Varied Skies

From the Grand Canyon State we rolled into the Land of Enchantment.

A ~20 foot high roadrunner sculpture made from recycled goods greeted us outside of Las Cruces.

North of Las Cruces, the White Sands Missile Range stretches on for miles, its northern region the site of the Trinity Test, the nations first atomic explosion (usually closed to visitors). On the eastern edge of the missile range, White Sands National Monument protects a large field of insanely white dunes that almost glow against the typical brown desert backdrop.

The dunes comprise small particles of gypsum. Leached from the surrounding mountains, the gypsum collects in a basin with no outlet to streams or rivers. As the water evaporates, large gypsum crystals (selenite) form. Wind blows the crystals across the desert, breaking the crystals into ever smaller particles. Eventually, those particles collect in the dune field. Constantly changing, the dune fields provide a dynamic place for frolicking in the desert.

Many visitors grab a sled, wax the bottom, and plummet down the large dunes.

Discussing strategy and technique…

L staking out her first dune…

M3 laying claim to a dune…

While not quite as slick as snow, the talc-like, powdery sand enables high-speed runs with a good waxing and proper technique. Of course, a little practice helps.

When sledding, what goes down, must come up.
Ascending a dune tires the muscles, especially when tackling the side of the dune not compressed by wind. Your legs churn at a tremendous rate. Your feet move in unison. But your body rises slowly as the dune saps energy from every stroke. When you get to the top, you might feel like this…

Or you might eventually decide that hanging out at the bottom is the better bet.Or you might decide that playing on smaller dunes is just as fun…

Exhausted and smiling, we exited the park, saying goodbye to the sand trolls on our way.

Inspired by the other-worldly landscape of White Sands, we traveled to Roswell, NM, the site of the 1947 UFO crash site that has spawned countless conspiracy theories all grounded on a huge government cover-up. The International UFO Museum and Research Center documents the events of 1947 and other UFO sightings throughout the world.

Prepared for cheese, we got cheese.

After reading countless newspaper articles and affidavits that left me with the distinct impression that nothing unusual occurred here in 1947, it was time to move on.

Fortunately, we landed at Bottomless Lakes State Park. We had a terrific campsite on Lea Lake.

We enjoyed a nice sunset walk on the nature trail, picking out animal tracks left in the soft mud.

We tackled the “Skidmarks” mountain biking course, a 3.1 mile course that snakes through the desert. Before we knew it, the kids were gone in a flash.

But I was able to get some good shots of Melissa, winding her way around the course.

We eventually caught up with the kids after a prickly pear attacked M3’s ankle.Field extraction of cacti hairs complete, we completed “Skidmarks,” headed home, packed up, and moved south, anxious to see one of New Mexico’s most famous natural features.