gonna go pick up my friend, Aimee, at the hotel.
We're going to White Sands.
Sweet.
Yeah, down through Lincoln National Forest.
That's a good That's a good run.
Are you guys from here? Born and raised.
I grew up riding out here as a kid.
Ten minutes out of the city, you know what I mean? So, like, ten minutes from my house, I could be out here any morning, just ripping it up in dirt.
So, like, that's the cool thing about Albuquerque is all around the city, you just have all this open land with tons of trails, and you can just kind of go balls to the wall and go out and have a good time.
Is it is that a ski resort up there? Yeah, yeah.
You know, that's the good thing about being in Albuquerque.
I could leave my house at, like, 7:00 in the morning, go up, do a half day of snowboarding, be back home by like 1:00 p.
m.
, load up the bike in a van and come out here and rip dirt.
You know It's snowboard, ski, and ride dirt bikes in the same day.
That's a good life.
It's so good.
You have a good life.
Yeah, yeah.
It was a pleasure.
Enjoy the rest of your trip.
Take care.
You have a good ride.
Back at it.
The last time I was in Albuquerque, I barely saw the place, but the people I met were clear on one thing I had to see the dunes at White Sands, and I knew they were right.
That famous rolling landscape slipped into my subconscious, and it wouldn't let go.
So I'm back here, ready to uncover the many mysteries of New Mexico.
New Mexico is a lot more than aliens.
People see New Mexico as this remote place in the United States, just a desert wasteland.
But really, it's this fertile valley of diverse culture.
It's a Mecca, really, for the arts.
It's got a technological history.
It's got an artistic history.
It's got a colonial history.
Bill Gates tried to establish Microsoft here.
Smokey the Bear is from New Mexico.
Now that we're connected with "Breaking Bad," now we're wearing stuff like this, we're trying to be You know, with knives on our sweaters.
That doesn't mean for everybody to move here.
We don't have enough water.
I'm starting here in Albuquerque, then I'll head south to Sierra Blanca Peak, the highest point in southern New Mexico.
Then I'll end my trip in White Sands One-half Army testing grounds, one-half geological marvel.
Before heading out, I gotta grab my friend, Aimee Nash, who just landed.
She's in the band The Black Ryder, whose music is ethereal and atmospheric.
She's a good friend and loves the road as much as I do.
Hey.
How you doing? Hi, babe.
Good to see you.
Good to see you.
Did you have fun out in the dirt? It was really fun, I have to say.
I've never been on one of those things before.
My God, they're crazy.
Yeah? Did you go fast? Yeah.
Bouncy? Yeah, It was like riding a bull.
So, we gonna hit it? Yeah, let's go.
Let's do it.
Yeah.
I'm so happy you're here.
Yeah.
That sounds nice.
It's so pretty.
There's so many different flavors going on over here.
There's architectures all over the place.
There is! Look at that house.
I've always been fascinated by architecture.
Buildings combine art with function.
They help shape the vibe of the city.
I heard about this guy, Antoine Predock, a world-renowned architect and bike collector whose unique aesthetic is famously influenced by the area.
He's designed everything from houses and schools to museums and stadiums.
With that mix, I'm dying to see what's inside his mind.
This is it.
Now, I'm gonna have helmet hair.
Yeah, I have helmet hair every day.
I look like an animal.
You're an animal? Let's go meet this dude.
This door? I think so.
Hi, nice to meet you.
I'm Norman.
Hey, Norman.
Antoine.
Nice to meet you, this is Aimee.
Hey, Antoine.
Aimee.
Nice to meet you.
Aimee, Antoine.
Nice to meet you.
Thank you.
What's happening? We came out here.
We heard there's beautiful riding out here, so we came out to ride motorcycles.
She came from L.
A.
I came from New York.
We're going to White Sands after this.
Motorcycle's my life.
The beginning is right there.
Yeah, there's the Lambretta.
Yeah, these are great.
So, there I am on my way from Paris to Istanbul.
What year is this? 1962.
That's a '62 175 TV.
How long did that take you? That's a long trip, right? Not that bad.
Yeah? A couple weeks.
A couple of weeks, yeah, see, there you go.
Is this your workstation, your battle station? Is that what this is? Yeah, this is it.
So, projects all around us.
In China, Chengdu, we do fantasy drawings of what they think it's gonna be.
We actually built it.
It's right here.
That's amazing.
Chengdu, China.
So, you go to these places first and see the sights and the place, and then you design? Yeah, yeah, sure, because they're all about place in every way.
And all this relates totally to motorcycles.
Does it? Yeah.
Explain.
Well, architecture's episodic, it's a storyboard.
It's in your head or it's on the wall or whatever.
It's episodic, has to do with conditions of light, space, and riding a motorcycle is episodic, totally.
Yeah.
You experience thermoclines of temperature.
You know, the rush of cold air on a pocket.
It's just exhilarating.
So, I think in life, that's a kind of good thing, too.
Surrender to conditions rather than, you know, just mind managing everything Yeah.
And see what happens.
You really try to find the spirit of the place that you're designing.
Yes, spirit of place.
The spirit, which I love.
I love that.
In Spanish alma del lugar.
Spirit of place.
I like that.
Buildings could evoke a land form.
Like, behind you, a mountain, maybe, or a volcano.
That's in Wyoming.
For me, that's how I see the land.
I'm a desert rat.
I mean, my spiritual home is here.
I've been here 56 years.
The inspirational palette here is infinite.
So, have you had enough archi-torture yet? Archi-torture? I love that.
We're gonna ride bikes, right? Let's do it.
So, the Sandia Mountains That's the Albuquerque icon.
That's what we all love, and it's like they're multiple personality mountains because depending on the light, it's like a projection screen of sunsets.
Fantastic phenomenon.
It's beautiful.
This whole place is like a geologist's wet dream.
You can see a lot of colors that I've seen in your work, as well, Antoine.
Yeah.
Take that, Aimee.
In the old days, I kept a horse back in Old Town, and would ride out, following the irrigation ditches to the North Valley till they busted me because of the manure pile.
Look at the mountains up there.
Yeah, those are beautiful.
You know, in New Mexico, the license plates say "Land of Enchantment.
" That's no bull Yeah, it really is.
At 80 years old, Antoine's accomplished more than most and still finds time to rip it up on a bike.
Rio Grande, man.
Aimee, look at this.
That's amazing.
Look how pretty that is.
That's stunning.
It means everything to New Mexicans.
It's the lifeblood.
Yes.
Isn't that fantastic? Thank you for showing us around.
I'm in awe of his unending love for both New Mexico and riding.
Thank you.
He sees poetry in the colors, light, and land forms, while also finding inspiration in the complex experience of being on a bike.
After seeing these mountains, it's no wonder that Albuquerque has influenced him for over 50 years.
You ready to get some food? Yes.
I'm starving.
I'm starving, too.
That would be great.
Turn your head around like "The Exorcist.
