Tell a Tale of Sunset

As the sun began to set, Jeff & I went back to White Sands.  The dunes are very different at evening compared to early morning.  Come for a walk at sunset with us…..

Warm Sand

  One of the interesting things about visiting White Sands at sunset is the light and how it creates different colors on the dunes.  Initially, when we got there, the sun cast a very warm glow on the sand.

Blowing Sand at Sunset

We were watching the sunset on a trail thru the dunes.    Trails on the dunes don’t look like other trails, and it can be very easy to get lost.  The telltale sign that we were on a trail into the back country of the dunes is the red pole off to the left in this image.  Also, check out the footprints in the sand.  Still, with the winds blowing at times, you can’t always count on footprints being there when you need them!

Lonely Footsteps

Looking off in another direction, I noticed a few other footprints in the sand.  Did they belong to Jeff & me?  I don’t think so, but after a while, one can’t be sure!

Setting Sun

It was tough to look in the direction of the sun, but it was a very beautiful sight to see the sun’s rays casting their light on the dunes.

Last Rays

As the sun set, the scene took on an almost magical tone.  I’m not certain if there are fairies in the dunes, like there can be in the forest (per myths!), but I could just about imagine them dancing on the ridges!

Glowing Sky

Another interesting feature of sunset is that the wind picks up just before sunset.  Take a look at the band of blowing sand in this image.  The sky has taken on a lovely glow from the sunset, which was off to the left of this image.

Moonrise on the Dunes

As we made our way back to the Jeep, the sky opposite from the setting sun took on several colors, as the mountains on the other side of White Sands positively glowed!

Enjoy!

Miki at White Sands

The last time we were at White Sands, Miki was a number of years younger than she is now.  However, being on what I think she thought of as a very large beach brought out the puppy in her!

Racing up the Dunes

I guess she forgot that her hips are a bit stiffer now – she raced up those dunes so quick I barely had time to capture this shot!

On the Dunes

Once she was up on top, she just had to trot around checking out her new territory!

Strolling Along

She did take time out to wait for Jeff to catch up, tho…

Surveying Her Domaine

She really had the dunes in this area all to herself (and us!).  It’s great that this National Monument allows dogs, altho technically she was supposed to be on a leash.  (We won’t tell if you won’t!)

Heading Down the Dunes

Ok, exploring is done – now, she’s racing Jeff back to the Jeep!  Oh, and what looks like packed snow is actually packed sand that has been plowed so that cars can drive and park in this area of the dunes.

Enjoy!

Postcard from Thursday – November 9, 2017

Long Shadows

Thinking about life as I watched this little bug make its way across the sand dune.  Such a little bug, and such a long shadow…..

Long Shadows

Enjoy!

Early Morning at White Sands

One morning on our most recent camping trip, we visited White Sands early in the morning.  There’s something about the light in the early morning that makes everything softer, yet crisper, if that makes any sense….

Path Thru the Dunes

The first place we walked was in an area called “Dune Life” or something like that.  It’s the place where you see the most natural plant growth in White Sands.  This was a sort of path that took us deeper into the part of the Dunes where we’d see plant life…..

White Sands Fall Color

And, since we were there during the fall, it only makes sense that we’d see some fall color, right?  Somehow, I hadn’t really expected to see actual fall color, but this shrub surprised me!.....

Drifting Dunes

After we left the “Dune Life” path, we drove along the road that took us further into the Dunes.  The plant life became sparser, and the dunes more prominent.  This was the 3^rd or 4^th visit to White Sands, and, altho at first one thinks nothing can really change, because it’s “only” sand dunes, in fact, the wind that carries over the dunes is re-sculpting the dunes all the time…..

Sign of Man

At first glance, all one tends to see are the curves and lines formed by the shifting sands, but when you look a bit closer, you can see the footsteps of another explorer to this ever-changing, but unchanging place….

Sun on the Dunes

In this image, you can see the textures created by the wind across the dunes, and if you look really closely, you can see a small tiny dot just off to the left of where the sun’s rays reach the furthest toward the dunes – it’s another intrepid explorer – who knows how far away…..

Mountain Peeking

And, throughout this posting, you’ve seen some mountains off in the distance.  In this image, you can see just the tops of the San Andres Mountains peeking over the dunes.  But, between those mountains and White Sands National Monument is White Sands Missile Range.  And, check out the texture of the sand that you can see in the foreground of these images….

Amazing Textures

Speaking of texture on the sand, check out this collection of images showing textures that we saw on this morning visit!  Many are driven by the wind across the dunes, but the additional textures you can see in the middle and right images were caused by some small creature traveling across the sand.  Again, another surprise, in a way.  You just don’t think of much living in this environment.  Oh, and by the way, one closing tidbit of information.  I’ve been referring to the sand dunes – but, truly, they aren’t sand, the white “sand” is actually gypsum!  Somehow gypsum dunes doesn’t quite have the ring that sand dunes does!

Enjoy!