03/12/2012

What a beautiful day to be out and about today!

We went to the White Sands National Monument this afternoon.  What a gorgeous sight!  It looks like hills of snow, but  actually rain and snow from the mountains that ring the area dissolve gypsum from the rocks and carry it into the Tularosa Basin where it eventually dries and is carried by the wind, creating dunes.  The dunes can move as much as 30 feet per year, so the landscape is ever-changing.  

One minute it looked like a beach scene only with white sand, the next it looked like a winter day in Maine.  It has the texture of salt.  As we drove though it, the road looked like it would be slippery but of course it wasn't.  Seeing all the kids sliding on the dunes with their sleds didn't help any.  There were lots of families having picnics, sunbathing, etc..  Unreal.  Enjoy the pictures!