Volunteering At White Sands National Monument

(White Sands, New Mexico) 68 degrees, blue cloudless skies

We have arrived at White Sands National Monument (part of the National Park system) and will be volunteering here until December 31st.  It is such a spectacular place and we are so thrilled with this opportunity.  We had planned to visit our friends who are volunteering here  after the balloon fiesta.  John and Eileen were our NOMADS leaders in Eustis Florida  last winter. 

Eileen and John

About a week before we were to arrive Eileen called and said "what are  you doing after your visit to White Sands?  Would you like to volunteer here for awhile".  Our answer was an immediate yes!  A couple that had signed up to be here had cancelled.  We quickly filled out all the paper work and talked to Becky, the Interpretive Coordinator.  In return for our site we will work four days a week with Friday - Sunday off. 

John will work out in the dune fields repairing fences and removing invasive plants (Tamarisk).  He will also do maintenance around the park.  I will work two days a week in the administration office helping organize the files and the other two days I'll work in the visitor center and give a sunset stroll in the evening.  It is a great opportunity for us and we are so grateful to our friends for recommending us. 

We arrived just in time to go on Eileen's sunset stroll. She has volunteered here for seven years and it is her favorite place on earth. Both she and John and have immersed themselves into understanding the dunes, wildlife, and plants that make up this special park. They were so knowledgeable and their love for this place is so evident.

Eileen beginning stroll

The sunset stroll lasts about an  hour.  This is something I will have to do in about two weeks.  Yikes!  I have a lot to learn.  She told us these are the largest gypsum sand dunes in the world.  We walked up and down three dunes as she told us about how the dunes are made.  She also identified  tracks of little animals in the dunes and told us about the plant life and how it has adapted to live in this tough desert.

Eileen had us dig in the sand and just a few inches below the surface we found that the sand was damp.  Amazing!  Water can also be found just 20 inches below the surface and this is one of the reason why the sand dunes have not blown away.  The damp sand sort of acts like a glue and only the surface sand moves.

So, how are these dunes get here?  Eileen explained that the dunes sit within the Tularosa Basin.  It does not have any outlet such as  stream or river. Usually gypsum just washes away but this special place keeps that from happening. It's like a great big bowl.

Gypsum liquefies in the surrounding mountains and flows down into the lake bed.  Over time the gypsum forms into crystals.  The wind, freezing temperatures, and collision of the gypsum crystals break down and eventually it all crumble and becomes this beautiful white sand. 

Here is a cottonwood tree that is trying to ride the sand wave.  Some of the roots are above the sand and the trunk is inside this sand dune  and started in the interdunal area (where the people are walking). It manages to live and ride the wave as the dune passes.  The tree may or may not survive after the dune passes. Sand dunes are always moving.  They can travel in some areas over 37 feet a year and others move only a few inches. 

Skunk sumac atop a pedestal

This beautiful pedestal may survive several dune passing.  The sumac (and other plants) can create these as the dune passes due to pressure, water, and roots creating almost a concrete substance.  Most of the wildlife hang out here.  The largest mammal is the kit fox.  He is about the size of chiwawa and weighs only four pounds.  He munches on mice, lizards, and kangaroo rats.  Larger animals usually do not live here.  There is not enough to eat and very little water. 

As the dune passes it leaves these cool footprints.   It is easy to tell where the huge dune has been and it's future travel. 

Dune footprints

Eileen's tour ended at the top of the dune just in time for sunset.  Perfect ending!  What a special place.  Check back soon to read more about this very special National Monument. 

Attending FMCA Rally In Farmington New Mexico (Four Corners Area)

(Farmington, New Mexico) 75 degrees, sunny

We left the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta and drove north  up to the Four Corners area of New Mexico.  We are attending a FMCA (Family Motor Coach Rally) in Farmington.  It is a popular regional rally and there are about 300 coaches here at the fairgrounds  We have a water and electric site and within easy walking distance to all the activities. 

This is our first regional rally and we have enjoyed it very much.  It is on a much smaller scale than the large international rallies.  New motor coaches are not on display and there are  fewer vendors.  We joined a local chapter called Cuatro Estados (four corners) that get together in this area for monthly campouts.  They are an adventurous bunch and we liked some of the trips they have planned in the past.  They are going to Quartsite in January and we thought going with a group would be lots of fun. 

The classes that FMCA rallies provide are really great.  In the past we have learned so much from attending them.  We are much more relaxed now and picked some seminars for fun this time.  I attended one on geocaching. It was well presented and I found out there is a Droid app that can be added to my phone for $10.  It shows you where all the caches are in your area and by GPS shows you how to get close to where the cache is hidden.   The speaker told us there are one and half million geocaches hidden in the world.  Just in the area near the fairgrounds there are 45.  It looks like a fun hobby.  You can even download them into your Garmin and as you are driving it will signal that one is nearby.  The speaker was very funny and told us lots of stories about ones he has found.  There are even traveling ones you can pick up and take to another point.  The "owner" tracks where his cache on a website. 

John learned how to keep our aluminum wheels clean with some special products.  We will let you know how well it works soon. 

Yesterday, Jimmy and I participated in the pet parade.  It was fun.  Jimmy dressed up as a shark.  After all he loves Jimmy Buffett.  He did not win a ribbon but got a big bag of treats.  He was very happy. 

Vendors are very popular at these events.  It's a great place to get our favorite product to clean the coach called The Solution.  We purchased a flag pole to put up on the ladder in the back of our coach.  It can hold up to two flags and is easy to store when traveling.  I'll post a picture soon.  We also received a few  coupons to stay at some RV parks in the area.  We purchased a Wingman to add to our regular antenna. It is supposed to improve UHF band reception and performance.   

When we first arrived we went out to a interesting place called Bista/De-Na-Zin Wlderness to hike.  This is a very remote Corps of Engineers park about 37 miles outside of Farmington.  There are hikes that go out to some weird and interesting rock formations.  It is very desolate and a GPS is recommended.  There are not any trail markers, however, we were able to follow footsteps of humans and horses that lead out to the hoodoos.  Here are few pictures.  We also found lots of petrified wood (one log was over 40 feet long).  There is very little vegetation. 

Petrified wood

Petrified wood

 

We had read to be sure to hike out at least 2 miles. All of a sudden out of nowhere these amazing hoodoos appear. When we visited there was no one there. What an incredible place to see. The hiking for the most part is easy. Just be very careful because you can get lost very easily. 

 

 

 

Today was the highlight of the rally.  Several of the members had organized a four wheel trip.  We all met up this morning and drove out for some fun. There were a least 25 four wheel vehicles (mostly Jeeps). Some people in our group were very experienced but most of us were novices.  It was very well organized and several volunteers were at strategic points to show you how to get up or down a hill.  It was so much fun.  Below is a video with some pictures. 

We have only done this once before by ourselves in Colorado.  Going with a group is the way to go and certainly less stressful.  We found out there is a Four Wheelers FMCA chapter that has rallys all over the country.  We might have to check that out.  Our jeep would need some modifying if we got serious about this sport.  You will see a few of those folks in our group. 

 

Tomorrow we leave and head south to the White Sands National Monument.  We are meeting up with two couples that we worked with on a NOMADS project in Eustis Florida.  Our leaders (Eileen and John) are volunteers at White Sands and had invited us to come visit.  A few days ago Eileen called and said "so what are you doing this winter?  Would you like to volunteer at White Sands for a couple of months?"  So, starting in a couple of days we will officially be volunteers too with he National Park Service.  Life is good!