Sunset and Moonrise at White Sands National Monument, Alamogordo, NM

This was a sunset walk at White Sands National Monument which started at 6:45 PM. The ranger explained how different plants survive the shifting sands of this monument. The Yuccas dig roots that go down deep and sprout their stalks as long as necessary to keep from being covered by the sands. Some of the other plants form a root base that is huge. When the sands shift, they leave these stacks with the plant on the top. Click on the lovely pink flowered plant. It is beautiful. We missed the actual moonrise when the moon looks so large on the horizon. The sand is not quartz, but actually gypsum.