Big Circle - White Sands National Monument

Since I had shortened my visit to Guadalupe Mountains, I was able to visit both Bottomless Lakes State Park (see previous post) and White Sands National Monument.

As I mentioned, I had been to White Sands before – in 1958! 

Photo: William L. Pedretty, 1958 (that's our Cadillac)

I am pleased to say, it hasn’t changed much – even the picnic shelters look the same.

Shelters

White Sands National Monument, southwest of Alamogordo, comprises the southern part of 275 square miles of white sand dunes composed of gypsum crystals. 

Dunes

It is the largest gypsum dune field in the world. And, although it has dunes, it is quite different from the dunes at Great Sand Dunes National Park, which are made of finely ground quartz-based rock and soil, much of it volcanic.

White, white sands

Gypsum is rarely found in the form of sand because it is water-soluble and, normally, rain dissolves it and carries it to the ocean. But, White Sands is in a basin surrounded by mountains with no outlet to the sea. 

Distant mountains

Rain that dissolves gypsum from the surrounding San Andres and Sacramento Mountains either sinks into the ground or forms shallow pools that dry out and leave gypsum in a crystalline form, called selenite, on the surface. 

Gypsum isn't actually white; it's a clear substance. The dunes look white because the gypsum grains are constantly banging into each other. The scratches then reflect the sun's rays making them appear white.

Ancient sand

During the last ice age, a lake known as Lake Otero covered much of the basin. When it dried out, it left a large flat area of selenite crystals, which is now the Alkali Flat. Lake Lucero, at the southwest corner of the park, is a dry lakebed that occasionally fills with water.

Wind patterns

Erosion breaks the selenite crystals into sand-size grains that are carried away by wind, forming white dunes. Since gypsum is water-soluble, the surface of the dunes cements together after rain, forming a layer of sand that is fairly solid, so walking on the dunes is much easier than walking across the Great Sand Dunes. 

Shadows

Plus, the sand doesn't retain heat, making it possible to walk on it even when outside temperatures are in the 90s (don't try that at Great Sand Dunes!). The park literature said that the dunes can even freeze in the winter, making them very slippery.

Some dunes are bare, but others that shift around less, are covered with desert plants.

Desert plants

The park closes at 8:00 p.m. Because it lies completely within the White Sands Missile Range, both the park and U.S. Route 70 between Las Cruces and Alamogordo are subject to closure when tests are conducted on the missile range. On average, tests occur about twice a week, for a duration of one to two hours. Luckily, I didn’t encounter any closures.

Late afternoon

I went twice – I arrived after 4:00 p.m., when the Visitors Center closes, so I drove the eight-mile park road to witness lots of families enjoying themselves  (looks like some creativity with natural formations) ...

Cute!

... and a bride and groom being photographed ... 

My only shot was pretty lucky

I  witnesses a spectacular sunset.

Pretty colors

The colors are the sky were phenomenal. Orange to the west ...

End of day

... and pink and blue to the east ...

Final colors

Morning

The next morning I went back. I wasn’t fast enough to catch sunrise, but I did get to see the Park in full sun.

White Sands is a the unique dune environment that's home to a unique ecosystem of plants and wildlife, many of which only exist in the northern end of the Chihuahuan Desert.

In addition to containing the world's largest gypsum dunefield, including gypsum hearthmounds found nowhere else on earth, the Park is home to the globe's largest collection of Ice-Age fossilized footprints.

And, I went to the Visitors Center, which is a beautiful southwestern building, with great beams, corbels and light fixtures ...

A gorgeous building

I almost felt like I was a kid again.

Me, Don and Linda at White Sands, 1959

Trip date: September 24-October 7, 2014