So we are off. We are going to attempt to move forward and see how it all goes.
Had a yummy breakfast with the family, some snuggles, a jump, and we’re off.
We were kind of excited for the day. Our plan was to go to White Sands National Park with a stop through Alamogordo. We did this 11 years ago when Isabella was 1 year old. When we were living in CDA we bought our Volvo is Texas. The 3 of us flew down and road tripped back up to Idaho. We had planned on driving through White Sands and had a great time in Alamogordo. Isabella has just started walking and we would find parks and playgrounds to stop at along the way. There was this randomly cute little zoo in Alamogordo that we fell in love with so we were excited to go back and revisit. I always feel mixed about zoos because I’m not for keeping animals locked up and they almost always look unhappy in their surroundings. But there’s something to be said about kids being exposed to all different animals they wouldn’t normally encounter so they grow an appreciation for them and learn and understand them so they understand the importance of animal ecology and conservation. It seems especially important in a small town in the middle of nowhere like Alamogordo.
Right north of Alamogordo is the largest pistachio nut so it warranted a pit stop for pistachio ice cream and flavored nuts.
White Sands National Park. 27th National Park. It has been National Monument since 1933 and has just been designated a national park in December so no national park sign yet.
White Sands National Park is about 270 square miles. The dunes go up about 60’, compared to Great Sand Dunes towering over at 750’. White Sands is different to most other sand dunes in that most sand dunes are quartz based and White Sands are made from gypsum. It is the largest gypsum sand dune in the world.
The sand comes from the mineral gypsum. This is why the sand is white. Gypsum is part of the salt family and is found in the rocks in the neighboring mountains. Snow dissolves the gypsum and flows downstream. As the water evaporates it leaves behind the solid form of gypsum, looks like a crystal. Gypsum is very soft and now because of wind, the selenite crystals are broken down into grains of sand.
Fun fact comparing gypsum sand to sand made from quartz. If you put gypsum sand in your mouth, it will dissolve. Yes, we tried it, and it does.
Gypsum has been mined and used drywall and plaster. They also say you’ll most likely eat up to 2lbs of gypsum in your lifetime because gypsum is also found in toothpaste, tofu, beer, and chocolate.
The dunes here are fairly young, only 4,000-7,000 years old. On the windward side, the dunes can advance 38 feet. On the leeward side, only inches. As the dunes advance they can literally swallow up what is in their path. Because if this the following plants have made these adaptations… The Yucca plant can grow to 10’ above ground so stay above ground as the sand dune covers it up. With 10’ above it can have up to 30’ of roots below. The Indian rice grass grows quickly and dispersed its seeds before other dunes move. Other plants create a root ball /pedestal.
Seen here are some of the best examples of adaptations. Many species of lizards or mice are white or much lighter in complexion than their relatives only a few miles away. Eggs of brine shrimp may lay dormant for dozens or up to 100 years.
Aww white sands. It’s pretty great here. It’s beautiful and really fun to play on/in. A few miles in the road stops and you’re driving and hard pact sand and it’s almost other worldly. It’s great to be back. And the saucers worked great!
