We drove, astonished, down the hard-packed road, a crust of white stuff on our right and a mound of it on the left. It was 70 degrees and sunny, but everything else suggested an Arctic landscape.
Leaving the car a few minutes later, the opposite impression was formed as we climbed a dune line under the hot sun, fully expecting the sea to appear as we crested the small hill. The heat, the snow, the coastal ambiance; where on earth were we?
You likely did not guess New Mexico, and we never would have either. But there we were, less than two hours outside of El Paso, Texas, getting the equivalent of a ski trip, a seashore vacation, and maybe even a short lunar excursion one day last weekend.
I read about White Sands National Monument a few months ago, and the stark beauty had pulled at me ever since. Quick, reasonably-priced flights from Houston to El Paso allowed me to convince husband J to get away for a long weekend to west Texas and New Mexico, where we started at White Sands and worked our way back east to Guadelupe Mountains National Park and Carlsbad Caverns.
The otherworldly dunes at White Sands did not disappoint. Spread across hundreds of square miles in the Tularosa Basin, the great white waves of gypsum sand rise and fall, in some areas burying yucca plants that fight back by extending their flowering stalks skyward.
Tufts of hardy desert grasses cling to the ground beneath, and even the occasional cottonwood tree perseveres, helping provide shade for the creatures that thrive in the desert. Shrubs and wildflowers add a spot of pale color here and there.
Driving farther into the park led to more wintry scenes, however, with higher mounds and long stretches of open sand unpunctuated by flora, looking every bit like powdery snow. We had much of the park to ourselves in early November, but we caught sight of a few sledders, walkers, and photographers as we trudged into the whiteness, noting any possible landmarks to guarantee our ability to retrace our steps, not an easy task in the monochromatic expanse.
Unlike most deserts, White Sands holds onto much of the water that falls during the summer monsoon season. It lies just beneath the surface of the sand, itself formed by the wind-whipped gypsum flakes that have been driven into this basin in the Chihuahuan Desert for the last 10,000 years.
The sand is as fine as that on a Caribbean beach, but it is also wet enough to pack down into roads and is much cleaner than the organic sand found on tropical beaches around the world.
It sweeps like whipped cream, then folds and gathers in ridges, shadows forming in the corrugated surface that turn it into anything your mind can imagine – the Sahara, the Atlantic coast, a pockmarked moonscape.
This unspoiled preserve and all its permutations captivated me all afternoon. We stuck around for sunset, when rosy hues melted into cloudless blues, all forming a colorfully striped background for the now-pastel dunes in the foreground, and drove away reluctantly only after the sun had completely disappeared from this strange little patch of Earth.
Amy Sampson said:
Very cool!
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lexklein said:
I was entranced!
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LuAnn said:
We loved White Sands National Monument! Your lovely photos brought back some great memories. We took that same journey a few years ago. We did a dunes’ hike several years ago in Oregon, on a windy day no less, where are footsteps were swept away moments after we placed our boots in the sand. Although I loved it, there was a part of me that worried a bit that we might not find our way back.
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lexklein said:
It was so amazing! I was almost frantic to get to all the areas in the park while the light was good, and I kind of wished I’d been out on the big dunes at sunset (or sunrise). We spent many hours there, and I probably could have spent more!
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LuAnn said:
I agree Lexi that it is magical!
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Christie said:
Surreal landscape, and so beautiful.. Looks like one can easily get lost over there LOL Beautiful shots Lexi!
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lexklein said:
Thanks, Christie. It was a little disorienting to be out in an expanse of sand that all looked pretty similar, but they do have some markers and we just tried to stay in sight of them!
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The Snow Melts Somewhere said:
Your photos make it look so otherwordly! 🤗
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lexklein said:
It really was unusual with all that white “snow” out there in the desert. The parts that had crusted up or blown into weird ridges looked very outer space-like to me!
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leggypeggy said:
Amazing landscapes. Sorry we didn’t make it there when we were in the US.
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lexklein said:
There is sooooo much to see just in the western US that it’s hard to imagine covering it all … even when it’s on our own continent! You did see a great variety of parks when here, though; I was impressed with how much you accomplished. White Sands is very much under the radar of most people even here. Glad I heard about it and made the effort to go.
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Elaine and Bob said:
Snow? And we’re not in Pennsylvania?? You do visit strange and exotic places!! Ma and Pa
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lexklein said:
You know I start looking at travel plans the minute I read about a place I didn’t know about before! This one popped into my consciousness a few months ago, and after less wheedling than usual, I got J to go! (Hope this is the only “snow” I see this winter – ha)
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Sue Slaght said:
That is extraordinary Lexi. I have never heard of it but admit we have not done a lot of exploring in the US. With ski season beginning shortly here the idea of the area being like snow drifts certainly resonates with me.
