White Sands, New Mexico

As we were traveling west, we stopped for a week in Las Cruces to re-visit the area and have the opportunity to explore White Sands.  We'd driven by it last year but didn't have the time to stop.  So this was our chance.

White Sands National Park is completely surrounded by the military installations of White Sands Missile Range and Holloman Air Force Base, and has always had an uneasy relationship with the military.  The missile range and air force base were established after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, with continuing operations after World War II and throughout the Cold War.  Errant missiles often fell within the park's boundaries, occasionally destroying some of the visitor areas.  Flight training missions continue over the dunefield, and the park closes temporarily for several hours during missile tests.

The park covers 145,762 acres (227.8 square miles), including the southern 41% of a 275 square mile field of white sand dunes composed of gypsum crystals.  This gypsum dunefield is the largest of its kind on Earth and is so large that it can be seen from space!

Approximately 12,000 years ago, the land featured large lakes, streams, grasslands, and Ice Age mammals.  As the climate warmed, rain and snowmelt dissolved gypsum from the surrounding mountains and carried it into the basin.  Further warming and drying caused the lakes to evaporate and form selenite crystals.  Strong winds then broke up crystals and transported them eastward - a similar process continues to produce gypsum sand today.

Fortunately, we arrived fairly early in the day so there weren't many people when we went into the Visitor Center to learn more about the park.

There were a lot of items of interest - check out these fossilized footprints from the Ice Age.

The Selenite that is formed is most commonly transparent when fresh from extraction.  However, there have been many Selenite color varieties found the past few decades.

Selenite is always associated with simplicity, innocence, devoutness, and beauty.  Its name is undoubtedly derived from Selene, a Greek divine figure, also known as the moon goddess.  Many of its essences revolve around spirituality.  

Selenite healing properties can help with physical, emotional, and spiritual balance and issues.  It has healing powers to help with physical ailments and emotional issues.  Selenite healing crystal therapies include clearing blockages, stabilizing emotions, and bringing flexibility.

So, of course, we had to find some to have on our continued journey.  

Outside they were holding a bazaar in the courtyard.  We didn't really shop but it was a nice place to sit and people watch.

And then it was time to drive into the park.  Love that Senior National Parks Pass that I paid $5 for about 5 years ago - boy has that saved us money!

Our first stop was a boardwalk where you could walk out to the dunefield to enjoy the view and take some photos.

Detail on the sign:  When you drive farther into the park, you will find yourself surrounded by a vast field of white sand dunes, extending for miles in every direction.  Perhaps you will pack up a handful of sand and let it slip through your fingers.  This sand was once rock high in the surrounding mountains.

We talked to a nice family visiting while traveling from Tucson to Colorado and they were kind enough to take a photo of us.

We then drove further on Dunes Drive, which leads 8 miles into the dunes from the Visitor Center, in order to see this amazing sight.  It is said that the sand measures 30 feet in depth.

No, that's not us - just some random people

Sledding on the beautiful soft sand is a popular activity and great fun for children and adults.  Unlike snow, gypsum is not slippery and sledding down the face of a dune can take some practice unless you have the correct equipment, know proper techniques and use safety precautions.  Waxed plastic snow saucers work best and can either be brought from home or purchased at the gift shop.  

These people were having a blast!

We stopped for a bit to talk with a delightful family.  The parents were both born in India but met each other while working in the United States.  Their little girl couldn't get enough of the sand.  I can't even describe how soft it is and nothing like the sand you'd find at the beach.  Another interesting fact about the gypsum is that it is actually clear, but appears white and, therefore, doesn't absorb the sun's heat like silica sand.  So even on those intensely hot New Mexico days, the sand remains cool to the touch.

Ron likes to take a picture of our truck as we visit different places - boy has it traveled well!

Coincidentally, since we visited White Sands we saw the movie Oppenheimer which details the "father of the atomic bomb", J. Robert Oppenheimer, who was the director of the Manhattan Project's Los Alamos Laboratory during World War II.  It was interesting to see the area that was used to detonate the first atomic bomb as it wasn't too far in the distance from our visit to the White Sands Park and the city of Alamagordo.  

Many visitors express concern about the amount of residual radiation leftover at the site following the blast of the atomic bomb.  It's been recorded that an hour-long visit to the site yields less exposure to radiation than a visit to the dentist or flight on a plane.

Speaking of Alamagordo, after we left the park we made the 15 minute drive to Alamagordo for some lunch.  We then made a return trip to McGinn's Pistachioland which boasts the largest Pistachio in the world.

We spent some time in the store and went away with some wonderful pistachios and pecans.

We took a walk around the building to enjoy the pistachio orchards.

I'd never seen how pistachios grow.  Now I know or as my dad would have said, I can visualize it.

If you're ever near Las Cruces, make the short trip to White Sands!