" Okay, we don't have any heart conditions? I've never seen this much snow.
A thermal goggle that allows the soldiers to see a thermal image.
You look badass.
Here we go.
You ready to get some food? Yeah.
I'm starving.
I'm starving, too.
What did you eat in there? What should I order? I had the beans and Tex chili.
Is it awesome? Yes.
Negan You're Negan, right, in the I play Daryl.
Daryl, right, yeah.
I'm a good guy.
The nice one.
I'm a nice guy.
-He's the one with the bow and arrow.
- I liked it.
- Yeah.
Cool.
-Say hi! Before hitting the road tomorrow morning, we couldn't miss the Owl Café, a local institution serving up New Mexico's famous chilies.
Hey, y'all, how's it going? How are you doing? Good, how are you? This is complimentary green chili beans for you to try.
Thank you very much.
Is this mild, or is this hot? It's spicy.
It's got some kick? Yeah, yeah.
Should we have some water or anything? Right.
I was gonna say, something to drink first? Water, please.
Okay.
We'll have the chicken enchiladas.
The chicken enchiladas? I'll be right back, okay? Thank you.
Thank you.
My name is DJ.
Okay, ready? I'm going for it.
Are you going for it? I got it in my hair.
Really? Brain melting? My God.
That's spicy.
Really? One of the few things that actually does grow here that's a vegetable is chili, you know, so The red chili and the green chili It's always hard to make a choice.
If I have to eat chili, it's red chili.
I would say my preference is green.
Red chili chicken enchiladas.
Chocolate cake, tiny bit of green chili.
Cleans you out, too.
This is quite an adventure.
Yeah.
I'm trying to think, like, how we first met.
Well, you came to our show first, that's when we first met.
Yeah.
Came to the show we played in New York, and we stayed out till really late.
Yeah.
I had to catch a flight the next day, and that was not a good thing.
Not a good idea? No, 'cause I felt very, very bad.
Really? Sorry about that.
No, it was my fault, but yes.
It was fun.
We had fun, fun nights, little crazy.
I'm gonna have a little dippy in this.
Holy Okay, see, I'm glad you went first, then.
You need some water? That's got, like, a thing.
So, how long you been riding motorcycles? Well, actually, I grew up with my mother, and we didn't actually even have a car, but I had an Uncle Jack that was my grandmother's brother, and he had five motorcycles.
So he took me out when I was, like, 14.
The first tour I did in America was with Black Rebel Motorcycle Club.
And they became good friends of mine, and they took me out for some rides on their bike.
I was, like, when I go back to Sydney, I was like, I have to have a bike now.
Did you go all over the States, or Yeah.
When I was growing up, I read a lot of books and saw a lot of films.
I loved Hunter S.
Thompson Yeah.
And thinking of what the American dream is Like, getting out on the road and actually seeing it.
It was amazing.
What was your favorite place? I've got a few, but I love New Orleans.
New Orleans is awesome.
New Orleans has a great spirit.
Yeah, for sure.
See, I like places that are, like, connecting with the spirit of each place.
It's amazing.
How are we doing over here? I'm not good with spicy.
Here's some extra napkins.
Thank you.
Do you, by chance, need any sour cream? Yes.
But does that kill it? Now you tell us.
DJ, now you tell us.
I'm asking you.
I'll be right back.
Thank you, DJ.
Now she tells us.
Now she tells us.
I think she just likes to see people Suffer.
Yeah.
I'm doing it again, though.
You love it.
You're a daredevil.
So, Ski Apache, are you ready? Ski Apache now? After you, madam.
All right, let's go.
I can't keep up with you.
Day two We're heading out and up 12,000 feet to Sierra Blanca Peak, which is part of a string of volcanos that stretches through south central New Mexico.
This is awesome out here.
Beautiful.
The area is home to the Mescalaro Apache Tribe, who hundreds of years ago roamed the southwest as nomadic hunters Experts in guerrilla warfare and highly skilled horsemen.
Now the descendants operate several resorts, including Ski Apache, the southernmost ski area in the U.
S.
They've got over 750 acres of slopes and a 1,700-foot zip line with our names on it.
We might be riding up, but we're gonna be flying down.
We're out in the Wild West right now.
I've always wanted to be in a Western, and I've never been in one.
Maybe you gotta make one.
Right? You could do the music for it.
There you go.
I'm down for that.
That would be awesome.
We could do a good Western soundtrack.
Yeah.
Holy balls.
Holy balls, indeed.
Holy balls.
This is great! Just like, if you die and you're on your way to heaven.
I've never seen this much snow.
I'm Australian.
What do I know about skiing? Yeah, right.
Can you tell the altitude difference? Yeah.
During that really foggy part.
Yeah, definitely, I felt it.
Got a little light-headed.
Never-ending mountain.
Right? Look to the left, turn your head around like "The Exorcist" and look behind you.
I can't right now, I'm busy.
It looks really cool.
Now I can look.
That's crazy.
I don't think I've ever been this high in the sky before on the ground.
The Lincoln National Forest is over 1.
1 million acres of flawless wilderness.
Riding through here, it's hard not to dream about ditching it all for a cabin in the woods, kicking back, and listening to the wind blow through the trees.
We should go take a picture, right? There's snow, look.
This is crazy.
Look how high up we are.
Yeah.
Right? This is like, airplane high.
I know, I didn't want to look over.
Yeah, I was barely looking where we were going.
I couldn't stop looking over there.
Look at the mist.
Yeah, come on.
Let me get a picture, come over here.
I remember when we were drinking somewhere you were telling me about you like being the gorilla for Halloween, I think.
You have a good memory.
Well, since you've roped me into doing this in the snow, and we're gonna be, like, zip lining, we may need some extra warmth with costumes.
Okay, I hope it's something sexy and awesome.
We'll make sure of that.
I see a zip line sign.
Leave it to a friend like Aimee to remember my wacky, costume-loving ways, and make it a part of our trip.
Fingers crossed that we find some like-minded weirdos with a secret costume stash.
My God.
That's crazy.
What kind of show is this? Chicken.
See, this is what happens when you do last-minute shopping.
A gorilla suit.
Very sexy.
These little feathers are going up my nose and There's a lot of things going on in my crotch right now.
Are you set up to catch some chickens and gorillas? Ready to rock and roll.
Lord knows, you gotta make it to the bottom of the zip line with everything intact.
Wish me luck, man.
All right, let's do this.
You don't want to go too fast because you're gonna be a scrambled egg at the bottom, bro.
We okay? Think so.
Okay, equipment feels good? Yeah.
Okay, we don't have any heart conditions? It's heavy.
It is heavy.
It is heavy, indeed.
How high is the bar? It won't be that much higher than you.
Is it straight arm? No.
Do you need to weigh us before we go up? No, no, no, we're already past that.
You guys are already past that, so we're good if you guys are ready.
Yeah.
Ready.
