White Sands

White Sands National Monument was one of the most interesting places we went. It was so much more than I had ever expected. I had by passed visiting this park most of my life for one reason or another. But this time I meant to see it, and I am so glad I did. The park is northeast of Las Cruces and very near the town of Alamogordo. At the information center and gift shop that is just off the highway before entering the park is a great place to make your first stop (and your last) when visiting. There is a short film about the park as there is all of our national parks. I always make a point of seeing the film as it explains what you will be seeing, how it developed over history and why this area should be kept as a national park. The film are always free and usually about 15 minutes long. Most of the parks sell this short movie if you want to buy it. I have a few of them.  An interesting fact about White Sands Visitors Center is that they have kept it as much like it was originally built in the 1930.

When you first go into the actual park this is the little building you will see.

At first the road is paved but after a bit it turns into an unpaved road through the white dunes. This road almost looks like it is paved with a hard layer of icey snow on it but it is actually compacted sand.

When you first think of sand dunes you just think of the sand but not of all the plants and animals that like in and on the dunes. There are lots of the New Mexico Yucca in and on the dunes. The yucca is the state flower of NM. There are also lots of grease wood and sage. You will see different kinds of native grasses. The film mentioned that many of these plants that we see go for many feet under the dunes. Over time as a plant gets sand blown around it it keeps growing up so it can reach daylight.

Many of the dunes showed how the wind as well as people have maked trails in the sand. With the first hard wind these trails will disappear.

There was one metal walkway that you could walk on to get about a quarter mile out onto the dune and not have to fight your way through sand. I am stanking at the end of the walkway.

Sarah and Ruby exploring the dunes,

Me exploring white sands.

From most places on the sands you are at about a 4000 foot elivation. In the distance you can see different higher mountains including those near Cloudcroft, NM. where we planned to go later that day.

Apart of the road that is just sand that has lots of traffic on it.

A few places you can see clumps of harder sand that the wind is still working on. Some of them looked like strange animals.

https://www.nationalparks.org/explore-parks/white-sands-national-monument

Yucca and Desert

On another day we went out to a place called Chihuahuan Desert Nature Park. We think it was very new and found there was no one there. It was one of those parks where you read signs and follow trails on your own. Even the bathrooms were locked, apparently do to vandalism. We could see no sign anyone had been there for some time. So we did as it said, read the signs and followed the trail for a ways. We saw much of what we had already seen on our travels so didn't linger very long.

 Barrel Cactus

One unique feature here was a rock wall around the parking are. When we looked closer at the wall we could see all kinds of fossils in the rocks. Very festinating. Most were plant fossils.

Here were the yuccas that one things of finding in New Mexico. Unlike the stotol yucca we had seen on the east side of Organ Mountains. They make for great photos, either as seen here in the fall or in the spring when the white blossoms are so pretty. These yucca were called Candles of the Lord by the Spanish Conquestors because they almost glow in the dark when blooming.

East Side Organ Mountains

This time we went to the east side of the Organ Mountains to a campground called Aguirre Springs. The views were more beautiful than the west side (if that can be). The rough, steep, rocky ridges were spectacular,

 https://www.blm.gov/programs/national-conservation-lands/new-mexico/organ-mountains-desert-peaks-national-monument

 The loop trail is all one way so there is no on-coming traffic to contend with. You can enjoy the view better that way but there aren't a lot of places to pull over if there is traffic behind you and you want to take a photo. But we went slow and took pictures when we felt like it.

There were lots of the sotol yucca here which we hadn't seen much of before, instead of the more common yucca that had the bunches of flowers that make the wonderful seed pods we are so used to. The sotol yucca had a single stock that is covered with tiny flowers in the spring and not much of a seed pod.

On this side there are more trees. You can see what looks like ponderosa pine on this ridge. There were lots of oak, juniper, and pinon where we were.

We made it to the top and took a short hike around the parking area of the campground.

Me, enjoying the views.

 Close up of one of the crags on the ridges.

Sarah and Ruby

Me and Ruby

Some where looking out across the top we understand that part of White Sands Military Base is near near by. Sometimes when there isn't as much haze you can see clear to White Sands National Monument.

The road going back down.