Slickrock and Shadow

Infinite Sand Dunes with Zero Tracks  Sand dunes conjure an image of infinite rolling sand hills patterned with wind-swept ridges.  This can be your experience if you wander off in the right direction at White Sands.  The web-recommended and expert-recommended trail is the Alkali Flat Trail.  I took it.  I recommend it.  But everyone else also takes it.   So . . . unless you really want to wander a mile or two away from the parking lot, you'll never be free of human footprints.  They mark up the sand, the hills, the ridges and more.  I took that trail for my sunset pictures noted in previous posts but wandered for an hour in total darkness to get back to the car.   A MUCH EASIER way to enjoy footprint-free dunes is the go northeast from the northern tip of the road.  This is just as beautiful as the Alkali Flat trail but you'll be in virgin dunes after going over your first hill.  It's instant gratification.  Mos...

Sunset with star burst effect and foreground detail Seeing sunset at White Sands National Park is a highlight of my year.  All the elements combined to give me a dream as the daylight disappeared.  As most people do, I walked out on the Alkali Flat trail.  This is no secret and I found it to be the most crowded and busy trail out on the dunes.  The only way I got away from tourist footprints was to just hike a mile beyond the trail markers.  The further I went, the more pristine the dunes became and it's tempting to just keep going . . . .  In my case the sunset happened and I found myself 2.5 miles away from the car.   I set up my tripod for the sunset shot at an angled dune that was catching light down its' diagonal slope.  I got shots without the sun but found my shot that included the sun was best.  This has lots of interesting pieces with the sun bursting its' rays being the top attraction.  The next eye-catching feature is the...

Yucca and West Mountains Yucca plants can be found throughout desert climes but nowhere are they as picturesque as White Sands National Park.  At White Sands, the green blades contrast maximally with the white background to create a colorful splash of nature.  If you've seens pictures of White Sands, most of them have yuccas to give a focal interest to contrast with the uniform sand.   Fortunately it's quite easy to find lovely yuccas here.  Sure, you can wander the dunes to find something far away but it's equally successful to drive the single road and look to your right and left.  Pretty soon you'll see something within a short walk and there you go!  Easy.  You can get them in groups or singly or even focus on a small detail.  Many pleasures for the photographer's eye. Pods and Clouds Set of Three Yuccas at White Sands Slanted Yucca