Well, if this goes horribly wrong Don't say that now.
I, - I want you to know it's been fun, you know.
Thank you for riding motorcycles with me.
Thank you for being my friend.
Thank you.
That was a little shaky.
He said there's back winds, so we may go up to 75 miles an hour.
You what? It'll be fine, we'll be fine.
We'll be fine.
We're a chicken and a gorilla, what the can happen? You chicken! This little chicken hair is really getting on my chicken nerves.
Ruffling your feathers.
Thank you.
Yay.
- It's windy out there.
- Windy as Is it dangerous when there's really high winds? It is, it is.
More dangerous? 'Cause that wind'll carry you.
Do that chicken dance all the way up, bro.
So, this is the top.
This is what we call Palmer.
You don't want to go too fast because if you come in too hot, you're gonna be a scrambled egg at the bottom, bro.
The reason that, you know, you guys came up here to see us and hang out with a bunch of wild Indians is because we have this awesome zip line and this beautiful mountain.
Part of the reason that we were set in this area is because we were placed on this reservation.
As Apache people, we took a lot of pride in our culture and our heritage to be able to, you know, bring people up here and show 'em so much land, so much beauty that we actually have within this area because it's important to us as a culture and as a heritage.
-Thank you so much.
-All right, so, yeah, of course.
Yeah, of course, you know what I mean? I take a lot of pride in telling people that.
Thank you.
It's an honor to meet you.
For sure.
You guys feel alive yet? Yeah, definitely.
'Cause here soon enough, you're gonna feel alive like you never felt before.
You guys are good with it? It's ladies first all the time, girl.
Okay, lean forward.
Here we go.
Here you go.
You ready for this, girl? Yeah.
Yeah! He's going backwards, check him out.
Enjoy it, brother, and I'll see you at the bottom.
Full pull.
Full speed, buddy, full speed.
That was crazy! That was nuts! I went almost backwards.
That was awesome.
Not gonna lie, you definitely feel alive up there.
Come here, give me a hug, that was awesome.
Good job.
There you go.
Dude, that was insane.
I gotta admit, when I first heard about a ski resort in New Mexico, I was a bit skeptical, but I was so wrong.
The people here have a profound connection to the area, and this adventure they've created lets people experience the natural beauty of these mountains.
Now it's about time to put the bikes to bed and see what this mountain town has to offer.
Check this stuff out.
These little guys.
What the hell's going on in here? Is this like a I wish this was open.
My God, the shops! It's pretty quiet here, isn't it? It is, it's really quiet.
What day is it? I don't even know what day it is I'm on.
I think it's Tuesday or Wednesday.
I don't know.
I have no idea.
This one's open.
This is awesome.
What's this called? The Two Bears Trading Post.
This is cool, let's go in.
All right.
Look, there's a log home for sale.
That looks awesome.
That looks like a Lincoln Log home.
After you.
Thank you.
They're all made right here.
Hey, guys, hi.
Yeah, this is awesome.
Norman, yeah, nice to meet you.
Aimee.
Nice to meet you.
Aimee.
My wife, Barbara.
Is this your bike out front? It is.
The riding out here is great.
Gosh, yeah.
It's so pretty.
You bet.
Hands down, one of the prettiest rides there is.
Really.
-Yeah, it's pretty cool up here.
I like it.
Is this yours? He is.
He's a timber wolf.
He's a real wolf? He is a real wolf.
We raised him.
He's pretty.
What's his name? Cherokee.
Cherokee, he's beautiful.
Yeah.
We had several Smokey and Kimber, a bunch of others that we raise 'em.
We have a half acre fenced off as a sanctuary for them.
Every morning about 4:30, you'll hear 'em howling, and then the whole canyon lights up that we live in, all of the wild wolves, the Mexican gray wolves that are down here.
Yeah.
It's pretty cool to listen to 'em singing.
We live 23 miles out in the middle of the wilderness, so the log cabin you see in the picture as you was coming up Yeahme and my wife built that.
It's beautiful.
They're nice to live in.
Yeah.
I wouldn't trade it.
That's awesome.
Yeah.
You don't need anybody.
That's great.
Yeah, it's okay.
I like living self-sufficient.
If we harvest an animal, we eat the meat.
If it's not fit for human, my wolves eat the meat, but we keep the claws and the teeth and the bones and the fur.
Nothing goes to waste.
That's the way I was raised.
That's good, yeah.
I like these.
These are great.
I just saw that.
Right? You can get your horse going.
That's not what I was thinking, but yes.
You know what I'm saying? And arrowheads? They are.
That spear that's right up there? See, it has the obsidian blade in it.
Isn't the obsidian like a shiny black It is.
It's glass volcanic glass.
Yeah.
It's also supposed to be good for anti-negativity.
The crystals.
Yeah.
I need some of that.
You need it? Whip and some obsidian.
Know what I'm sayin'? Can I get the obsidian and the jackalope, is that what it's called?- Jackalope.
And the quirt? That's a whip.
That's like a mini whip.
Somebody sent me one, a little different one.
But sometimes on set, I'll sit there and whip myself, just to like, wake up.
You can use it for whatever you want.
I'm not sure yet.
Here, let me see that.
Here, you got a jackalope.
- That's for you.
- Dude! Thank you so much! Thank you, my first jackalope.
Thank you so much, guys.
Nice to meet you guys.
Thank you so much.
Thanks for shopping with us.
What a pleasure.
Bye-bye.
Take care.
Tomorrow is the final stretch to White Sands Missile Range, where we're gonna go do what they do best Blow a few things up.
Thank you for the jackalope.
You're welcome.
That was very, very sweet of you.
What is that? It's like a drone plane.
This is so "Terminator.
" nt pistachio.
Hi, everyone.
Hello.
How's it going? Good.
It smells really good in here.
Shut up.
That's awesome.
If you would sign that for me, please.
Of course.
That's early on.
That's when I didn't look like a wild animal.
My daughter loves you so much.
Bum bum bum bum.
It was nice to meet you, yeah.
What a pleasure.
Thank you so much.
This is just a lifetime experience.
I can't stop shaking.
I'm trying.
I'm, like, "My God.
" Come on in.
A chocolate bar that used to be chocolate.
Chicken heads.
Gorilla heads.
Glad we did that.
That was fun.
It's super early.
I'm super tired.
Dude, how do you make this work? Look.
On, on, on, on, on.
I'm not I'm, like, not awake.
It's It gets a little cold up here, I won't lie, up in the mountains.
Yeah, there was a point yesterday where I could not feel my feet.
They felt like hooves, and it took me a long time to thaw them out.
But it's beautiful.
Going up the mountain was, like I mean, there's dropoffs that are, I don't know, 10,000 feet off the edge of the thing, and you're right on the thing, and there's snow and a little bit of ice.
And you're like holy But super pretty.
Like, everything looked like a poster everywhere you looked.
Here we go.
We are back on the ride.
About time.
