{"id":2358,"date":"2013-02-24T11:01:54","date_gmt":"2013-02-24T16:01:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/?p=2358"},"modified":"2023-07-02T23:45:49","modified_gmt":"2023-07-03T03:45:49","slug":"white-sands-national-monument","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/archives\/2358","title":{"rendered":"White Sands National Monument"},"content":{"rendered":"

When we first were coming into Alamogordo, NM we saw an area far off in the distance that was shining brilliant white. Our first thought was \u201coh no, snow!\u201d Turns out it was just the White Sands dunes.<\/p>\n

\"IMG_0910\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The White Sands, located in the Tularosa Basin, cover 275 square miles of desert and it one of the world\u2019s great natural wonders. It is a rare form of sand, made up of gypsum. Gypsum is water soluble and rivers generally carry the dissolved gypsum to the sea. However the Tularosa Basin is not drained by any river and along with other sediments the gypsum is trapped in the basin forming the dunes.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t an overly warm day temperature wise but with the intensity of the sun in this region made it feel warm. There were about 2000 Boy Scouts in the park, but with the enormity of the dunes you wouldn\u2019t have known they were there.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

We found a parking area all our own despite it being a Saturday with lots of people in the park.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Sophie wasn\u2019t sure what to make  of the \u201csand\u201d that looked like snow.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

But she soon found out there weren\u2019t any \u201cprickers\u201d to get stuck in her feet and she was off and running.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Up the dunes and down the dunes.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

And again, up a dune and down a dune. We think she REALLY likes this RV lifestyle.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

We sat for a while and just took in the sights. I of course had to make a \u201csnow angel\u201d in the sand.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

And I had to try \u201csledding\u201d down the hill, which didn\u2019t quite work without some sort of a sled.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Hmm, should have bought one of those plastic disks at the gift shop. You know the kind our kids used?<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

After we left the dunes we went on a scenic drive up to the Solar Observatory. Guess what we found? Snow.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

We got back home just as the moon was coming up. A good end to a great day.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When we first were coming into Alamogordo, NM we saw an area far off in the distance that was shining brilliant white. Our first thought was \u201coh no, snow!\u201d Turns out it was just the White Sands dunes. The White Sands, located in the Tularosa Basin, cover 275 square miles of desert and it one […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2335,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-container-style":"default","site-container-layout":"default","site-sidebar-layout":"default","disable-article-header":"default","disable-site-header":"default","disable-site-footer":"default","disable-content-area-spacing":"default","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[4],"tags":[974,65,130,79],"class_list":["post-2358","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general","tag-alamagordo","tag-new-mexico","tag-sophie","tag-white-sands"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/IMG_0919_thumb.jpg?fit=580%2C436&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3hvz5-C2","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2262,"url":"https:\/\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/archives\/2262","url_meta":{"origin":2358,"position":0},"title":"Walkin’ Around Bottomless Lake","author":"Wendy","date":"February 11, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"We like to explore and this campground has a lot to explore. A LONG time ago this area of New Mexico was covered by the ocean. As a result, a lot of salt and gypsum was left behind when the ocean receded. Whenever it rains, or standing water recedes, the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General"","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/archives\/category\/general"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/IMG_0854_thumb.jpg?fit=580%2C435&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/IMG_0854_thumb.jpg?fit=580%2C435&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/IMG_0854_thumb.jpg?fit=580%2C435&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2219,"url":"https:\/\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/archives\/2219","url_meta":{"origin":2358,"position":1},"title":"Bottomless Lake State Park","author":"Wendy","date":"February 4, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"About 12 miles outside of downtown Roswell, New Mexico is New Mexico\u2019s first state park, Bottomless Lake State Park. The park contains several small lakes that are actually sinkholes ranging in depth from 17 to 90 feet. The sink holes were formed when underground water dissolved salt and gypsum creating\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General"","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/archives\/category\/general"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/IMG_0861_thumb.jpg?fit=580%2C436&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/IMG_0861_thumb.jpg?fit=580%2C436&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/IMG_0861_thumb.jpg?fit=580%2C436&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2249,"url":"https:\/\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/archives\/2249","url_meta":{"origin":2358,"position":2},"title":"Buffalo Kill Zone–BLM Lands","author":"Wendy","date":"February 5, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"One of the things we like about this area of the country are the BLM Lands. These are lands that are owned by all American citizens. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is the governing body that cares for the land and assists people who want to enjoy them for\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General"","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/archives\/category\/general"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/DSC_0060_thumb.jpg?fit=580%2C436&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/DSC_0060_thumb.jpg?fit=580%2C436&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/DSC_0060_thumb.jpg?fit=580%2C436&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4281,"url":"https:\/\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/archives\/4281","url_meta":{"origin":2358,"position":3},"title":"Day 5–Norris Geyser Basin, Porcelain","author":"Wendy","date":"September 10, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Wow! It seems to be getting colder, and windier as the day goes on. The clouds that are gathering look like snow clouds and made for some stunning visuals of the geyser basin. There are two parts to the Norris Basin and we started with the Porcelain section first. A\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General"","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/archives\/category\/general"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_3571.jpg?fit=1024%2C768&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_3571.jpg?fit=1024%2C768&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_3571.jpg?fit=1024%2C768&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_3571.jpg?fit=1024%2C768&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4302,"url":"https:\/\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/archives\/4302","url_meta":{"origin":2358,"position":4},"title":"Day 5–Norris Geyser Basin, Back","author":"Wendy","date":"September 10, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"After a short break for a snack and some water we are back on the boardwalk exploring the Back Basin area of the Norris Geyser Basin. The Emerald Spring is my favorite in this area. The clear blue water combined with the yellow sulfur-coated walls the water appeared to be\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General"","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/archives\/category\/general"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/DSC_0792.jpg?fit=1024%2C768&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/DSC_0792.jpg?fit=1024%2C768&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/DSC_0792.jpg?fit=1024%2C768&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/DSC_0792.jpg?fit=1024%2C768&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4228,"url":"https:\/\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/archives\/4228","url_meta":{"origin":2358,"position":5},"title":"Day 4–Black Sand and Biscuit Basin","author":"Wendy","date":"September 9, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"By the time we finished at Old Faithful we were starving. The parking lot was a bit crowded so we decided to head to the next geyser area to have our lunch in the hopes it would be less hectic. It was. Black sand is derived from black volcanic glass\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General"","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/archives\/category\/general"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_3455.jpg?fit=1024%2C768&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_3455.jpg?fit=1024%2C768&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_3455.jpg?fit=1024%2C768&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_3455.jpg?fit=1024%2C768&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2358","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2358"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2358\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14591,"href":"https:\/\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2358\/revisions\/14591"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2335"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2358"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2358"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.2dogsbarkin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2358"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}