We Have Visited Our Last National Park...

It started back in December...December 21, the day after my birthday when we first noticed it...

But it was January 20th before we could finally do something about it...almost 30 days later...

I'm quite embarrassed to say it took us so long to deal with it.

But...we have visited our last National Park.

It was December 21st when President Trump officially signed White Sands from National Monument status to being a National Park.

It was number 62...the last National Park added to the list.

And we can now say, we have visited our last National Park...




We drove through the entrance of White Sands NATIONAL PARK on MLK Day, which also happened to be one of the 5 free days in 2020 for visiting the National Park system (ever thrifty, we used an Excel spreadsheet and a PowerPoint deck to decide it would be better to just use our NP Lifetime Pass at 80 bucks rather than try to visit all 62 on the 5 free days.)

And January 20th was a lovely, sunny day, temps in the mid 50's, and since a free day, busier than we expected, but it worked out OK in this case, in spite of Rule 10: Avoid Humanity.



There's really not a whole lot to do at White Sands.  There is of course the white sand - gypsum actually.  A whole loooot of gypsum!

A hyper-fine, very "soft to the touch" white sand which makes it unique and is typically the sand used in hour glasses.

It starts in the adjacent mountains as gypsum embedded in the rock, which gets broken into smaller fragments, then further separated into fine gypsum sand which is carried mainly by rain water that washes it into the park.

This is more common of a process than The Great Sand Dunes NP, which is primarily wind blown sand collected from a long wide valley.



And anyone who has read the blog knows, we like the wind and we like the sand (whooo - love that beach sand!!!) wild, unpredictable and largely untamed.

There are also hiking trails in the white sand...but come-on, for a hike in sand there better be a big beautiful cerulean blue ocean waiting at the end of the trek (that's a blue mountain range in the distance...not the Caribbean!) 





Channeling my best Ansel Adams helps the vegetation stand out...

And there is the 8 mile drive...

The paved road leading into the park quickly turns to white sand...which is plowed by big yellow road graders, all of which triggered sweaty palms, immediate return of my nervous twitch, flashbacks and hallucinations...

White Sands looked just like a snowy, poorly plowed Pennsylvania roadside.

We could have been back on Windy Hill!!!

And to make matters even worse, there were families of kids everywhere, riding saucers and toboggans down the sand hills...just like PA...

Hmmm...now if we could ski back in PA with temps in the 50's...




Wonder if we could just load up some gypsum on Clyde and maybe install a ski lift back on Windy Hill???



Let the adventure continue...

Untamed Beasts...

“I am grateful for the silence of winter mornings, for the beauty and wonder of the glint of sunlight in frost melting to dew, for the early-riser’s peaceful solitude that sets a mood of thankfulness, hope and calm for the dawning day.” —Terri Guillemets

Not sure who Ms. Guillemets is - although I like her without even having met her!

It's a single sentence which speaks volumes about a unique outlook on life and character.

Let's see...
    Thankful 
            for simple everyday events
            for things she has no control over
      Thoughtful
      Contemplative
      Observent of nature
      Hopeful 
      Calm
      Likes quiet early mornings!!!
      Seeing beauty in what could be less than ideal situations

      Peaceful

      Looking for things which inspire wonder

These life qualities, so eloquently articulated, resonate with me.

My desire is a life which reflects these attributes - and more.




To be full of wonder at the world, to see the true beauty of God's creation - to deeply "experience" life.

To see life new again, as if for the first time.

    ...to feel emotion from the call of a mourning dove

    ...to learn from observing the grace of a cat in motion

    ...to be in awe, spellbound by the ever changing color of a sunrise

    ...to be peace-full

    ...to accept and not judge

    ...to be thought-full

    ...to respond to life and not react

And above all, to be thank-full. 


I remember reading Ben Franklin's biography in about the 4th grade.  He identified something like 13 life qualities to master, focusing on one every day for a week, then the next, in a rotating sequence...and starting again to repeat the process all over again.

And as for me...let's just say I'm still working on it.

At times, it's much like trying to tame a still very wild beast...

Let the adventure continue...

Pecos Diamonds....

I think it is 8, maybe 10...definitely not 12...




It rained yesterday.

And today's forecast was 60 degrees, sunny with a 3 mph wind.

The perfect day to get rich!




But first, let's back up...

The day after we arrived in the Promised land with Clyde fully recovered from his gastrointestinal distress (the farts) and the Fox over her frostbite, we started asking the people we met what they liked to do in this area. 

There was mention of visiting Carlsbad Caverns National Park (see the post), Guadeloupe Mountains NP (see the post), White Sands NP (working on the post), Roswell (so not saying for sure, but we MIGHT have been to Roswell - more than once!!!), Sitting Bull Falls (working on that post)...and Pecos diamonds!

What!!!    Pecos Diamonds???

Now we're talking - although unexpected, that one got my attention! 




And a few days ago, I was finally able to spend 30 minutes with the local expert on Pecos Diamonds!!!

And of course, no treasure hunt is legit without an old, hand drawn map...

...with some cryptic landmarks (this one had "crow on old fence post" seriously! 

...And an X to mark the spot!!! 




There is something about hunting any kind of treasure that still gets me excited...every time.  After 63 years, I really do know better, but I still fall for it!

Whether it is walking the beaches of the Outer Banks looking for gold doubloons, diving for sunken pirate ships, or searching rattlesnake infested desert to find Pecos Diamonds.

And the expert's guidance said to go after a rain, on a sunny day.

