Yesterday we drove out to the White Sands Monument and Missile Range. The missile range is part of Holloman AFB and is one of several military installations out here in the middle of nowhere. I guess that's as good a place as any. We were more interested in the National Park area.
Instead of an oasis in the desert this is more like a desert in the desert. After miles and miles of sand and cactus and wind we came to an area of bright, white sand. This is the White Sands Monument. It is a natural geological formation that is barely a thousand years old which makes it an infant in relationship to most geologic areas of interest.
The sand, actually gypsum, has a coarseness somewhere between beach sand and talc. Being very fine it is very susceptible to the winds of the desert. The minimal moisture, the rapid evaporation, and the high winds have created what is the largest gypsum field in the world. Apparently it can be seen from space.
The fine sand shifts and moves very easily with the wind and also under foot. On flat areas it packs down reasonably hard to create an easy surface to walk on but where it has formed into dunes is a different story. The dunes that can be sixty feet tall or more and are not as easy to climb as people say. The sand constantly shifts under foot and slides downward as you try to climb back to the top. It almost feels like three steps forward and two steps back, and is sometime easier to be on all fours.
Now about the "white" sand! If anyone has experienced snow blindness then you know what to expect. Adjusting from the brightness can take a few minutes if not wearing sunglasses. Not only do you experince snow blindness the sand along the road through the area looks like you are driving through a winter wasteland, but with temperatures in the 90's it doesn't feel like winter.
Like most National Parks it is illegal to remove anything from the area. People have been caught and fined for doing so but I don't think they are going to worry about the sand I brought home with me.
The stuff is so fine that it get into everywhere and it is impossible not to have some of the sand follow you home.
Well I will sign off now from our home in Tularosa because....
Home is where we park it,
Frank and Mary
I remember when Ric and I climbed the dunes at Sleeping Bear in Michigan. Your comment about three steps forward and two back is pretty spot on. Or, in some cases one step forward and three steps back when the sand is very loose. And I'm sure you brought home more sand than what you had in your shoes! LOL (Sorry, couldn't resist that comment here too!)
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