Max meets the Dunes

 

Max Meets the Dunes

One of the reasons we wanted to visit White Sands National Park was to introduce Max to one of the largest and best doggie parks we knew of!!  Now, technically, Max was to be on the leash the entire time we were there, but one look around tells you that people regularly violate that “rule”.  The trick to not getting in trouble is to Walk far enough onto the dunes so the park rangers don’t see you!!

We weren’t far enough on the dunes when I shot these, and shortly afterwards, the park rangers used their speaker to tell us he needed to be on his leash – yes, officer!  But really, who could keep this much joy tied up??

Isn’t this a handsome boy of a pup? For a brief moment, when he was deciding which way to run, Max struck a pose!  It only lasted for a second!! LOL!!

Oh, he saw me while running around and just had to come by (at full speed) to say hi!!  We have thought from the very beginning that Max was a very happy pup – and here he gets to be exuberantly happy!!

I really like this image of Max on the dunes.  He almost looks contemplative, like he’s reflecting on his life….almost!!  I think it’s more likely that he’s wondering what lies down the dune and beyond!!

Max met a friend while at the dunes!!  This little pup was so charming – she (I’m assuming she was a girl) came up and kept sitting, then sneaking a few steps forward, then lying down, etc., until we decided it was ok to let him off his leash. We tend to be a bit careful when another dog comes close, but it was clear all she wanted to do was play with Max. They had a grand time, and both sets of puppy parents got some laughs just watching them racing around. And, no, Max never did catch her!!

After all that running around, Max felt like he had to just chill for a bit and catch his breath. The warmth of the setting sun helped him to momentarily relax!

At the end of all this fun, max took one last stroll around as the sun set on his fun time at White Sands National Park! He slept well that night!

Enjoy!

Dunes at Sunset

 

Dunes at Sunset

The next day when we visited White Sands National Park, we drove further into the park and stopped at the area where the dunes are higher.  Families will visit this part of the park and bring disc types of sleds, for the kids to “sled” down the dunes.  Whenever we’re there, we always see some kids (of all ages) doing this, so it is obviously great family fun!  That wasn’t what we came for though.  We just wanted to enjoy the beauty…

At times, walking along on top of the dunes, the landscape strikes me as being very stark.  This image represents that.  I processed it in black and white, simply to show off the textures of both the nearby mountains, and the dunes themselves.

This scene also gives you a sense of starkness.  In this one, the mountains have taken a bit of a step back and let the flow of the dunes be the star!  At times, even though my feet are firmly on the ground, I almost feel like I’m at sea, looking at rolling waves.

As the sun sets, the scene warms up quite a bit!! And, we have lines everywhere!  There are what I think of as the larger flow lines of the dunes, and up close, you can see the pattern that the wind makes in the dunes.  Since the wind is never ending, any steps one may leave are quickly erased by the breeze and the dunes.

As the sun sinks further on the horizon, then the scene becomes very soft.  Details in the sand melt into the shadows of the dunes and you just have the feeling of the sands softly moving, with almost absolute silence, except for my breathing.

Again, as we were walking back over the dunes to our car, we faced the opposite direction and got a lovely view of the moon rise over the mountains that had been behind us all this time.  One interesting thing about being on the dunes is that you must always be aware of where you walked.  Since all dunes tend to look alike, it would be very easy to get lost!

Enjoy!

Dunes Nature Trail at White Sands National Park

 

Dunes Nature Trail at White Sands National Park

Relatively speaking, White Sands National Park is rather small (about 228 square miles).  However, it certainly packs a punch in terms of beauty and fun for everyone who visits.  On January 18, 1933, President Hoover designated White Sands as a National Monument.  It was made a National Park in 2019 by President Trump.  It is surrounded by the White Sands Missile Range and Holloman Air Force Base.  In fact, when they are doing testing at the Missile Range, the National Park can be closed for a period of time, generally an hour or two.  Luckily, this didn’t happen when we visited!

The first visit was to a place called Dunes Nature Trail.  Usually, there aren’t that many folks who stop there.  I think it’s because the larger dunes are further along the park road.  The interesting thing about this stop is that there is a lot of vegetation among the dunes.  I really like the dune plant in this image – standing tall!

One of the lovely things we could see along this trail is how the various components of nature really shine.  The sky, with its wonderful clouds, complements the mountains which seem to echo the grassy bunches of beach grass.  Grounding it all is the sand.  In reality, the “sand” is gypsum, but everyone just calls it sand!

Because the area is so open at White Sands, the sky often takes front and center, as it’s doing here, at the beginning of the sunset for the day.  I especially like the streaking that the light creates with the clouds in the bottom image!

As the sun gets close to the horizon, the warmth of its rays is evident in this dunescape.  Warm rays created shadows that really lend texture to this peaceful image.

And, finally, as we were leaving the area once the sun set, the moon rose!!  Here are two images of it. The one on the left is the moon low enough to seem to be blending into the branches of plants in the area.  The second image is as we drew closer to where our car was parked, at the outer edge of the dunes area.

Enjoy!