Shaka, brah.
Shaka, brah.
This is so nice.
This is my favorite kind of riding.
Me, too.
This sort of vibe, out in the middle of mountain ranges and stuff.
Totally.
Last day.
We're riding 130 miles to the desert of White Sands.
Before the dunes, we're stopping at White Sands Missile Range, the largest military installation in the U.
S.
A few years back, I went on a USO tour to the Middle East.
That experience deepened my appreciation for the people who've served in the military.
White Sands Missile Range was established in the 1940s as a part of the Manhattan Project.
It was the detonation site of the first atomic bomb.
While this is a complicated part of our history, there's no denying the role this space served in the events that changed the world.
The entire social dynamic of New Mexico has been dramatically transformed because of the White Sands Missile Range.
Used to be in the old days, if you were riding down the interstate, sometimes you'd see contrails from rockets getting shot.
We are deeply aware of the role we play in the national security of this country.
We take that very seriously.
Look at this jet fighter plane thing.
What is that? What is that? It's like one of those drone planes.
You are entering White Sands Missile Range.
Look over here.
It's a missile! Yeah, this is crazy Crazy! This is the place.
This is the place.
How are you? Jerry Tyree from White Sands Missile Range.
Norman Reedus.
Nice to meet you.
Hi.
Aimee.
Nice to meet you.
Aimee, nice to meet you.
Welcome to White Sands.
Thank you very much.
We're part of the Army Test and Evaluation Command here.
We test everything from soldier sensors and lasers to the most advanced weapon system for air and missile defense, bombs for the Air Force.
Today, we're testing some PEO soldier sensors and lasers on some weapons.
Maybe get you to help us with the test here today.
Gonna be awesome.
How about that? Let's do it.
Yes, please, thank you.
Hello, sir, how you doing? I'm Sean Wilson from PMSSS.
What's going on here? This is the FWSI, which is the Family Weapon Sites Individual.
It is also coupled with an ENVG, which is an enhanced night vision goggle three, a thermal goggle that allows a soldier to see a thermal image that's down range so if the enemy is camouflaged or behind something, the thermal picture sees that somebody is back there.
This is also a thermal imager for the rifle, which is synched wirelessly to the goggle, so now you can see what your weapon sees and still maintain situational awareness on the battlefield.
And you look badass.
Would you like to check it out and try it on? Derr.
Yes.
Now, we're just gonna lower this down, let me know.
That's about right.
Are you good? This is so "Terminator.
" Now you see the big picture you see is the goggle, so that it can maintain situational awareness down range.
So if you move the weapon sight back and forth, you can see that it moves inside the goggle.
This is crazy.
This is insane.
This takes a little while to get used to.
When you feel comfortable with it, we're gonna have you shoot at that 100-meter target out there.
Whenever you're ready.
There you go.
Takes a second to get used to.
Yeah.
Aimee, you gotta try this.
Yeah.
All right.
Going hot! Hang on, guys.
I'm gonna shoot this.
Am I getting it? Yeah.
I am? You're doing good.
I'm doing all right! Hot.
Did I hit it? Yeah.
30 rounds.
Really? Yeah.
Try the M-2 machine gun next? Let's do it.
All the way back.
We're hot.
Yeah.
This is rad.
Thank you.
The vastness of this area, the pioneering technology, and the rich history It's unbelievable.
What these guys do here has a huge impact, and for me, looking through the lens they look through, it's an experience that'll be hard to shake.
After this, I could spend all day here.
Yeah.
Like, that's so fun.
What you do here, far away from Washington, far away from many countries which depend upon us, what you do here makes a significant difference to the security of our country, and to those who depend upon us.
I want to express my thanks to all of you.
I'm very grateful to all of you.
Hi, how are you, sir? I'm Dave Brown.
It's pleasure to meet you.
Norman Reedus, nice to meet you.
Thanks for coming to White Sands.
How are you, sir? Norman.
Nice to meet you.
So, we wanted to make sure that, before you leave, we give you a little hardware from me and the Sergeant Major.
Okay? Thanks for coming here and telling our story.
Now you're a part of our team.
That's awesome.
Thank you guys for your service.
Thank you, and it's a pleasure.
You're official.
Official.
Yeah, it's a pleasure.
I'm a big fan.
Back on my USO tour in 2010 Coffee time.
It was moving to meet the servicemen and women, hear their stories, and see their shared bond.
And when they talked about their connection to my work, it was humbling.
I've got such a deep respect for the people that dedicate themselves to protecting our country.
And it's always an honor to meet them.
One, two, three.
That was awesome.
Yeah, that was so fun.
I'm still kind of amped up.
Yeah, totally.
Like! I want to go kick a hole in a wall or something.
I'm really curious to see what these dunes are gonna look like.
This is slippery.
That's some bumps.
Last stop, White Sands National Monument.
This is pretty amazing, riding through here at sunset.
Yeah, this is really pretty right here.
This is magical.
Yeah.
275 square miles of glistening white sand dunes.
Well, actually, they're super rare gypsum dunes.
In fact, this dune field is the largest of its kind in the world.
And what would you do if you were surrounded by the biggest gypsum dunes around? Easiest question I've ever had to answer.
Ready? Yeah.
I was there! That did not work.
Yeah, here we go.
Here we go.
My God.
Yeah, that didn't work.
That doesn't work.
You know why? 'Cause your feet drag on the ground.
Okay.
One, two.
My God.
Okay, that didn't work.
Maybe over there? This is beautiful.
Look at that.
Yeah.
Okay.
Let's do this! That was way more fun than over there.
Look at that.
That's so orange.
What was your favorite part of this thing? I really loved going up that mountain.
It was a little scary.
It was so majestic, like, the scenery there was mind-blowing.
And I think connecting with the people, as well.
Yeah, and then you open up, you meet somebody, and they have such a genuine, cool vibe that you get it right off the bat.
Getting to stop and connect with people That's really made the trip special.
Thank you so much for having me.
Yeah, thanks for coming, yeah.
Look how beautiful that is right there.
That's crazy.
What a way to end a trip Sitting out here, surrounded by miles of perfect sand, a mind-blowing sunset, and a good friend.
Let's go get a drink.
Yes.
At every turn, New Mexico surprised me.
The terrain seemed to change without warning Vast desert, lush green forests, snow-capped mountains, soft dunes of sand.
The people here have found a way to honor the land in their own way.
Here, the land, like the people, holds stories.
And when we find amazing places like this, hopefully, if we're lucky, we get to take a little piece of it with us.
That stretches on forever.
I'm gonna get myself over to New Mexico and I'm never looking back.
This is insane! I feel very Steve McQueen right now.
Not a bad way to start the day, am I right? Land as far as the eye can see, killer trails and riding with these two Ernie Vigil and Nick Apex.
A good friend hooked me up with them.
They're locals and two of the best stunt riders around, tearing it up in Hollywood, at competitions, and on the streets.
