This was a pretty darn cool day trip. From El Paso, we headed west a little to Las Cruces and then north to White Sounds National Monument. There, we found the world's largest gypsum dune field. The 275 square-mile site was created because there are no rivers to carry away rainwater or the melted snow from the mountains. That means the sun can bake the small lakes that form, leaving behind large gypsum crystals that are then worn down into sand grains by the whipping winds.
And boy, did the winds whip up on us yesterday. It was about 45 degrees and the sun was very nice and warm, but the gale didn't let up for a second. Good thing we dressed for the occasion and got to climb, stand atop and then roll down all the dunes we wanted to. We will definitely go back in the summer - buckets, small shovels and sliding devices in hand - for a picnic and what is advertised as a one-of-a-kind sunset.
