The White Sands
When I heard that White Sands National Monument has over 276,000 square miles to wander, I became more interested than ever. This park has the largest gypsum sand dunes in the world, making it an attraction that you just have to experience for yourself.
Arriving to the park around 10pm, I realized that the gates were shut. Thankfully, a couple miles down the road was a pull off next to a lake. Without getting much sleep, I woke just before sunrise to witness the pink hues flutter across the clouds in the sky. With the stillest water that I might have ever witnessed on a lake, it was one of the most magical sunrises I’ve ever seen. Wanting to be one of the first people to enter the park for the morning, I drove over and was the second in line. At this point I was going crazy to see the sand dunes! Finally, a park ranger comes by to open the gate. At the first sighting of sand, I parked my car, took off my shoes, and grabbed my camera. The chill of the morning sand definitely surprised me, but was well worth the shock. Having a couple hours to roam around before the visitor center would open, I went to claim a camp spot for the night. There are only 10 spots, so I didn’t want to miss out.
Standing 5th person back, I knew that my chances were great to get a camp spot for the night. Once the doors opened, it wasn’t a single file line anymore. It quickly turned to everyone running to the desk. I was beyond stoked to get campsite number 3. I literally yelled of joy once I got back to my car! Time to explore more of the 276,000 square miles of these dunes. There are a couple of hikes within the park that you can do. I chose a 5 mile hike. With it being 90 degrees out and no shade, I walked back to the car before heading to a hooded picnic area that they have. A good pasta meal and a nap in a hammock was the cure to get away from the sun.
While charging my devices before heading out for the night, I noticed my car wasn’t acting normal. I thought it was just the heat making it run differently. I needed to be in a different parking lot, so I drove over. While driving, I noticed that my RPM’s were at 0. Thankfully, I made it to the parking lot and put it in park right before she died on me. I realized I might have to get a tow in the morning, but that certainly wasn’t going to stop me from having a great night out in the dunes. While packing my bag, I met a guy from Switzerland. Definitely a typical Swiss guy, tall, brown hair, and brown eyes. After a quick PBJ and meeting some others going out, I began the mile hike to my campsite. Incredibly stoked, I set up my tent.
All the camp spots are in the valleys of the dunes, with walls of sand to climb on all sides of you. It’s hard and compact sand there, enough to keep your tent from flying away from gusts of wind. There’s nothing quite like sleeping in sand. I climbed up a dune and wandered around for about an hour. Something about the golden light bouncing off the white sand was mesmerizing. While talking to my new Swiss friend, a lady from Minnesota came up to us. We talked about where we went, where we were soon to be going, and everything in between. There was an epic sunrise that prior morning. However, the sunset was even better! Seeing deep red hues reflecting off the white sand is truly something else. After the last of the light, we headed for our tents. Certainly a blast to meet and talk to rad humans. After getting all snuggly in my sleeping bag, I watched the stars as I fell asleep. The best zillion star hotel I have ever stayed at.
After a quick night sleep I awoke and jumped out of my tent to see my Swiss friend already exploring around. Definitely scoring the lottery with some of the most killer sunrises back to back. That doesn’t happen very often. After running around frantically taking photos, I packed up my belongings to get back to my car. Sadly, it was not turning on, I needed a tow. I called AAA to come save me. After a long 3 hours of waiting for a tow truck and a thirty minute ride over to a shop in Alamogordo, I learned that my alternator went out. Less than an hour later, I was back on the road plus the owner of the shop gave me some ideas and places to hit up!
Life is about having the time of your life. Don’t be so worried because things will work themselves out. Having a good sense of humor and staying patient in life is key.
Let life take you for a ride.
