Imagine pure soft white sand…
Elegant sweeping dunes shaped by the wind.
Feel the sand between your toes as you walk to the crest of a rise, to look out over the wide open… dirt.
OK – what happened to the ocean?
Apart from missiles and telescopes and other space-related activity, New Mexico also has what may be the most beautiful beach in the world…
It’s just a shame you can’t go swimming there.
The White Sands National Monument is almost 300 square miles of the most amazing fine, pure white sand in the Tularosa Basin .
It’s also slap bang in the middle of a missile base. The access road is closed a couple of times a week when the military is testing missiles – but we were lucky enough to avoid that.
It was a pretty bright day when we were there – but surprisingly the sand never gets hot. Even at midday in summer, you can walk on it in bare feet. According to the park rangers, that’s because the sand is made from gypsum.
People from New Mexico and nearby Texas are a pretty hardy bunch – they were not about to let the lack of an ocean spoil their day out at the beach. The place was pretty full of families with picnic baskets and kids with sleds and plastic discs for sliding down the dunes.
It’s a photographers dream, of course.
We went on a ranger guided walk through the dunes to learn about the dunes and the creatures (mostly bugs and lizards) that live there. I have to say that I am thoroughly impressed by the US national parks Service – they do such a great job of preserving their monuments while at the same time making them accessible to the public. And the rangers have all been well-informed and really excellent guides.
The only shadow over this great experience is the controversy over getting the site World Heritage Listed. Apparently, it was due for that recognition – then a state congressman suggested that if the area was a World Heritage Site, that might interfere with the military operations in the area- the aforementioned missile tests. Not that the missiles go anywhere near the monument.
Sadly, a lot of people agreed and the local County Commission passed an ordinance that makes it illegal to make this amazing place a World Heritage Site. Politics always drives me crazy.
But – I have been very impressed by the great love the American people have for their National Parks and historic monuments. I see it everywhere we go, whether it be in the wilds of New Mexico or in New York City. I’m sure these places are going to be looked after.
We left White Sands with a car that was now pretty dirty, as well as slightly radioactive (sorry Thrifty Rental Cars).
But the last stop on the tour was going to be totally different – we were heading for the Batcave!