New Mexico

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On our way from Arizona to Texas we drove our motorhome off our path an hour from the interstate to visit this unique area in NM. It was well worth it! Originally, we thought we might spend a night here, and also go on to a few other parts of southern New Mexico. But since we are/were on a timetable to get to NW Florida by March 9th, we determined that this was not worth doing. Before determining that however, we had fantasized that we could walk or at least observe these white sandy hills in the rising full moon light of February. We thought our timing was going to be about right for that. But, it wasn't quite! HAD IT BEEN, the actual night of the full moon we might have been able to watch the moon rise as the sun was setting while still in the White Sands Monument. But, on the night after the full moon, the moon is already coming up later than sunset by a significant amount and we discovered that the monument closes at sunset so we were not able to observe what sounded like an awesome thing!

Instead, we spent a couple of hours in the late afternoon walking in the powdery white sand hills and being amazed. This looks like snow and you can even rent boards at the park service to slide or surf down the hills, but it is actually gypsum sand. Yes, we were wearing our coats as it was actually pretty cold!

This is a very interesting and unusual eco-system with it's constantly shifting sands. I spent some time walking out on one of the boardwalk interpretive areas to learn about the special plants and wildlife that live there... such as rattlesnakes, unique species of rodents and some unusual flora. But, we never got that glimpse of the big moon rising till we were heading south on the highway. This part of NM is near the AZ & Texas border & the white sands also extend deep into Texas. By now, I have long forgotten what it was that created this terrain but it does stand as testiment to an interesting & ancient geological past.

You can rest assured, that where we were the night of the full moon - out in the boonies of Arizona - was not disappointing! We spent it in a hot spring area of the SE corner and enjoyed that evening sitting in the hot pool with another couple from Colorado as the beautiful moon rose. We had an enlightening conversation about some of the things they had experienced over many years in their winter time RV forays. These kinds of opportunites come easily and we always hear interesting stories or learn more about how and where to enjoy "America" in an RV/motor home, thanks to the great generosity & friendliness of the people we encounter day to day.

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