RV Lifestyle Story and photos by Rex Vogel Like amirage, dazzlingwhite sand dunes shimmer in the tucked-away Tularosa Basin in southern New Mexico. Remember how much fun it was to play in the sand as a kid? It’s still pretty fun, as it turns out. And the sandbox is a lot bigger at White Sands National Park, a system of rare white gypsum sand dunes intertwined with raised boardwalk trails and a single loop road. Sunset and sunrise are obviously the golden hours for photographers, but any time is a good time for some sand-dune sledding, kite flying and hiking. Wisps of sand ripple into the majestic white dunes at this suitably named national park. The dunes here aren’t composed of your typical beach sand, but rather from gypsum crystals left behind from a nearby driedout lakebed. The result looks more like a white-sand version of the Sahara Desert than like New Mexico. The dunes are an amazing sight so far inland, best experienced on horseback or by zipping down the dunes in one of the plastic saucers sold at the visitor centre gift shop. The park ranges in elevation from 1,185 metres to 1,264 metres above sea level. There are approximately 71,200 total hectares of dune fields here, with 30,000 hectares (about 40 per cent) located within White Sands National Park. The remainder is onmilitary land that is not open to the public. Sea of Sand: White Sands National Park 24 | www.snowbirds.org
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