They know all the sick riding spots.
Like this one, Montessa Park 577 acres of desert just south of Albuquerque.
It's like riding a bull.
That was awesome.
More, more, more, more, more, more, more.
How do you step out of this and not have people see your boner? So good.
That was awesome.
Awesome ride.
How'd you like that thing? I love that thing.
It's so fun.
Man.
I love you.
So good.
How long you in New Mexico for? Just a couple of days.
I'm gonna go pick up my friend, Aimee, at the hotel.
We're going to White Sands.
Sweet.
Yeah, down through Lincoln National Forest.
That's a good That's a good run.
Are you guys from here? Born and raised.
I grew up riding out here as a kid.
Ten minutes out of the city, you know what I mean? So, like, ten minutes from my house, I could be out here any morning, just ripping it up in dirt.
So, like, that's the cool thing about Albuquerque is all around the city, you just have all this open land with tons of trails, and you can just kind of go balls to the wall and go out and have a good time.
Is it is that a ski resort up there? Yeah, yeah.
You know, that's the good thing about being in Albuquerque.
I could leave my house at, like, 7:00 in the morning, go up, do a half day of snowboarding, be back home by like 1:00 p.
m.
, load up the bike in a van and come out here and rip dirt.
You know It's snowboard, ski, and ride dirt bikes in the same day.
That's a good life.
It's so good.
You have a good life.
Yeah, yeah.
It was a pleasure.
Enjoy the rest of your trip.
Take care.
You have a good ride.
Back at it.
The last time I was in Albuquerque, I barely saw the place, but the people I met were clear on one thing I had to see the dunes at White Sands, and I knew they were right.
That famous rolling landscape slipped into my subconscious, and it wouldn't let go.
So I'm back here, ready to uncover the many mysteries of New Mexico.
New Mexico is a lot more than aliens.
People see New Mexico as this remote place in the United States, just a desert wasteland.
But really, it's this fertile valley of diverse culture.
It's a Mecca, really, for the arts.
It's got a technological history.
It's got an artistic history.
It's got a colonial history.
Bill Gates tried to establish Microsoft here.
Smokey the Bear is from New Mexico.
Now that we're connected with "Breaking Bad," now we're wearing stuff like this, we're trying to be You know, with knives on our sweaters.
That doesn't mean for everybody to move here.
We don't have enough water.
I'm starting here in Albuquerque, then I'll head south to Sierra Blanca Peak, the highest point in southern New Mexico.
Then I'll end my trip in White Sands One-half Army testing grounds, one-half geological marvel.
Before heading out, I gotta grab my friend, Aimee Nash, who just landed.
She's in the band The Black Ryder, whose music is ethereal and atmospheric.
She's a good friend and loves the road as much as I do.
Hey.
How you doing? Hi, babe.
Good to see you.
Good to see you.
Did you have fun out in the dirt? It was really fun, I have to say.
I've never been on one of those things before.
My God, they're crazy.
Yeah? Did you go fast? Yeah.
Bouncy? Yeah, It was like riding a bull.
So, we gonna hit it? Yeah, let's go.
Let's do it.
Yeah.
I'm so happy you're here.
Yeah.
That sounds nice.
It's so pretty.
There's so many different flavors going on over here.
There's architectures all over the place.
There is! Look at that house.
I've always been fascinated by architecture.
Buildings combine art with function.
They help shape the vibe of the city.
I heard about this guy, Antoine Predock, a world-renowned architect and bike collector whose unique aesthetic is famously influenced by the area.
He's designed everything from houses and schools to museums and stadiums.
With that mix, I'm dying to see what's inside his mind.
This is it.
Now, I'm gonna have helmet hair.
Yeah, I have helmet hair every day.
I look like an animal.
You're an animal? Let's go meet this dude.
This door? I think so.
Hi, nice to meet you.
I'm Norman.
Hey, Norman.
Antoine.
Nice to meet you, this is Aimee.
Hey, Antoine.
Aimee.
Nice to meet you.
Aimee, Antoine.
Nice to meet you.
Thank you.
What's happening? We came out here.
We heard there's beautiful riding out here, so we came out to ride motorcycles.
She came from L.
A.
I came from New York.
We're going to White Sands after this.
Motorcycle's my life.
The beginning is right there.
Yeah, there's the Lambretta.
Yeah, these are great.
So, there I am on my way from Paris to Istanbul.
What year is this? 1962.
That's a '62 175 TV.
How long did that take you? That's a long trip, right? Not that bad.
Yeah? A couple weeks.
A couple of weeks, yeah, see, there you go.
Is this your workstation, your battle station? Is that what this is? Yeah, this is it.
So, projects all around us.
In China, Chengdu, we do fantasy drawings of what they think it's gonna be.
We actually built it.
It's right here.
That's amazing.
Chengdu, China.
So, you go to these places first and see the sights and the place, and then you design? Yeah, yeah, sure, because they're all about place in every way.
And all this relates totally to motorcycles.
Does it? Yeah.
Explain.
Well, architecture's episodic, it's a storyboard.
It's in your head or it's on the wall or whatever.
It's episodic, has to do with conditions of light, space, and riding a motorcycle is episodic, totally.
Yeah.
You experience thermoclines of temperature.
You know, the rush of cold air on a pocket.
It's just exhilarating.
So, I think in life, that's a kind of good thing, too.
Surrender to conditions rather than, you know, just mind managing everything Yeah.
And see what happens.
You really try to find the spirit of the place that you're designing.
Yes, spirit of place.
The spirit, which I love.
I love that.
In Spanish alma del lugar.
Spirit of place.
I like that.
Buildings could evoke a land form.
Like, behind you, a mountain, maybe, or a volcano.
That's in Wyoming.
For me, that's how I see the land.
I'm a desert rat.
I mean, my spiritual home is here.
I've been here 56 years.
The inspirational palette here is infinite.
So, have you had enough archi-torture yet? Archi-torture? I love that.
We're gonna ride bikes, right? Let's do it.
So, the Sandia Mountains That's the Albuquerque icon.
That's what we all love, and it's like they're multiple personality mountains because depending on the light, it's like a projection screen of sunsets.
Fantastic phenomenon.
It's beautiful.
This whole place is like a geologist's wet dream.
You can see a lot of colors that I've seen in your work, as well, Antoine.
Yeah.
Take that, Aimee.
In the old days, I kept a horse back in Old Town, and would ride out, following the irrigation ditches to the North Valley till they busted me because of the manure pile.
Look at the mountains up there.
Yeah, those are beautiful.
You know, in New Mexico, the license plates say "Land of Enchantment.
" That's no bull Yeah, it really is.
At 80 years old, Antoine's accomplished more than most and still finds time to rip it up on a bike.
Rio Grande, man.
Aimee, look at this.
That's amazing.
Look how pretty that is.
That's stunning.
It means everything to New Mexicans.
It's the lifeblood.
Yes.
