June 28
We weren’t planning to really visit Guadalupe Mountains National Park, TX, just spend the night. We drove by and pointed out Guadalupe Peak, the highest mountain in Texas at 8749 ft. We continued on toward White Sands National Monument, NM. We crossed some bleak looking salt flats. After 227 miles and 4 ¾ hours we pulled up to the adobe visitor center.
White Sands is a 275 square mile field of great wave-like dunes of white gypsum sand, the largest such field in the world. The strong southwest winds force the four different types of dunes to grow, crest, slump, and thus advance, as much as 30 ft per year. Some plants grow rapidly enough to avoid being buried by the dunes and several animal species have developed white coloration for camouflage. The park has a 16-mile Dune Drive loop through part of the dune field. The road is plowed down to a hard-packed gypsum layer and cleared of loose sand. It is both wide enough and flat enough for regular traffic, including towed campers. At several spots along the road there are huge pullouts where one can park. One of the main attractions is sledding down the dunes.
At the visitor gift shop we purchased two used, plastic saucer sleds for the boys for $10 each (you get $3 each when you return them) and a piece of wax to make the bottoms slicker. We parked at a pullout at the base of some inviting dunes and extended the awning for shade. It was over 100 degrees. We all had several turns sliding down the dunes, having races and trying to have the best runs. We had to take frequent breaks because of the intense sun and heat. The boys played in the shade of the camper for a long while, then continued the sledding. A bright yellow giant swallowtail, the largest butterfly in the US and Canada with a wingspan of up to 6.3 inches, flew by. A huge hornet decided to cool off and have the remainder of Ethan’s lemonade by sitting in the bottom of his glass for several minutes. After a quick sandwich dinner we hiked into the dunes to catch the sunset and to see if we could spy some desert wildlife. We started on the Alkali Flats Trail but quickly veered off to explore other areas. We saw a few white lizards and many darkling beetles. There were many animal tracks in the undisturbed sand. The sunset really gives the dunes some spectacular color shades. It is a favorite time for photographers. On the way towards White Sands, we drove by Holloman Air Force Base near Alomogordo, NM. As it was late and the base was only 7 miles from the park, we decided to take advantage of the military campground there and the availability of electricity, water, and sewer hook-up. The AC was on all night…
The Davids' Cross-Country Trip 