White Sands National Monument - an ongoing collection of photos starting in 2006      

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White Sands National Monument is close to Alamogordo, New Mexico, where I have had family for decades, and still do. I also have two long-time friends in nearby Tularosa. My first trips with my brother's kids to White Sands were in the 1980s and has continued since.

White Sands is a great place for photography because of the utter simplicity of landscape elements: wind-sculpted gypsum, desert plants, and unique New Mexico light, especially in late afternoon. When deep blue shadows emerge, approaching sunset, this becomes a magical place.  

And any camera will do well here; you just can't go wrong. Most of the images below were taken with a Canon Powershot G Series point & shoot digital camera.       

geology note - gypsum is more dense than sand and the dunes moved more slowly then sand dunes. And just like sand, it is very forgiving should you have a tumble. 

November 2006 

	cottonwood tree		yucca		cottonwood bonsai
		shifting dunes bury a desert plant				iceberg in New Mexico (and Mesas)
	when the eagle flies		"Let's see, I think we parked over there" (see note)		Carlos of the desert
		blue shadows emerge		sand dunes & distant mesas near Alamogordo
	evening at White Sands		sunset

note - I couldn't resist throwing a punch line in here, a play on the vast landscape panorama behind my friend Charles, who is clearly pondering something. 

Imagine for a moment that you've walked say 2 miles out into the dunes, and somehow get disoriented, in such a vast landscape. In truth, our vehicle was only a short walk away.

In addition, the Monument staff have cleverly placed wooden poles (50 ft tall) in the dunes in lines (or directions) perpendicular to the road way, at the largest parking areas, where the best walking trails are. The topography is unique and even a one- or two-hour walk here is rewarding.   

Feb. 09 visit - afternoon rapidly turns to dusk this time of year and you don't have to stay out late like in summer.

				day's end

May 2013 visit - this was a trip to Las Cruces to see family and thence to the tiny town of Tularosa to see Charles & Maggie again.

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	the mesa at Alamogordo		visitor center
		old footsteps that look like Patriarchs' beards				parabolic dunes
	yucca in bloom		rental car		old footsteps, sculpted by time & wind, part one
		red, white and blue on Memorial Day				part two
	creature tracks		earless lizard		sand verbena
		must be Friday		dunes in late afternoon
	parabolic dunes		a fantastic place to explore

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October 2016 - my brother and three sisters and I gathered for a reunion & to celebrate a milestone birthday, in Las Cruces. A few days later I drove to stay four nights with old friends C & M in Tularosa. You go through Alamogordo to get to Tulie, completely in the middle of nowhere. I had two solo visits to White Sands. 

On the first, I arrived just before sunset & drove to the furthest point in, where there is almost no vegetation. I took the Alkali Flat trail and sought out the highest dunes.   

	visitor center		evening in the dunes		shadows dominate the scenery
		wind-blown sand textures			strong winds weave intricate patterns
	a fabulous 'rolling wave' landscape		sunset's golden glow		yucca plant

Returning a few days later in the afternoon, I drove to an area not so far in, where there is more vegetation.  

	looking northwest		barren cottonwood		interesting light
		mid-afternoon sun		skunk brush, see note below		main road in & out

The Monument brochure states that a few shrubs like skunkbrush sumac with dense, deep roots, create a pedestal formation, that remains long after the rest of the dune has moved on, or been blown away. Kit foxes and other small animals often take refuge during high wind periods.

I left White Sands before sunset to drive to the distant mesa & canyon topography located a few miles south of Alamogordo. 

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Some of these Mesas are in the Lincoln National Forest and have great hiking trails, with a lot of uphill. This is a gem of an area to walk and is vastly under-visited. In fact. the canyons are beautiful to walk upstream through sometimes dense brush, and bird species abound. 

But you would only do a canyon walk with company, in mid-day, and never alone, especially at dawn or dusk, because it is protected Mountain Lion habitat.

	looking east to mesas/canyons
		Dog Canyon area		sunset at Alamogordo

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