The Southwest has a penchant for really clever names of things, and White Sands National Park is no exception. There is a ton of white sand there! Maybe even two tons!
The day's driving took us through not much more than prairie grass fields, there was was a considerable amount of snow for a bit, before we pulled into the entrance to White Sands. Dad was confused. Yes there was some white sand, but it was covered in scrubby bushes and the dunes were only a few feet high. After Great Sand Dunes this was nothing! Mom politely reminded Dad that after the park entrance there was still five more miles to go. Noted! The drive through the park is very cool, as the scrubby, grassy sand eventually does give way to rolling sand dunes of white, and soon the road and everything else is covered in a thin layer of what looks almost like ice, but is of course sand.
We pulled into a half full parking lot, gathered our dune equipment (sled included) and headed up the dunes. Mom read lots of warnings about being careful when hiking the dunes, as it can be very easy to get disoriented. The dunes stretch for miles in all directions. Dad guffawed. We are expert dune climbers after all, being lost is inconceivable. After cresting the second dune it was impossible to see the parking lot behind us. Every direction was nothing but white sand that for all intents and purposes appeared to butt up against mountain ranges that were hundreds of miles away. We were hopelessly and perilously lost! Mom pointed out the trail markers at the top and bottom of each dune to keep foolhardy hikers on the right path. The motto is: if you can't see the next marker, it is time to turn around. We were saved!
We walked for about an hour and stopped to make several sledding pilgrimages. The weather was pleasant, although the wind was biting and we all had to cover our ears to keep them from getting stung by the chilly air. This sand proved to be far better than Great Sand Dunes for riding, and we all got some very good sled runs in. Remy is becoming an excellent sledder. Climbing back up the white sand is certainly a challenge, as it is so fine that you sink in deeply without being able to get much purchase. Dad found his favorite tactic to be barreling up the hill as fast as possible, but Mom and Remy preferred the slow and steady route.
We were hoping to catch the sunset, and were pleased to see the clouds clearing up just at the right moment. The colors were quite amazing, especially when juxtaposed with the white sand. We headed back to the car a tad early, hoping to avoid getting caught in the dark. While we were loading Remy up Mom had to sprint back for one last photo as the colors had greatly intensified.
White Sands has quickly rocketed into our top five favorite dune spots. Hopefully a return trip will include a bit more hiking as the littlest two-legged member of our party was getting quite tired. He didn't have the energy for hiking but he did seem to have enough left in the tank to run around in circles, or down the hill after the sled. Strange.
Here is some actual snow that we drove by. No sand here.
Comments