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lexklein said:
I’ve heard the Colorado Rockies have huge amounts of early snow and are opening the resorts early – sounds like maybe you have the same. We got so lucky with our weather at White Sands – warm, sunny days and cool desert nights. I’ve done less exploring in Canada than many places, too; I’m saving it for older age when I don’t want to go as far!
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Sue Slaght said:
That’s exactly our thinking as well!
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Alison and Don said:
Wow! Just Wow. What a place! It’s extraordinary, and beautiful, and eerie. Gorgeous photos Lex.
Alison
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lexklein said:
Isn’t it cool? I saw a few photos and an article in a magazine and just had to see it for myself. It’s not well known from what I can tell, but it’s well worth a visit. It’s the world’s largest gypsum dune field, and the sand is so much nicer than the sea-produced stuff!
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awtytravels said:
The colours are amazing! I wonder how deep the roots of that yellowing tree must be… Splendid, who’d ever guessed that this would be Texas? I’d have thought it was Brazil’s Nordeste.
By the way, love the matter-of-factness of so many American names. White Sands? Can’t deny they are! Grand Canyon? Yup, it’s big, and it’s a canyon. Death Valley? Well, chances are you’ll be stiff if you stay there too long!
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lexklein said:
We spent an hour with a park service guide, and he said many of the trees’ roots were three times as deep as the trees were high. I’m not sure the cottonwoods are in that group because cottonwoods really follow water, so they would only grow in areas with consistent water sources anyway. Interestingly, the water here in the dunes is barely under the surface. We dug small holes to see, and the water began at no more than a foot down, sometimes even mere inches.
I laughed at your observations about place names. I never thought about some of these, but I used to tease my Cleveland-born husband about the Ohioan penchant for boring, obvious names, like Public Square and Municipal Stadium!
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awtytravels said:
Beautiful. Public Square. A-ma-zing.
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Green Global Trek said:
Wow Lex this landscape is absolutely mesmerizing and totally beautiful. The only thing I can think of that comes close to looking like this, is Etosha Salt Pan in Namibia in South West Africa. (The flat part of a never ending expanse, that is!)!
Beautifully written and stunning photographs. Thanks for sharing this dreamlike place with us!
Peta
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lexklein said:
Namibia is very high on my list as well; I am lately attracted to these spare landscapes that remind us we are living on an elemental sphere spinning in space! We forget that in our big cities and busy daily lives. At least I do. Glad you enjoyed the place!
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Bama said:
Such a cool place! I love the fact that it was mostly deserted when you were there — this Indonesian always loves places with a few people since he’s been living in the world’s most densely populated island for so many years.
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lexklein said:
Bama, this would be a true escape for a huge city dweller like you! I was just commenting to Peta above that these stark, empty landscapes make me feel reconnected to the planet as a whole, and its being nearly devoid of people made it all the more appealing. The whole area we were in for the weekend – southwestern New Mexico and far west Texas – was so open and empty. You would love it as a break from the crush of humanity!
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Dave Ply said:
This is yet another place on my places to see list. Both from a fan of photography perspective, and from the fact I was born in New Mexico, but was so young when we moved I haven’t really seen it. I think there was one trip when I was a kid that took us from West Texas to Carlsbad before heading back to Minnesota, but memories are dim…
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lexklein said:
Yeah, some of those family car trips are a bit hazy in my memory, too. Well, at least the destinations are blurry; the time in the car is the source of both fond and not-so-pleasant memories! Hope you get to see White Sands someday; it really was a different and intriguing place.
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Debbie Harris said:
Wow, this place looks absolutely amazing! I love your photos and the story about this area./ . I’ve never heard of it but it looks like a lunar landscape as you say!
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lexklein said:
It really was cool! We kept saying it reminded us of different places, and for me, the moon was definitely one of them!
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carolinehelbig said:
I guessed it, but only because I was bummed that we didn’t visit last year when we were in Santa Fe Your photos and description are awesome. That landscape really turns my crank… the blinding whiteness, deep blue sky, surreal sunsets. I must get there (how many times have I said that?).
NM is a lot closer for you but I’m sure you’d also like Egypt’s White Desert and Bolivia’s Salar de Uyuni (and agree with Peta on Namibia).