Isn't that fantastic? Thank you for showing us around.
I'm in awe of his unending love for both New Mexico and riding.
Thank you.
He sees poetry in the colors, light, and land forms, while also finding inspiration in the complex experience of being on a bike.
After seeing these mountains, it's no wonder that Albuquerque has influenced him for over 50 years.
You ready to get some food? Yes.
I'm starving.
I'm starving, too.
That would be great.
Turn your head around like "The Exorcist.
" Okay, we don't have any heart conditions? I've never seen this much snow.
A thermal goggle that allows the soldiers to see a thermal image.
You look badass.
Here we go.
You ready to get some food? Yeah.
I'm starving.
I'm starving, too.
What did you eat in there? What should I order? I had the beans and Tex chili.
Is it awesome? Yes.
Negan You're Negan, right, in the I play Daryl.
Daryl, right, yeah.
I'm a good guy.
The nice one.
I'm a nice guy.
-He's the one with the bow and arrow.
- I liked it.
- Yeah.
Cool.
-Say hi! Before hitting the road tomorrow morning, we couldn't miss the Owl Café, a local institution serving up New Mexico's famous chilies.
Hey, y'all, how's it going? How are you doing? Good, how are you? This is complimentary green chili beans for you to try.
Thank you very much.
Is this mild, or is this hot? It's spicy.
It's got some kick? Yeah, yeah.
Should we have some water or anything? Right.
I was gonna say, something to drink first? Water, please.
Okay.
We'll have the chicken enchiladas.
The chicken enchiladas? I'll be right back, okay? Thank you.
Thank you.
My name is DJ.
Okay, ready? I'm going for it.
Are you going for it? I got it in my hair.
Really? Brain melting? My God.
That's spicy.
Really? One of the few things that actually does grow here that's a vegetable is chili, you know, so The red chili and the green chili It's always hard to make a choice.
If I have to eat chili, it's red chili.
I would say my preference is green.
Red chili chicken enchiladas.
Chocolate cake, tiny bit of green chili.
Cleans you out, too.
This is quite an adventure.
Yeah.
I'm trying to think, like, how we first met.
Well, you came to our show first, that's when we first met.
Yeah.
Came to the show we played in New York, and we stayed out till really late.
Yeah.
I had to catch a flight the next day, and that was not a good thing.
Not a good idea? No, 'cause I felt very, very bad.
Really? Sorry about that.
No, it was my fault, but yes.
It was fun.
We had fun, fun nights, little crazy.
I'm gonna have a little dippy in this.
Holy Okay, see, I'm glad you went first, then.
You need some water? That's got, like, a thing.
So, how long you been riding motorcycles? Well, actually, I grew up with my mother, and we didn't actually even have a car, but I had an Uncle Jack that was my grandmother's brother, and he had five motorcycles.
So he took me out when I was, like, 14.
The first tour I did in America was with Black Rebel Motorcycle Club.
And they became good friends of mine, and they took me out for some rides on their bike.
I was, like, when I go back to Sydney, I was like, I have to have a bike now.
Did you go all over the States, or Yeah.
When I was growing up, I read a lot of books and saw a lot of films.
I loved Hunter S.
Thompson Yeah.
And thinking of what the American dream is Like, getting out on the road and actually seeing it.
It was amazing.
What was your favorite place? I've got a few, but I love New Orleans.
New Orleans is awesome.
New Orleans has a great spirit.
Yeah, for sure.
See, I like places that are, like, connecting with the spirit of each place.
It's amazing.
How are we doing over here? I'm not good with spicy.
Here's some extra napkins.
Thank you.
Do you, by chance, need any sour cream? Yes.
But does that kill it? Now you tell us.
DJ, now you tell us.
I'm asking you.
I'll be right back.
Thank you, DJ.
Now she tells us.
Now she tells us.
I think she just likes to see people Suffer.
Yeah.
I'm doing it again, though.
You love it.
You're a daredevil.
So, Ski Apache, are you ready? Ski Apache now? After you, madam.
All right, let's go.
I can't keep up with you.
Day two We're heading out and up 12,000 feet to Sierra Blanca Peak, which is part of a string of volcanos that stretches through south central New Mexico.
This is awesome out here.
Beautiful.
The area is home to the Mescalaro Apache Tribe, who hundreds of years ago roamed the southwest as nomadic hunters Experts in guerrilla warfare and highly skilled horsemen.
Now the descendants operate several resorts, including Ski Apache, the southernmost ski area in the U.
S.
They've got over 750 acres of slopes and a 1,700-foot zip line with our names on it.
We might be riding up, but we're gonna be flying down.
We're out in the Wild West right now.
I've always wanted to be in a Western, and I've never been in one.
Maybe you gotta make one.
Right? You could do the music for it.
There you go.
I'm down for that.
That would be awesome.
We could do a good Western soundtrack.
Yeah.
Holy balls.
Holy balls, indeed.
Holy balls.
This is great! Just like, if you die and you're on your way to heaven.
I've never seen this much snow.
I'm Australian.
What do I know about skiing? Yeah, right.
Can you tell the altitude difference? Yeah.
During that really foggy part.
Yeah, definitely, I felt it.
Got a little light-headed.
Never-ending mountain.
Right? Look to the left, turn your head around like "The Exorcist" and look behind you.
I can't right now, I'm busy.
It looks really cool.
Now I can look.
That's crazy.
I don't think I've ever been this high in the sky before on the ground.
The Lincoln National Forest is over 1.
1 million acres of flawless wilderness.
Riding through here, it's hard not to dream about ditching it all for a cabin in the woods, kicking back, and listening to the wind blow through the trees.
We should go take a picture, right? There's snow, look.
This is crazy.
Look how high up we are.
Yeah.
Right? This is like, airplane high.
I know, I didn't want to look over.
Yeah, I was barely looking where we were going.
I couldn't stop looking over there.
Look at the mist.
Yeah, come on.
Let me get a picture, come over here.
I remember when we were drinking somewhere you were telling me about you like being the gorilla for Halloween, I think.
You have a good memory.
Well, since you've roped me into doing this in the snow, and we're gonna be, like, zip lining, we may need some extra warmth with costumes.
Okay, I hope it's something sexy and awesome.
We'll make sure of that.
I see a zip line sign.
Leave it to a friend like Aimee to remember my wacky, costume-loving ways, and make it a part of our trip.
Fingers crossed that we find some like-minded weirdos with a secret costume stash.
My God.
That's crazy.
What kind of show is this? Chicken.
See, this is what happens when you do last-minute shopping.
A gorilla suit.
Very sexy.
These little feathers are going up my nose and There's a lot of things going on in my crotch right now.
Are you set up to catch some chickens and gorillas? Ready to rock and roll.
Lord knows, you gotta make it to the bottom of the zip line with everything intact.
Wish me luck, man.
All right, let's do this.
You don't want to go too fast because you're gonna be a scrambled egg at the bottom, bro.
