Sure, More Sand, but with Some Twists!

Brain cancer is...

...settled in for the night in Las Cruces.

We went from one dunefield to the next as we headed south to White Sands, New Mexico today.  More sand!  Lots more!  

Some things were the same with the two National Parks.  Namely, the same forces created and sustain the dunes.  The dunes at White Sands are, just like the Great Sand Dunes in Colorado, nestled at the base of mountains and anchored and rejuvenated by water. Another similarity is that plant and animal life is highly specialized to live in the dunes.  Finally, both locales were named National Monuments by President Herbert Hoover.

A few of twists are that...

• It was a very pleasant 48 degrees today at White Sands.  My hands functioned the entire visit.
• White Sands are composed of more homogeneous particles:  All gypsum.  That's why they are white. It's also why they are cooler and harder than other dunes.  (We learned that the sand surface at Great Sand Dunes can reach 150 degrees, even when the air temperature is pleasant.)
• White Sands are younger dunes, only about 10,000 years old, compared with more than 100,000 years old for the Great Sand Dunes.
• Fun fact:  Gypsum is a widely used mineral (and thus a lucrative resource).  We learned today that the average person eats 28 pounds of gypsum over a lifetime. Yum!

 Okay, enough of that.  Here are some images of our romp through the White Sands.

We call this piece, "What Would Georgia Do?"

Buenas noches...

...Las Cruces!