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lexklein said:
This place flies so under the radar that I’m impressed you even considered it while in NM. Namibia is on our short-term list, and Bolivia is on mine, too (I think my husband is less eager for that one). I did not even know about the white desert in Egypt! I used to really dislike deserts, but they are growing on me big-time, especially when they have some other uniqueness about them.
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carolinehelbig said:
I hope White Sands NM continues to fly under the radar. You will love Namibia…can’t wait for you to get there.
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Lisa Dorenfest said:
Glad to see you back on the road
And what a muse you had to inspire you! Epic landscape images Lexie. Did you bring your DSLR along for these magnificent pics or have you put me to shame once again by taking better pictures with your iPhone that I could ever hope to take with my Micro 4/3s?
Sand is not an easy thing to capture (I have a lot of experience in this area, mostly really bad) but you have outdone yourself once again. Luckily you had the contours, contrasts, and colors of the landscape to help your quest. The pinks are particularly glorious.
Sending you a link for a photography contest you might want to consider.
Hugs from Durban
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lexklein said:
It was the iPhone … (sheepish) … I just can’t get excited about lugging the Nikon and its lenses any more. So lazy! I had to wait several hours to really be able to capture any ridges or other texture/contrast here, especially in the bigger dune field with no vegetation. Under the afternoon sun, the sand is just a solid, dazzling white – impressive to the eye but indistinguishable in many ways to the camera. I loved walking on that expanse of white!
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Lisa Dorenfest said:
If I could take iPhone photos like that I might leave my larger camera at home too. But it’s more than the camera, It is your perspective and ability to find just the right light to make the contrasts pop. I remember a time when I stood next to you capturing landscapes. Mine was ‘meh’ and yours was ‘magnificent’. Wish you were here on Safari with us is KwaZulu-Natal
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lexklein said:
We will settle by saying MAYBE I’m good at landscapes, but you are still the queen of people (and probably animals – hurry up and post safari pics! 🙂 )
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Lisa Dorenfest said:
You’ll just have to come back and give me some landscape 📷 training 🤗
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Lisa Dorenfest said:
😀😊😘
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Manja Mexi Movie said:
These are absolutely stunning, and unless you cropped out hordes and huge carparks (I know you didn’t) it must have been crazy cool there. It’s a trick to your mind for real. It’s so white but why doesn’t it melt?
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lexklein said:
No cropping even necessary in most of the park! It truly is a big empty space. The only part I would have been tempted to hide was the mountain ranges on either side of the basin, so the scene really could have been a beach!
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gallivance.net said:
I’ve been to White Sands Lexie and as your post and photos show, it’s an astounding place. I’ve spent a fair amount of time in a few deserts, and while each is unique, they share a few characteristics. But the one I enjoy most is the silence. There are really very few natural places where you can get absolute silence, but on a windless day, the desert is one. This total absence of sound just adds to the mystique and generates a feeling on aloneness that’s difficult to duplicate elsewhere. ~James
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lexklein said:
We did specifically note the silence a couple of times within the park. It was blissfully devoid of visitors that afternoon, so we felt we had this wonderful expanse mostly to ourselves in many places. We wandered far from the parking areas in a few sections and felt we could have been in the middle of Africa for all we knew!
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thirdeyemom said:
Wow what a gorgeous landscape! Amazing! Any travel plans in the near future?
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lexklein said:
It was indeed wondrous! Just so different and unusual. Other than family holiday travel, our next jaunt may be Hawaii in January. How about you?
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J.D. Riso said:
I’ve heard of this place, saw photos of it years ago. The whiteness of it is particularly intriguing. So immaculate. Arctic is a perfect way to describe it. I didn’t realize it’s so close to El Paso.
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lexklein said:
I’d vaguely heard of it, but some recent photos in a magazine prompted a little more homework, and when I saw it was only an hour and a half from El Paso, I had to go! We’d been talking about hiking in Guadelupe Mountains Nat’l Park also, so when we found that was only 1.5 hours the other direction, we jumped on some low fares to El Paso and visited both on a long weekend. White Sands was my fave; as you said, it was just so crisp and clean and starkly beautiful.
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Tina Schell said:
Strange little patch indeed! Absolutely loved these. Must add to my bucket list. Amazing! And beautifully captured. White is such a difficult subject but you got it perfectly
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lexklein said:
Amateur’s luck, I have to guess, as far as the photography goes. But yes, such a cool place and I highly recommend it for a visit.
On another note, hope you are now out of Jordan with the flooding happening.
