Day Nine: Alamogordo, NM, to Carlsbad, NM: 280 miles

This morning we drove to nearby White Sands National Monument. We had seen pictures, but nothing that had really prepared us for what we were about to see! Sixty-foot dunes, as white as snow, for the entire length of a 9 mile road and as far as the eye could see. A front-end loader was constantly working to keep the road clear. The sand was Lorien's favorite part of the whole trip. We took our shoes off and played in the sand until a sand-storm came up. We were in the car and on our way out by the time it hit; the road behind us became a total white-out!

The world's largest Gypsum dunefield, the pure white sands cover 275 square miles of New Mexico plains. The gypsum is formed near a seasonal lake, where it is broken down into sand on its wind-journey east. Near the lake it moves 38 feet per year, but out where we were it is anchored solidly by plants and doesn't progress that quickly.

Butterpats at White Sands National Monument

There was no way to tell this stuff wasn't snow (except for the temperature, and the taste, and... well you know what I mean!)

Lorien had her shoes off first thing!

We raced up the first dune as quickly as we could!

Lorien surfs a 20-foot wave of sand

Arwen lifts her mother up for a better view

The sand does weird things to a person. For example, Arwen is a lot heavier than she looks!

Like the beach, except less water

We found these tracks which were left the night before.

A storm is coming!

Here it comes! We barely made it out in time!

This was the quickest way down!

Look out below!

After we left White Sands, we headed back toward Las Cruces. We wanted to try to do some more hiking in the Needles. We drove around until we found a beautiful little park called Dripping Springs  Natural Area. It was one of the most beautiful places we had ever seen! The Needles are sharp vertical spires in the Organ Mountains, called such because their peaks resemble the pipes of a pipe organ. We didn't hike to the Dripping Springs, but instead walked around the picnic area called La Cueva, which means "the cave." It was here that a hermit named Agostini was mysteriously murdered in 1869. He had been a hermit for 40 years in Europe and South America, and had a special gift of healing. People would travel great distances to be healed by him. When friends did not see his weekly fire burning, they traveled to his cave, only to find him dead with a knife in his back.

The Needles, scraping the clouds at more than 9000 feet

Butterpats at Dripping Springs

Such beautiful rocks! There was a very nice trail to la cueva.

The entrance to the cave

Inside the hermit's cave. It was the size of a small house.

They said not to stray off the trail, but they didn't say anything about stepping on rocks that were in the trail!

One of the most beautiful picnics ever!

Arwen below the Organ Mountains

Mordor. I hope the others find a safer route.

A friend says we should change our names from the Butterpats to the "North Carolina Mountain Goats"

Mama and Lorien just before THE STORM!!!

Our hiking and climbing in the Needles ended abruptly when a HAIL storm erupted! We were too far from the cave, so we ran for the car. Even so, we got bruised and scratched by the big hailstones. From there we drove to El Paso. We took the Transmountain Highway through the mountains above El Paso. It was neat to be able to look over across the Rio Grande and into Mexico! We then drove through the Guadalupe Mountains to Carlsbad.

The Transmountain Highway is an engineering marvel

El Paso, the Rio Grand and Juarez (Mexico)

I can see Rose's Cantina below

At more than 8000 feet, Guadalupe Peak is the highest point in all of Texas!

Tomorrow: Carlsbad Caverns!