On the road today, we drove the vast open and nearly empty spaces of the Texas panhandle and eastern New Mexico. We saw a few cattle ranches and many many wind farms with enormous numbers of industrial windmills, all making electricity as it’s very windy. Finally in the early afternoon (after changing to Mountain Time) we reached White Sands National Park (elevated to the status of National Park around 2 years ago, formerly only a National Monument).
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| We were amazed by the whiteness of the gypsum sands, and by the vegetation that grows there. |
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| Here I am ready to walk in the dunes. |
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We learned from one of the many information placards that the
water table is only a few feet down, accounting for the many bushes and small trees. |
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| On the boardwalk in the white dunes. |
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Biggest surprise of the day: a Great Horned Owl named Athena lives in a tree next to the Visitor Center.
Roadrunners are found in the park, but we didn’t see any. |
Blog post © 2022 mae sander
That's fantastic you saw the owl. What other wildlife lives there?
ReplyDeleteHello,
ReplyDeleteLooks like a neat park to visit. Love the landscapes and views. Great capture of the owl! Have a happy day and a great new week!
I visited White Sands years ago before it was National Park. This was back in the day when cameras used film. I had an empty film canister in my bag and scooped up a tiny amount of the sand. I'm sure I still have it somewhere, but I no longer display it like I would have when I lived in MO.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like an exciting trip! So many and varied sights to see.
ReplyDeleteThe sand is amazing. Way cool about the owls!
ReplyDeleteThose gypsum sands are stunning, and I just love the owl!
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