W. H. I. C. H. was today!



So I woke before sunrise, knowing we were off to hunt for Pecos Diamonds! 

Well, I should say I was off to hunt for them.

The Leading Lady decided to stay home and keep the Fox company. 

I kind of suspected J might not be up for the hunt.

Walking the desert, even though the rattlesnakes are in hibernation this time of year, (same for the tarantulas and scorpions) is not high on her fun list.




So I started off, not sure what would be encountered...when Pecos  Diamonds are at stake...

I should have known we were in for it, after seeing this sign target near the diamond hunting area! 


But I just let Clyde take the lead, finding the best path forward... 


and trusting him to warn me if he sensed any trouble...



But I did keep a watch on our back trail! 







I was also trying to keep track of the local wild life as best I could.

A Jackalope came out nearly under my feet, but since it was only a six pointer, I didn't go after it.



I was also keeping my eyes peeled for "other" critters too.

Ya know something is living in this hole...

just not sure what???

It was a wide open country, nothing but me and the oil well pumps...

dozens and dozens of oil well pumps! 

I've read you can get water from prickly pear cactus.

This was not from me trying it...

But something did! 




When it was all over, I had a great day out there looking for Pecos Diamonds.  Nearly 7 hours wandering the desert.  No sense of time passing, other than the moving shadows.

Just me, the sun, the cactus, a jackalope and Clyde.



Great fun actually, no cares in the world, living in the moment, not thinking about yesterday and not thinking about tomorrow.

And I wonder sometimes if that is the life we were originally put here on earth to enjoy...




Stop and think for a moment.  Maybe it was when you were 8, maybe it was 10...can you remember back that far?

To a time when you were old enough to be on your own for the day, deciding what fun thing to do next, your plans, your timing, your control, self sufficient.

And yet still young enough to not be burdened with typical adult responsibilities...or worries.

I believe 12 was too old, as one begins to worry about peer pressure, and plans are often made seeking to gain other's approval.



But maybe it was 8, perhaps 10...that perfect time of life when each day was sufficient unto itself. 

When you lived solely in the moment, within those sweet  long hours which stretched between sunrise and sunset, and time passed without awareness or need for a clock.

No conference calls, no To Do lists, no deadlines, no due dates, no worries about running out of time, or money...just living life in the moment.




Think about it...think hard about it.  Can you remember what it was like?

What was your perfect age like?  

When time or money had no meaning.  When you were fully living in the moment...not reliving yesterday's failures or worrying about next week's problems.




There's scripture that speaks of turning your cares and burdens over to God...

Maybe that would make life more like it should be...more like what God intended...




Living more like you did when you were 8.

And perhaps that is the real treasure I found in the desert today...



And those Pecos Diamonds?  (stay tuned!!!) 



Let the adventure continue...

Landmarks...

Texans like to brag about how big their state is...(unless there is somebody from Alaska around).

But in reality, Texas is just fat and wide...it's not very tall!

In fact the highest spot in Texas is Signal Peak at 8751 ft.

And we can honestly say now, "...We've skied down mountains higher than that!!!"

But Signal Peak is still lovely nevertheless...now part of the Guadeloupe Mountains National Park. 

It's actually at the southern end of the upthrust that is Carlsbad Caverns, just down the road and across the NM border.  With both parks convenient to visit from our spot in Lakewood.






As we've traveled in the west, I find it difficult to glimpse a high spot, a mesa or hill, without immediately thinking of how many travelers from the past may have climbed to the top to pause and gaze...to gain a long view of the country.

        To plan their route...

         Look over the back trail...

         To look for water...

         Something to eat...

         Or a safe place to camp.




And I'm not sure anyone who has never read a Western novel may fully appreciate the western land.

It is eye candy of course, very lovely to see with colored mesas, deep arroyos, dark canyons and large wide open plains - 

But without consideration for the way men and women have struggled to survive...and then learned to thrive with the hostile environment, likely something is missing.

It surely wasn't easy, and they must have been some terribly resilient people!






The Guadeloupe Mountains are like that.  Accessible high spots overlooking wide plains...ideal for gaining a long view.

And also the area selected for one of the earliest ranches in the region, the Frijole Ranch.

It looks pretty dry and barren to my untrained eye.

But this area was selected because of three springs located within a couple of miles...and one of them hidden somewhere in the above picture! 


Look closely at the top of the ridgeline...for what appears to be a little square building, a bright spot, located half way between the center and right edge of the photo.

It is actually a large rock parapet...a sentinel, a key landmark for thirsty travelers.

And landmarks can be the difference between life and death in an unmapped land! 





So searching out that spring was our mission...

Somewhere up there, adventure awaits!

The Guide, (Think she's wondering why I can't keep up!) ..."Come on, it's just a little bit further..." 

"Sure hope we are getting close..."

"Remember, it's in the canyon to the south of the parapet..."

Trust the landmarks!!!

It was interesting how close we were without recognizing the spring...



But once we knew where it was, it was so obvious... 



With trees and bright greenery huddled close around the water...




We still have so much to learn! 









A small, cool oasis in a dry, windblown high desert...

It came to mind, Louis L'Amour saying the right thing to do once you finished drinking from a watering hole, was to move back away before setting up camp, to allow the wild animals, the coyotes, the cats, the deer to drink also.



And as we rested by that spring of life, I found myself pondering...finding it comforting, and easy to be reflective at times like this...

       How many may have looked to those same landmarks?

       Where were they from...where were they going? 

       And just who were they, those that visited this so ancient place

...from times long since forgotten...



Let the adventure continue...