Oct 23 - White Sands National Monument

White Sands National Monument, New Mexico

After the Three Rivers Petroglyphs, we headed south to Alamogordo and the White Sands National Monument. I barely remembering visiting White Sands as a kid with my parents and probably one of my nephews. Really, the only thing I remember is the brilliant white sands - blinding white sands. I just kept telling Bryan how unbelievably white it would be - anxious for him to experience it too. Then as we drive into the park, I just kept saying - "It will get whiter further in we get..." Then we'd drive further in and I was like "I just remember it being more white, I can't believe I remember it being so white when really its just a light pinkish-tan..." It was about then I realized I had my sunglasses on - thus the rosey sand. haha

Large Dune

The sand really is brilliant white - eye shattering white! It was magical and weird to see all of the white and it not be snow. The introduction video we saw at the Visitor Center had someone walking a husky dog in the sand and we joked all day about how confused that poor husky must have been! "What, this isn't snow!!!"

Raymona & Bryan at White Sands NM

Bug Tracks in the Sand

Us on the Alkili Flats Trail - White Sands NM

View across the sand dunes - note the black
specks are vegetation between the dunes

We had a quick picnic lunch at one of the many picnic tables scattered around and then climbed the dunes and took a couple hikes.

Bryan at our picnic table

View of one of the picnic areas from top of a dune

Some native vegetation grows between the dunes but nothing on top, except at the edge of the dune field. The two foot yucca you see on the top of a 30 foot dune is really a 32 foot yucca! Yep, the yucca can grow fast enough to keep its crown above the top of the dune - once the dune has passed the yucca will most likely collapse and then die. We also learned that the Rio Grande Cottonwood and survive being buried in a dune as long as part of it is above the dune. We saw a few tips of branches above 20-30 ft dunes!

22 ft yucca in a 20 ft dune
(measurements are really guesstimates)

The dunes are created by gypsum that has eroded from the surrounding mountains that flow into the Tularosa Basin. The rains come and fill in shallow lakes called Playas (the largest is Lake Lucero) as the water evaporates it leaves behinds selenite crystals. Wind, freezing & thawing, wetting & drying eventually break them down into sand-size particles that are then blown northwest by the wind. This process has created the White Sands dune field we see today - the dune field covers 275 square miles and is the largest gypsum dune field in the world. Part of the field is on the White Sands Missile Range (think Trinity Site) and is not accessible to the public.

After our visit to White Sands, we took a quick trip to the Oliver Lee State Park to check out their campgrounds. They were very nice, with amazing views (you could sort of see White Sands). Oliver Lee was a prominent rancher in the area in the 1800s and helped shape the country. His third ranch headquarters is located nearby.

Dog Canyon, at Oliver Lee State Park

Bryan next to HUGE Century plant
Oliver Lee State Park

Then on our way back to Carrizozo we stopped at the Eagle Ranch Pistachios farm & winery (Heart of the Desert label). We missed the daily tour of the pistachio farm (1:30 M-F, Sept-May & 10 AM & 1:30 PM M-F, Jun - Aug) but we did get some great treats there - green chili pistachios - yummy but SPICEY - white chocolate pistachio cookies (delicious) and of course, a bottle of red wine to try.

Oh, while we were out sight-seeing, White Sands Missile Range were performing some exercises/training in support of ground troops (this was announced on the radio in Alamogordo) - we didn't see anything but we could certainly hear it! Very disconcerting to hear/feel sonic booms (or missile explosions). The booms would shake your insides - we only heard/felt 5, I can't imagine what a war-zone must be like. Now we know a little of the term "shell-shocked". Wicked booms!