We okay? Think so.
Okay, equipment feels good? Yeah.
Okay, we don't have any heart conditions? It's heavy.
It is heavy.
It is heavy, indeed.
How high is the bar? It won't be that much higher than you.
Is it straight arm? No.
Do you need to weigh us before we go up? No, no, no, we're already past that.
You guys are already past that, so we're good if you guys are ready.
Yeah.
Ready.
Well, if this goes horribly wrong Don't say that now.
I, - I want you to know it's been fun, you know.
Thank you for riding motorcycles with me.
Thank you for being my friend.
Thank you.
That was a little shaky.
He said there's back winds, so we may go up to 75 miles an hour.
You what? It'll be fine, we'll be fine.
We'll be fine.
We're a chicken and a gorilla, what the can happen? You chicken! This little chicken hair is really getting on my chicken nerves.
Ruffling your feathers.
Thank you.
Yay.
- It's windy out there.
- Windy as Is it dangerous when there's really high winds? It is, it is.
More dangerous? 'Cause that wind'll carry you.
Do that chicken dance all the way up, bro.
So, this is the top.
This is what we call Palmer.
You don't want to go too fast because if you come in too hot, you're gonna be a scrambled egg at the bottom, bro.
The reason that, you know, you guys came up here to see us and hang out with a bunch of wild Indians is because we have this awesome zip line and this beautiful mountain.
Part of the reason that we were set in this area is because we were placed on this reservation.
As Apache people, we took a lot of pride in our culture and our heritage to be able to, you know, bring people up here and show 'em so much land, so much beauty that we actually have within this area because it's important to us as a culture and as a heritage.
-Thank you so much.
-All right, so, yeah, of course.
Yeah, of course, you know what I mean? I take a lot of pride in telling people that.
Thank you.
It's an honor to meet you.
For sure.
You guys feel alive yet? Yeah, definitely.
'Cause here soon enough, you're gonna feel alive like you never felt before.
You guys are good with it? It's ladies first all the time, girl.
Okay, lean forward.
Here we go.
Here you go.
You ready for this, girl? Yeah.
Yeah! He's going backwards, check him out.
Enjoy it, brother, and I'll see you at the bottom.
Full pull.
Full speed, buddy, full speed.
That was crazy! That was nuts! I went almost backwards.
That was awesome.
Not gonna lie, you definitely feel alive up there.
Come here, give me a hug, that was awesome.
Good job.
There you go.
Dude, that was insane.
I gotta admit, when I first heard about a ski resort in New Mexico, I was a bit skeptical, but I was so wrong.
The people here have a profound connection to the area, and this adventure they've created lets people experience the natural beauty of these mountains.
Now it's about time to put the bikes to bed and see what this mountain town has to offer.
Check this stuff out.
These little guys.
What the hell's going on in here? Is this like a I wish this was open.
My God, the shops! It's pretty quiet here, isn't it? It is, it's really quiet.
What day is it? I don't even know what day it is I'm on.
I think it's Tuesday or Wednesday.
I don't know.
I have no idea.
This one's open.
This is awesome.
What's this called? The Two Bears Trading Post.
This is cool, let's go in.
All right.
Look, there's a log home for sale.
That looks awesome.
That looks like a Lincoln Log home.
After you.
Thank you.
They're all made right here.
Hey, guys, hi.
Yeah, this is awesome.
Norman, yeah, nice to meet you.
Aimee.
Nice to meet you.
Aimee.
My wife, Barbara.
Is this your bike out front? It is.
The riding out here is great.
Gosh, yeah.
It's so pretty.
You bet.
Hands down, one of the prettiest rides there is.
Really.
-Yeah, it's pretty cool up here.
I like it.
Is this yours? He is.
He's a timber wolf.
He's a real wolf? He is a real wolf.
We raised him.
He's pretty.
What's his name? Cherokee.
Cherokee, he's beautiful.
Yeah.
We had several Smokey and Kimber, a bunch of others that we raise 'em.
We have a half acre fenced off as a sanctuary for them.
Every morning about 4:30, you'll hear 'em howling, and then the whole canyon lights up that we live in, all of the wild wolves, the Mexican gray wolves that are down here.
Yeah.
It's pretty cool to listen to 'em singing.
We live 23 miles out in the middle of the wilderness, so the log cabin you see in the picture as you was coming up Yeahme and my wife built that.
It's beautiful.
They're nice to live in.
Yeah.
I wouldn't trade it.
That's awesome.
Yeah.
You don't need anybody.
That's great.
Yeah, it's okay.
I like living self-sufficient.
If we harvest an animal, we eat the meat.
If it's not fit for human, my wolves eat the meat, but we keep the claws and the teeth and the bones and the fur.
Nothing goes to waste.
That's the way I was raised.
That's good, yeah.
I like these.
These are great.
I just saw that.
Right? You can get your horse going.
That's not what I was thinking, but yes.
You know what I'm saying? And arrowheads? They are.
That spear that's right up there? See, it has the obsidian blade in it.
Isn't the obsidian like a shiny black It is.
It's glass volcanic glass.
Yeah.
It's also supposed to be good for anti-negativity.
The crystals.
Yeah.
I need some of that.
You need it? Whip and some obsidian.
Know what I'm sayin'? Can I get the obsidian and the jackalope, is that what it's called?- Jackalope.
And the quirt? That's a whip.
That's like a mini whip.
Somebody sent me one, a little different one.
But sometimes on set, I'll sit there and whip myself, just to like, wake up.
You can use it for whatever you want.
I'm not sure yet.
Here, let me see that.
Here, you got a jackalope.
- That's for you.
- Dude! Thank you so much! Thank you, my first jackalope.
Thank you so much, guys.
Nice to meet you guys.
Thank you so much.
Thanks for shopping with us.
What a pleasure.
Bye-bye.
Take care.
Tomorrow is the final stretch to White Sands Missile Range, where we're gonna go do what they do best Blow a few things up.
Thank you for the jackalope.
You're welcome.
That was very, very sweet of you.
What is that? It's like a drone plane.
This is so "Terminator.
" nt pistachio.
Hi, everyone.
Hello.
How's it going? Good.
It smells really good in here.
Shut up.
That's awesome.
If you would sign that for me, please.
Of course.
That's early on.
That's when I didn't look like a wild animal.
My daughter loves you so much.
Bum bum bum bum.
It was nice to meet you, yeah.
What a pleasure.
Thank you so much.
This is just a lifetime experience.
I can't stop shaking.
I'm trying.
I'm, like, "My God.
" Come on in.
A chocolate bar that used to be chocolate.
Chicken heads.
Gorilla heads.
Glad we did that.
That was fun.
It's super early.
I'm super tired.
Dude, how do you make this work? Look.
On, on, on, on, on.
I'm not I'm, like, not awake.
It's It gets a little cold up here, I won't lie, up in the mountains.
Yeah, there was a point yesterday where I could not feel my feet.
