The White Sands National Monument is the site of a fascinating geological phenomenon, where gypsum crystals from eons ago have broken down into smaller and smaller bits until they qualify as sand, and have piled and shifted and drifted, like snow, to form dunes for miles. Some parts of the area have vegetation that has adapted to live in the ever-changing environment, and some parts are just white sand mountains. You can buy sleds to slide down them, you can hike trails through the low parts of them, or you can just take in their majestic beauty.
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| The Visitor's Center is informative, and busy! |
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| A view from the top of a dune we climbed (which was a challenge because of the soft sand) |
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| The sky was full of the most magnificent clouds! |
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| Darell (not teeny this time!) up on top of the dune. Footprints in the foreground were gone within seconds, due to the high winds moving the sand constantly |
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| It looks just like snow! |
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| This is a photo of the dunes when the sun went behind a cloud - you can see more definition when the dunes are in shadow |
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