On our way west to Arizona, we stopped at White Sands National Park. We decided a quick drive through was necessary. It was not the best time of day to take pictures, due to a very bright sun, but I did the best I could using a polarized filter. I am a bit sad that our timing could not get us there at sunrise or sunset. I can only imagine how the white dunes would glow in the dawn and dusk of the day. Hopefully, we will get a chance later on to experience that.
This national park is the world’s largest gypsum dunefield, covering 275 square miles of desert. It offers sand dune sledding, self-guided tours, and is super pet friendly. There are hiking trails and picnic areas to enjoy a meal with incredible views.
Our dog, Murphy, is part Siberian husky, and we adopted him in Washington State. So, he was accustomed to cold and snow. When he saw the giant white sand dunes, he got extremely excited. He thought it was snow. Aaron had him on a long, retractable leash, and he went running up the closest dune. Aaron could hardly keep up. Sadly, in his excitement, Murphy tried to eat the “snow.” Poor pup was spitting out sand and giving us a perplexed look. He still had fun running in the soft white powder.
The park is vast, with dunes of sand stretching as far as the eye can see. In this picture, in the distant right is a tree, and to the distant left is a person with a sled. When I was taking the photo, I did not even notice the person in the distance. The gift shop in the park sells sleds so that people can sled down the sand dunes. I think that is brilliant.
This is one example of a trail left by someone sledding down the dune.
The patterns in the sand mesmerized me.
This is one of the most dog friendly national parks, so it really made me angry to come across this bag of dog poop left on one of the dunes. If people continue to disrespect national parks, monuments, and national forests, they will ruin it for the people who actually care, that clean up after themselves and their pets. Sorry, rant over.
As we explored, we saw snake trails and other prints from animals that live in the dunes. It was like art that would change with the shifting wind and sand.
I also really enjoyed the reflection of the dunes on our Airstream. They looked very Vincent van Gogh. This work would have been titled The Sandy Afternoon instead of The Starry Night.
We had a great time briefly exploring White Sands, but we needed to get back on the road and into Arizona. Aaron had an office to get opened, we had family coming in for Christmas, and we wanted to get further south before winter really settled in.
We stopped at our usual Arizona standby, West Pinal County Park. We spent a few days here relaxing and working before heading up to Tortilla Flats just north of Apache Junction. My next blog will cover our time there and our Christmas spent with all three kids and my mom in a house…well, mostly in a house.
Wandering Cindi 
White Sands looks amazing! Murphy’s “snow” confusion is too funny. The sand patterns and reflections on your Airstream are beautiful. It’s frustrating when people don’t clean up after their pets. Can’t wait to hear about your time in Arizona!
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Thank you!
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Hi Cindi, I found your blog via the fulltimer Facebook group. We were in White Sands at the same time – and I struggled with photos as well. Yours are gorgeous! Glad to have found you.
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That is awesome! I am glad you found the blog! Thank you.
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