Flashback Friday - White Sands National Monument

Did you know that there are sand dunes in New Mexico?  I saw photographs of this beautiful place once, and told Jim that I would love to see it in person. So we made sure that we traveled through that area on our way to Arizona one year.







White Sands National Monument is centered in the bottom 1/3 of the state, and located just west of the town of Alamagordo. It is the largest gypsum dune field in the world. The dunes are very active, especially in the northeast area of the 275 square miles (115 of which is located within the monument), and can move up to 30 feet a year!

Here is the road driving in.

Now we're getting closer to the dunes. Look at that sand blowing behind that first dune!

I love the way the plants look on the sand, and the shadows that they cast.

One of the desert survivors

I forgot what these are called, but it's more specific than a sand dune. This might not look very big,

but looks can be deceiving! Here's Jim standing next to it!

We drover farther on and was surprised to see that the roads had been "plowed", as if a lot of snow had fallen.

Remember - that's SAND! And to confuse you even more, here are a couple of kids sliding down a sand dune with their little saucer sleds!

In fact, here's a very short video that I took of them slip-sliding down the dune. Remember - it's hot out!



The scenery is just magnificent. Well, you be the judge.

That is your tour for today. Please exit the bus single file. I hope you enjoyed your trip. Oh, and tips are always welcome! :)

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