February 4th-5th, 2018
White Sands National Monument
Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico
The mailing address really is Holloman Air Force Base. The nearest town is Alamogordo, where the worlds largest Pistachio resides.
Getting to the White Sands National Monument took two hours of driving west out of Roswell. The journey takes you through beautiful rolling hills and river fed farms to the town of Alamogordo, New Mexico. The city sits in a “landscape bowl” surrounded by mountains and the Tularosa Basin. It’s also the closest city to White Sands National Monument and Holloman Air Force Base. There is an interesting clash of people here with all the military personnel and tourists around. Alamogordo is also home to McGinn’s Pistachioland home of the worlds largest Pistachio.
A view of a mountain peak we passed on our way to White Sands NM.
Road Runner statue on the side of the highway.
Tina and Camrin with the Worlds Largest Pistachio. We love a good roadside attraction!
Inside Pistachioland trying all the free samples!!
Before going to our campsite we stopped by the White Sands NM visitor center for maps and water, but we were unable to go any further into the park because the road was closed due to a nearby missile test. Geez, we are camping a mile outside of the park. Is this place safe?
We camped for free at a nearby lake. Beautiful sunsets. We kept an eye out for any missiles but didn’t see any. It should also be noted that on the other side of those mountains in this pic is Area 51 and we all know what that place is allegedly famous for.
This is what our campsite looks like in the daylight. The lake is pretty, but so contaminated because of runoff from the nearby military base that it can no longer be fished or even swam in. Although, because of the close proximity of the airforce base we got to spend our morning watching several Jets practice and we got buzzed by low flying drones. We thought it was pretty cool to see.
White Sands National Monument
Sign Time!
The trail marker that we have to follow. The dunes are unable to keep a regular trail intact because of winds, but these markers help guide the way. Everytime you pass by one the next marker becomes visible. The markers have to be constantly replaced because they too can become buried in the sand.
Okay, this place is surreal! The sand is so white it looks like snow. It’s so soft to walk on our hike became a calf workout. The daytime temperature reached the mid 70’s during our stay, but stick your hand an inch into the sand and it’s a cool 50 degrees.
Follow the orange trail markers.
Five miles up and over hills of pure white sand.
Made it!
There are several types of dunes to experience in the park. The type in this pis is a parabolic dune. Very few plants can be found here.
The wind is a powerful force that shapes and molds the dunes.
Hey Laura.
A trail sign that hasn’t fared well in the dunes.
Pretty quiet hike. Only two other hikers.
The downside to hiking on the sand… sand in your shoes.
So take your shoes off!
It’s fun going downhill.
Bird Tracks!
Bird and wind tracks look like abstract art.
This is what driving through the park looks like. The constant moving of the dunes makes it impossible to pave a road, so they just plow the sand every once in a while. It looks like winter in Wisconsin.
Going on a ranger-led tour at dusk. This area of the park has transverse dunes. The water table is higher here so plants are able to grab hold, which then changes the shape of the dunes.
This is a large piece of gypsum. The western side of the park has a dried up lake that is covered in huge pieces of gypsum like this one. As the wind blows it breaks apart the chunks into fine particles that deposit to the East forming the dunes. After it rains more chunks of gypsum are revealed and the dunes can continue to grow. Due to the fragile land in the dry lake bed, only a few tourists and scientists are allowed to see it.
The ranger had a well set up. Only two feet below the surface is the water table. This water acts like glue keeping the dunes from completely blowing away. However, this water is not drinkable for humans. The water contains cyanobacteria, a superfood
for plants and some animals here.
Learning about the local wildlife. This is the grasshopper mouse. It howls at the moon like a wolf after it catches its prey. Although, to our ears because of its size it’s howl is more of an adorable squeak than a howl.
Video courtesy of Nat Geo Wild
Sun is getting low making our shadows long.
Using the big lens.
Learning about our favorite desert plant, the Yucca. The yucca can be used to make many things from baskets to needles for sewing.
The giant seed pods of the Yucca plant. These pods are also home to the Yucca Moth who exchange living quarters for pollination duties.
There goes the sun.
Those colors.
Back at our campsite for the last of the sunset. Not a bad day at all.
Good night Tina.
The Next Day
Saw this beautiful hawk hanging outside the visitor center.
First trail of the day. After reading this sign we’re glad we didn’t come in summer.
Another warning sign. The climate can be harsh here.
More plants in this area.
Follow the trail marker. Note Camrin’s jacket. It is pretty crazy how much the temperature drops at night. The two day’s we visited the park the temperature was in the upper 60’s, but the nighttime temperature was in the 30’s.
Camrin!!
Getting warmer.
A leaf?
A leaf from this Cottonwood Tree. The only shade in the summertime.
These small hills covered in plants are a great place to see animal tracks.
Teeny tiny apache pocket mouse tracks
Caterpillar tracks.
We think its a Roadrunner track, but it might be the common horned lark track. Its a bird track of some sort. Here is a link to the park’s brochure on common animals and their tracks.
On our way to the next trail passed by this sweet old ranger truck.
Even in this hostile environment, there is food.
28 POUNDS!!!!
Sledding Time!!
Yep! You are allowed to sled down the dunes. You can buy a sled at the gift shop in the monument but it was cheaper to get a six dollar saucer at the nearby Walmart. Sledding the dunes is the cherry on top of our short time in this amazing park.
Head First!
Enjoying the cool sand before we head to our next destination.
We’ve come to realize that we really like the National Monuments, maybe more than some of the National Parks. It’s not that the Parks aren’t also amazing, but the monuments usually center around a specific feature so its easier to be immersed in that feature and learn more about it. They’re also usually not as big as the parks and can be easily seen in a day or two. They are also much quieter and have that off the beaten path feel that we love. We’re so glad we bought that year-long national park pass that also gets us into the monuments.
Thanks for reading our blog!! Up next… The Gila Cliff Dwellings.
