Mission Accomplished
New Mexico is full of surprises. When I moved out West in July 2008, I never imagined how much I would enjoy this corner of the country. 10,000 years ago this was the site of an ancient lake where some of the first hunter gathers pointed their weapons at mammoths and giant ground sloths. Surprise.
Sound The Alarm
The first time I visited White Sands it was still a national monument. It closed sometime around dark. Alarms went off right in the middle of sunset. Someone was on a megaphone. The full moon was rising. It felt a bit like getting cheated. Heck, now that it’s a National Park you might even be able to shoot sunrise. Backpacking should be whole lot more fun. This place is ready to be explored properly.