White Sands 11-20-2017

Early in the morning. It was cold and almost no one else was there. This is the trailhead for the five mile dune hike, which practically nobody does. There are warning signs about water and heat everywhere, and they don't let you do it at certain times of day in the summer.

Who's happy to be out of the Beltway...?

Lisa is!

The five mile hike takes about three hours. It's rated 'strenuous' on account of all the ascending and descending deep sand dunes.

The sand (gypsum) is very fine. It was cold to the touch and tasted a little salty and a little chalky.

By the middle of the day it was HOT so I went Berber with my Moroccan 'tagelmust' (or 'cheiche'), combination turban and veil as needed. Excellent protection from cold and/or heat depending on how you wear it.

Also, it was too bright to tell what we were photographing most of the time. Everything in front of you is white, and all the white behind you is one big glare on your phone's screen.

This is all done by wind.