{"id":6976,"date":"2023-10-10T22:05:00","date_gmt":"2023-10-11T02:05:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/steveandmarleneontheroad.com\/?p=6976"},"modified":"2024-02-01T02:26:42","modified_gmt":"2024-02-01T06:26:42","slug":"october-10-2023-trip-12-day-9-white-sands-national-park","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/steveandmarleneontheroad.com\/?p=6976","title":{"rendered":"October 10, 2023 : Trip 12, Day 9 – White Sands National Park"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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We began our day at White Sands National Park. White Sands became a national park after we began our travels.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Driving in the park changed quickly from a paved road to a sand road.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The first hike of the day was the White Sands Backcountry Trail. Technically, it is not a trail. There are numerous posts in the sand that mark the next waypoint. You get to choose the path you follow from one waypoint to the next. For the more adventurous, there are several campsites along the hike.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We had some interesting clouds overhead during our hike. They definitely added some depth to the different feeling of hike in White Sands. The sand is actually gypsum. The texture is quite different from sand. Gypsum is firmer and shifts less. This makes walking easier and quite different from walking on sand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was very white. You can see beyond the White Sands, but depth perception is different when color is lacking. It seemed that the mountains were further away than the maps indicated. This added to the remote feeling of the area. In some places, you can see the tracks of others that have recently travelled nearby.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Here we are half way through our hike. The first picture is looking back toward where we started. The second looks out to lands we did not explore today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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There are warnings posted stating that it is easy to get disoriented in the white sand. At one point, when we could barely see anything but sand, it was easy to understand. We imagined what it would be like to be without water and lost in these sands. Fortunately for us, we had the waypoint posts to guide us back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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After we successfully completed the Backcountry Trail, we took a short walk on the Interdune Boardwalk. It is a nature trail that highlights some history and ecological information about the White Sands area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Dune Life Nature Trail is different from many nature trails. It is more open and unmarked than many nature trails. It has some markers to guide you, but they also suggest that you explore a little to see the plants, any animals, or at least the tracks they leave behind. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Here are some of the animal tracks we saw. According to the signs we saw, the large picture is the tracks of a Bleached Earless Lizard. Starting at the top of the right column, the first picture is probably a Merriam’s Kangaroo Rat. The next may be a Horned Lark. We could not identify the fourth track.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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These are some of the flowers that can grow in gypsum and dirt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Our last hike at White Sands was the Playa Trail. It follows a creek bed to several playa (ponds). They were all dry when we were there. When you look closely, the muddy bottom shows that water had been there recently. We found an opening that appeared to be a burrow for a small animal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Our next destination was Tempe, Arizona. We drove through some mountainous areas. We got some previews of the Saguaro Cactus. The last part of our trip in Tempe, near Saguaro National Park, was over dirt roads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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We stayed at a B&B. The host suggested a nearby diner for dinner. The meal and the B&B were both excellent.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We began our day at White Sands National Park. White Sands became a national park after we began our travels. Driving in the park changed quickly from a paved road to a sand road. The first hike of the day was the White Sands Backcountry Trail. Technically, it is not a trail. There are numerous 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