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Tina Schell said:
Thx Lex, yes, left before the floods. So sad
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James said:
Oh my, what a visual treat this is, especially for someone used to a chaotic, traffic-choked city of 10 million! I had never expected to see something like this in New Mexico – something suggestive of coastal sand dunes but so far inland. Are there designated places where it’s possible to camp or stay overnight? I can imagine how beautiful the star-filled desert sky must be in such a sparsely populated part of the world.
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lexklein said:
Bama said something similar about the vast emptiness! I love it, too, even though I’m not in a chaotic city most of the time. Yes, you can camp there! We saw some people heading out at sunset to find a spot for the night, and I so wished I were one of them. It can be disorienting, though, and there are signs telling campers to set up camp in the light and stay put in the dark because everything can look the same and people get lost. Next time!
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restlessjo said:
Sublime! Take me there! 🙂 🙂 Those sunset colours are blissful, Lexie. A very cool photographic expedition. I did have a twinge there when you mentioned finding your way out again. I might have been too captivated to even think of that. 🙂 Glorious photos!
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lexklein said:
Thanks, Jo! It was such a wonderful surprise even after I’d seen photos that lured me there in the first place. I took a ridiculous number of photos, and I was disappointed I still didn’t get some of the shots I wanted. Sunset happens fast in a desert, and after wandering the park for hours beforehand, I had to choose one area for the sunset snaps and yet I wanted to be in at least two other areas at the same time!
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restlessjo said:
Life! 🙂 🙂
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Liesbet @ Roaming About said:
I’m so glad you managed to visit this spectacular place, Lexie. And, that you stayed for so long. We have fond memories of these dunes as well. It was, indeed, difficult to find our way around and back on a long hike, barefoot in the sand. I love your photos – beautiful and artistic. Now, I”m curious about your visit to the caves as well!
By the way, we visited Sand Dunes NP in Colorado this past summer as well, and it was definitely not as impressive. Not worth the stop, really.
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lexklein said:
Why did I think you had already commented on this (and that was what sent me to your old post)? I must be losing my mind! Anyway, I’m glad you guys got to see these dunes as well … I had thought I should go see the Colorado ones, but it sounds like I should not make a special trip. Our son is moving back to CO in a few weeks (the RV trip is ending!), so maybe if I’m out there anyway, I’ll check out that park. More to come on Guadelupe Mountains NP and the caverns!
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Liesbet @ Roaming About said:
Because we talked about it on my blog. 🙂 I hadn’t been able to read this post of yours yet, but saw what it was about in my inbox.
I hope your son and his partner had an amazing time in their RV. Always nice to move (back) to a comfortable house after many months on the road. I, for one, am really looking forward to our next three-week house sit! 🙂
It might be nice to compare both dunes parks, but the sand in Colorado is nothing like in New Mexico. It’s yellow/brownish and hotter on the feet. Plus, the site is busier as well.
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lexklein said:
Aha – that makes sense!
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Jules & Verne said:
What a place!
The great title and photos, plus the fact that I had no idea if 70 degrees Fahrenheit was very low or very high, meant that it took me quite a while to distinguish snow from sand 🙂
– Verne
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lexklein said:
Ha – that’s how I feel about Celsius! I see it’s in the 30s somewhere and I shiver inside, but I’ve learned that’s my kind of hot weather. As you likely know, I was trying hard to make that distinction between snow and sand as blurry as I could because that’s how we felt when there: like we really were traveling from a cold northern landscape to a seashore and back again.
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Madhu said:
Looks incredibly beautiful and a truly otherworldly landscape Lex. ‘Snowy-Beach’ is the perfect descriptor, I would never have guessed this wasn’t snow without the accompanying text! Camping overnight would be an amazing experience.
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lexklein said:
If I’d focused on the possibility of camping before we went, I would have done it for sure! On the few occasions I’ve slept overnight in a desert, I’ve felt a connection with the universe that is hard to feel elsewhere. The profound quiet, the absence of light pollution, and the dearth of other landscape distractions all make for a serenity tough to find on this crazy earth!
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AndysWorldJourneys said:
wow simply stunning! So white, beautiful. Love it!
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lexklein said:
Thanks, Andy. Pretty cool place!
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Jeff Bell said:
The desert southwest has a seemingly endless number of places to visit. That region alone has a number of gems, from the Guadalupe Mountains to Carlsbad Caverns to Big Bend. You got some great photos of the surreal landscape. I can only imagine how hot it must be there in July!
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lexklein said:
It’s true – the southwestern U.S. has an enormous trove of national parks and other outdoor attractions. In one long weekend, we hit this place and the two NPs you mentioned, and we skipped at least 3-4 other state parks and other cool places (have you been to Hueco Tanks? It looks fascinating.) Big Bend is going to require its own set of days … we went out to Marfa, Marathon, and Alpine last January, but with the huge distances out there, we couldn’t possibly fit Big Bend in. Can’t wait to go, though.
