March 3/16 Weather 82, night 52.
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| on Dunes Drive in white sands national monument park |
Waves of brilliant white sand dunes make for one of the most unusual drives today, about 70 miles north of Las Cruces.
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| odd formations of the gypsum sand |
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| a pull off during the drive |
The
White Sands National Monument run by the National Parks Services provides the 8 mile scenic Dunes Drive. This is the worlds largest gypsum dunefield...the dunes range up to 60 feet high and move 12 to 16 feet per year.
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| a massive dune |
Road graders keep the drive open. About halfway thru the drive the road is completely covered in sand, so we just putzed along about 5 mph. Billy felt it was a bit slippery on the motorcycle. The sand is so bright white you swear it is snow when looking at pictures. At the Visitor Center they actually sell plastic sleds for the kids to slide down the dunes, just like snow tobogganing! Millions of years ago this whole area was Lake Lucero. The lake is still here but a portion of the size it was. The White Sands National Monument covers 275 square acres which is 176,000 acres. Huge,,,, one of the most unusual places we have seen in North America.
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| looks like soft snow |
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| some vegetation survives? |
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| a yucca framed in white |
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