White Sands National Monument July 15

We took advantage of a cool cloudy day to visit White Sands National Monument just west of Alamogordo today. 275 square miles of sparkling gypsum sand dunes that looks like snow, I've visited this area many times, but I never tire of seeing it again and again. There's always something new to see and learn. The monument opened April 29, 1934 with visitor center, restrooms and residences for park employees constructed by WPA and completed in 1938.


The dunes have their origin in the southwest corner of the Monument. During the last Ice Age, rain carried dissolved gypsum and salt from the San Andreas Mountains and the Sacramento Mountains into the Tularosa Basin where it settled in the area known as Lake Lucero covering 1600 square miles. As the climate became dryer, the lake evaporated into the Alkali Flat leaving behind crystallized gypsum called selenite. The crystals are broken down through weathering and the wind picks up the grains to deposit them onto the dunes. The lake still fills with some water after a heavy rain, but it is greatly reduced in size, covering only 10 square miles.

Once a month ranger led tours to Lake Lucero are provided. The Lake is named for an early ranching family and evidence of the ranch is still visible. The area just to the west of the monument is the White Sands Missile Range, created in 1942. 

 Towering dunes and

Interdunal vegetated areas

The Dunes Drive Road being plowed like snowy boulevards

The picnic shelters looking like sailboats on a white sea or prairie schooners plying the desert

The Sands are far from lifeless...

 

 Interdunal areas provide wildlife shelter and seed

 This Bleached Earless Lizard was waiting to ambush the ants just on the other side of the vegetation. If he had been on the sand, I may not have seen him.

Families enjoyed the taller dunes for sledding, minus the cold finders and toes. 

San Andreas Mountains are visible beyond the dunes. 

Wind caused erosion reveals the stabilizing roots of desert plants. 

Life and death in the dunes... reminds me of the old Disney Wildlife films, "The Living - fill in the blank". 

 Bleached Earless Lizard raced up the dune to nip this walking stick...

 The walking stick slid down the dune but the lizard didn't pursue him.

The walking stick got to his feet... 

then rolled onto his back with all six legs up.

The lizard ran off to the top of the dune. Did the walking stick taste bad? 

Cloud cover had burned off by this time, so we headed to Alamogordo for ice cream with a stop by Holloman Lakes where we discovered this juvenile hawk. 

I love the big feet and long legs. Can't decide if he's REHA or SWHA. 

After watching the jets from Holloman performing touch and go landings and formation flying

this drone appeared and circled several times. I found out later that Holloman AFB is drone central. 

Temperature topped 90, time to head back up the mountain. 

Capitan and Lincoln NM July 12

Weekend in Ruidoso with family, Cedar Creek Lodge...









Persuaded Donovan to explore Capitan and Lincoln with Kasey  and us on Saturday...

Smokey Bear Museum in Capitan was our first stop. Smokey was rescued after the Capitan Gap Fire in May 1950. He spent the next 26 years as the living symbol for the Forest Fire Prevention Campaign of the US Forest Service. His body was returned to Capitan after his death. 

The garden where Smokey is interred is a living natural history museum with the different biomes of the area represented. 

Just down the road is Lincoln NM. The entire village is a National Historic Landmark Site. 

Lincoln County was the largest county in the United States covering 1/4 of the state when created in 1869. 

Current Hwy 380, the main street through Lincoln, was designated by President Hayes as "the most dangerous street in America" during the Lincoln County War. 

Originally named Las Placitas del Rio Bonito when settled in 1850 for the Bonito River running along the north side of town. The name was changed to Lincoln when the county was created. 

We enjoyed the Museum and visitor center on the east end of town before walking the wooden sidewalks to explore Tunstall's Store, 

San Juan Mission

constructed in 1887 and still used for services today. 

The Torreon was constructed in 1850's to protect residents from Indian attack.  

Many other buildings 

as the Dolan House, played a role in the Lincoln County War, but are not open to the public as a part of the historic site. 

We finished our tour at the old Court House, originally the Murphy-Dolan store. Also the jail where Billy the Kid was held awaiting his hanging after being convicted in Mesilla of the murder of Sheriff Brady in retaliation for the murder of Tunstall. After convincing Deputy Bell to take him to the outhouse, he overpowered the deputy and shot him on the stairs inside. When Deputy Ollinger ran across the street from the hotel where he had taken other prisoners for a meal, Billy shot him from a second floor window with his own shotgun. 

Donovan next to the photo of Billy the Kid in the old court house. The bullet holes visible in the wall in the right corner are from the shooting of Deputy Bell. 

July 9 Curtis Canyon and Tularosa Canyon

Sitting outside after Jeopardy, I was surprised when this tiny Calliope Hummingbird managed to sneak past the 5 Rufous Hummers who were clashing over the feeder. He is so tiny he has to perch on the edge of the feeder to reach the hole in the yellow flower. 

Wednesday morning, Kathy came and we birded Curtis Canyon with her. I managed to snag my own photo of the Orange-headed Roadside Skipper this week.

Birds were pretty much the same as last week with the exception of the Green-tailed Towhee no show. 

After lunch at Big Daddy's in Cloudcroft, we checked the springs in Tularosa Canyon for birds and butters. 

Painted Lady

Weidemeyer's Admiral 

How am I supposed to differentiate when these Swallowtails have no tails - Two-tailed or Western?

This Pipevine doesn't need his tails because he has only one row of orange dots on the underwing. 

Blurry wings on the Sphinx Moth, I counted 5 of them. 

Although this is fuzzy, from the pattern on the underwings, I'm pretty sure this is Texiles Skipper. 

Monarch and Atlantis Fritillary 

This thistle may be invasive and detested by humans, the butterflies love it.  

July 8 Sixteen Springs Canyon to Carr Gap Road

Another day of exploration, this time Sixteen Springs Canyon and connecting with Carr Gap Road, about 30 miles in 3 1/2 hours. Most of the birds we found were near the Cemetery and the residences, mostly Stellar's Jays 28, Northern Flicker, Bushtit 18 in 2 different flocks, American Robin, White-breasted nuthatch, Western Bluebird, and Black-throated Gray Warbler. Lot's of UFO's, though. 

The now bone dry river bed shows major flooding from last fall. This was the massive amount of water that stranded Escapees at The Ranch last September. 

When we crossed the bridge onto Carr Gap Road, we had a good view of the water's path. 

Not an exaggeration

Miles and miles of miles and miles and miles

Is this a ski run or a utility right of way?

The blue of New Mexico skies is amazing.

Carr Gap Road

More Carr Gap

Picture Postcard Scenery

Cooper's Hawk

Same bird, 2nd chance

Not the tall pines

nor here

but I like being able to see the land forms.