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Jeff Bell said:
I went to Hueco Tanks many years ago when I was in High School. We used to have family in El Paso. I remember it being cool but the was a long time ago! Big Bend is one of my favorites and you are right, so isolated that it takes its own journey. In many ways, it is more isolated than many of the Alaskan Parks.
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Inger said:
What an amazing scenery – so fascinating! And your photos are beautiful, gorgeous light:)
xoxo Inger
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lexklein said:
Thanks! We were lucky to be there as the afternoon waned and sunset began, giving some shape and depth to all that whiteness.
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Jane Lurie said:
Gorgeous series, Lex. Would love to see this someday!
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lexklein said:
Thanks, Jane. I’m sure you’d love it and get all kinds of great photos!
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Hoarder Comes Clean said:
I’m a late-comer, detained 1st by unpacking and then by Thanksgiving, but so happy to see this post. My favorite photos: the completely abstract moon-scape with the white arc against deep blue, and the golden leaved tree also with the deep blue sky. What weird roots it has! I think I’d be afraid to go for a walk without a string tied to my starting point. And speaking of white sands and snow, it’s snow we have in NW Missouri this week. We’re finally shoveled out in time to head back south tomorrow. I hope you had a happy TG holiday.
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lexklein said:
Thanks! I loved the moon-like shots best also. And all the root systems were crazy in there – some totally exposed and others deeply buried. Hope your move went well, and happy belated Thanksgiving, too!
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Mabel Kwong said:
Oh my. This looks like your typical desert – expansive space, sand everywhere, sun shining overhead. But it also doesn’t look so typical with its white coloured sand and as you described, wintry imagery. And it almost looks lunar-like…or vanilla ice-cream like 🙂 Interesting to hear of sledders. Not normally what I associate with desserts, then again, I’ve never been to a desert. Looking at the photos, it made me wonder if there was a distinctive path to follow as it looks like if you take a wrong turn, you might not know which way you came from.
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lexklein said:
Crazy-looking, isn’t it? We saw a few sledders out in the hilliest areas, and I did a double-take – not what I expected either. In some places, there were little flags marking a “trail,” but these were more in the areas with plant growth (to keep people from crushing the vegetation, I suppose). Out there on the wide-open dunes with just sand, you really had to pay attention to any possible landmarks (of which there were very few) to keep from getting disoriented and lost. Even so, I got a bit turned around near the end; luckily, my husband had a better idea where we’d left the car!
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Cheryl Capaldo Traylor said:
The only word I can think of is otherworldly. Or, as you wrote, monochromatic. The lack of vegetation is a little jolting, but I think the expanse of white and blue makes up for that. But, my gosh, isn’t it beautiful and so pristine looking? And the sunset! That was breathtaking. Lovely post and pics, Lex.
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lexklein said:
Thanks, Cheryl – it really was a strange and otherworldly place. I lingered there for hours (I think my poor husband was pretty bored by the end!); I just couldn’t get enough of the smooth, white sand that was so different from beach sand. Having the mountain ranges ringing the park and staying for sunset added the contrast needed for a truly spectacular view of all that white.
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twobrownfeet said:
Wow! The landscape looks fantastic! I had never heard of this place before. I never knew such places existed on our planet. 🙂 It’s the closest we (those who aren’t brave enough for lunar missions) can get to a lunar-like surface. Super cool! Love it!
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lexklein said:
I agree – it was very moon-like! We had lots of fun exploring the different terrains (some with vegetation and some just vast expanses of mounded sand.) The soft pinks, blues, and oranges that came with sunset were the highlight!
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WanderingTravelr said:
WOW! Your photos are absolutely stunning! Thank you for sharing them with us!
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lexklein said:
Thanks! It was the landscape that was absolutely stunning, and I just got lucky to capture it as well as I could!
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Len Kagami said:
Without those bushes and trees, I would think that you captured a snowfield. Simply stunning! Love the sunset shots 🙂
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lexklein said:
Snow was absolutely my first impression, even the way the bulldozers had pushed the sand up on the edges of the road. I loved the sunset hour best, but I wished I’d been able to snap even faster and from more vantage points. The sun goes down fast in a desert, and it was all I could do to keep up before it went dark!
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Len Kagami said:
Such a pity! I can imagine that the the photo will look more stunning if you can shoot from higher point 🙂 Thanks for sharing though.
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