They felt like hooves, and it took me a long time to thaw them out.
But it's beautiful.
Going up the mountain was, like I mean, there's dropoffs that are, I don't know, 10,000 feet off the edge of the thing, and you're right on the thing, and there's snow and a little bit of ice.
And you're like holy But super pretty.
Like, everything looked like a poster everywhere you looked.
Here we go.
We are back on the ride.
About time.
Shaka, brah.
Shaka, brah.
This is so nice.
This is my favorite kind of riding.
Me, too.
This sort of vibe, out in the middle of mountain ranges and stuff.
Totally.
Last day.
We're riding 130 miles to the desert of White Sands.
Before the dunes, we're stopping at White Sands Missile Range, the largest military installation in the U.
S.
A few years back, I went on a USO tour to the Middle East.
That experience deepened my appreciation for the people who've served in the military.
White Sands Missile Range was established in the 1940s as a part of the Manhattan Project.
It was the detonation site of the first atomic bomb.
While this is a complicated part of our history, there's no denying the role this space served in the events that changed the world.
The entire social dynamic of New Mexico has been dramatically transformed because of the White Sands Missile Range.
Used to be in the old days, if you were riding down the interstate, sometimes you'd see contrails from rockets getting shot.
We are deeply aware of the role we play in the national security of this country.
We take that very seriously.
Look at this jet fighter plane thing.
What is that? What is that? It's like one of those drone planes.
You are entering White Sands Missile Range.
Look over here.
It's a missile! Yeah, this is crazy Crazy! This is the place.
This is the place.
How are you? Jerry Tyree from White Sands Missile Range.
Norman Reedus.
Nice to meet you.
Hi.
Aimee.
Nice to meet you.
Aimee, nice to meet you.
Welcome to White Sands.
Thank you very much.
We're part of the Army Test and Evaluation Command here.
We test everything from soldier sensors and lasers to the most advanced weapon system for air and missile defense, bombs for the Air Force.
Today, we're testing some PEO soldier sensors and lasers on some weapons.
Maybe get you to help us with the test here today.
Gonna be awesome.
How about that? Let's do it.
Yes, please, thank you.
Hello, sir, how you doing? I'm Sean Wilson from PMSSS.
What's going on here? This is the FWSI, which is the Family Weapon Sites Individual.
It is also coupled with an ENVG, which is an enhanced night vision goggle three, a thermal goggle that allows a soldier to see a thermal image that's down range so if the enemy is camouflaged or behind something, the thermal picture sees that somebody is back there.
This is also a thermal imager for the rifle, which is synched wirelessly to the goggle, so now you can see what your weapon sees and still maintain situational awareness on the battlefield.
And you look badass.
Would you like to check it out and try it on? Derr.
Yes.
Now, we're just gonna lower this down, let me know.
That's about right.
Are you good? This is so "Terminator.
" Now you see the big picture you see is the goggle, so that it can maintain situational awareness down range.
So if you move the weapon sight back and forth, you can see that it moves inside the goggle.
This is crazy.
This is insane.
This takes a little while to get used to.
When you feel comfortable with it, we're gonna have you shoot at that 100-meter target out there.
Whenever you're ready.
There you go.
Takes a second to get used to.
Yeah.
Aimee, you gotta try this.
Yeah.
All right.
Going hot! Hang on, guys.
I'm gonna shoot this.
Am I getting it? Yeah.
I am? You're doing good.
I'm doing all right! Hot.
Did I hit it? Yeah.
30 rounds.
Really? Yeah.
Try the M-2 machine gun next? Let's do it.
All the way back.
We're hot.
Yeah.
This is rad.
Thank you.
The vastness of this area, the pioneering technology, and the rich history It's unbelievable.
What these guys do here has a huge impact, and for me, looking through the lens they look through, it's an experience that'll be hard to shake.
After this, I could spend all day here.
Yeah.
Like, that's so fun.
What you do here, far away from Washington, far away from many countries which depend upon us, what you do here makes a significant difference to the security of our country, and to those who depend upon us.
I want to express my thanks to all of you.
I'm very grateful to all of you.
Hi, how are you, sir? I'm Dave Brown.
It's pleasure to meet you.
Norman Reedus, nice to meet you.
Thanks for coming to White Sands.
How are you, sir? Norman.
Nice to meet you.
So, we wanted to make sure that, before you leave, we give you a little hardware from me and the Sergeant Major.
Okay? Thanks for coming here and telling our story.
Now you're a part of our team.
That's awesome.
Thank you guys for your service.
Thank you, and it's a pleasure.
You're official.
Official.
Yeah, it's a pleasure.
I'm a big fan.
Back on my USO tour in 2010 Coffee time.
It was moving to meet the servicemen and women, hear their stories, and see their shared bond.
And when they talked about their connection to my work, it was humbling.
I've got such a deep respect for the people that dedicate themselves to protecting our country.
And it's always an honor to meet them.
One, two, three.
That was awesome.
Yeah, that was so fun.
I'm still kind of amped up.
Yeah, totally.
Like! I want to go kick a hole in a wall or something.
I'm really curious to see what these dunes are gonna look like.
This is slippery.
That's some bumps.
Last stop, White Sands National Monument.
This is pretty amazing, riding through here at sunset.
Yeah, this is really pretty right here.
This is magical.
Yeah.
275 square miles of glistening white sand dunes.
Well, actually, they're super rare gypsum dunes.
In fact, this dune field is the largest of its kind in the world.
And what would you do if you were surrounded by the biggest gypsum dunes around? Easiest question I've ever had to answer.
Ready? Yeah.
I was there! That did not work.
Yeah, here we go.
Here we go.
My God.
Yeah, that didn't work.
That doesn't work.
You know why? 'Cause your feet drag on the ground.
Okay.
One, two.
My God.
Okay, that didn't work.
Maybe over there? This is beautiful.
Look at that.
Yeah.
Okay.
Let's do this! That was way more fun than over there.
Look at that.
That's so orange.
What was your favorite part of this thing? I really loved going up that mountain.
It was a little scary.
It was so majestic, like, the scenery there was mind-blowing.
And I think connecting with the people, as well.
Yeah, and then you open up, you meet somebody, and they have such a genuine, cool vibe that you get it right off the bat.
Getting to stop and connect with people That's really made the trip special.
Thank you so much for having me.
Yeah, thanks for coming, yeah.
Look how beautiful that is right there.
That's crazy.
What a way to end a trip Sitting out here, surrounded by miles of perfect sand, a mind-blowing sunset, and a good friend.
Let's go get a drink.
Yes.
At every turn, New Mexico surprised me.
The terrain seemed to change without warning Vast desert, lush green forests, snow-capped mountains, soft dunes of sand.
The people here have found a way to honor the land in their own way.
Here, the land, like the people, holds stories.
And when we find amazing places like this, hopefully, if we're lucky, we get to take a little piece of it with us.