White Sands is so sandy…and white! Greetings from El Paso, Texas, our digs for the night. It’s been…interesting. First, Google tried to take us on a closed road when we were 4 minutes from the hotel. When it finally rerouted us, our 4-minute drive became 29 minutes due to a convoluted detour and a ton of traffic.
Once at our hotel, we had to walk through a construction zone (aka the hallway) to get to our room. The floor is covered in plastic and the ceiling is full of holes (and hopefully not full of asbestos!). We looked forward to making dinner in our room (we have a full kitchen). Unfortunately, the hotel ran out of utensils and plates and cups because it is “full to capacity.” I was told to call in the morning when they will be available. Not really helpful for dinner tonight. We made due with camping equipment. Yay!
Today was a driving day, but we made sure we had time to stop at White Sands National Monument in New Mexico for a quick hike before sunset. We are so glad we did! it is the largest field of gypsum sand dunes in the world (one of only a few). The sand, which is not traditional sand, but gypsum crystals, is pure white and silky soft. It stays cool in the sun and doesn’t stick to skin or clothes like beach sand does. One of the popular things to do here is sledding down the steep dune slopes! I learned later, that this type of sand is extremely rare since gypsum dissolves in water. The unique geology of the area is what allows them to accumulate and form dunes.
This is the scene for as far as you can see. The sand is occasionally dotted with grasses and yucca plants.
Billy and I took the 2-mile Backcountry Trail to get a feel for the place. The scenery looks like a cross between a lunar landscape and rolling hills after a blizzard. Even the road (which is packed sand), looks exactly like a snow-packed street. The sand is denser than beach sand and is easier to walk on. In some places, we didn’t even sink in. We stayed until after the sun set and watched the sky turn pastel shades of pink and lavender and wished we had more time to explore (and play in the luxurious sand).
The dunes are full of interesting patterns like this caused by the wind.
Billy volunteered to be the “camel” for our walk. There are signs everywhere that insist every hiker carry water, regardless of the length of the hike. Thanks, Billy!
A view of the slightly more “bushy area” of the dunes. The yucca plants are on the right.