Before we headed out on our latest road trip for the Our Land series, we put a call out on social media, asking for ideas of places we should go in Arizona and New Mexico. Shannon Miller's suggestion really caught our attention: "White Sands are the only white gypsum 'sand' dunes in the world. They are actually crystals and it is beautiful." How could we resist? There's really no place like it on the planet: White Sands National Monument in southern New Mexico. It's the world's largest gypsum dunefield, miles and miles of stunning white landscape. Here are some things to know: 1. "Beautiful" — Shannon Miller's description — is an understatement. The landscape is spectacular and otherworldly. "It's like you're in another planet," as park ranger Eugene Ibarra tells us. "The only thing that reminds you that you're still in planet Earth is that the sky is blue." 2. Most of the New Mexico dunefield actually lies outside the boundaries of the park. White Sands National Monument is dwarfed by
↧