Helen, Mortimer, and I drove northwest from Carlsbad to spend three days in White Sands, NM, at the Army’s White Sands Missile Range campground. We’ve been here before, and I’m not sure why we don’t camp here more on our trips to the West Coast. There are only eight campsites, but at $20 a night, White Sands is a bargain and rarely filled. Our home for the next three days would be campsite number three.
To the front of our campsite sits the towering Organ Mountain Range. We arrived in mid-afternoon, set up, and stared at the scenery. At dusk, the clouds hovered over the mountains, offering a very picturesque display to wrap up the day (pictured below.
White Sands National Monument is about 30 miles east of the Missile Range. Our second day was cloudy and somewhat windy, but Helen and I decided to visit anyway. The parking lot and Visitor Center were surprisingly crowded with tourists. After a short visit to the gift shop to stamp our National Park Passport, we drove through the gate, flashing our National Park Senior Pass.
The White Sand is actually gypsum, a component of drywall, that washes down from the mountains and is reduced to tiny grains by water and wind. A basin collects the gypsum and retains it in an area that resembles a huge beach or the result of a blizzard.
Helen and I drove the Loop Rd, which takes visitors through the National Monument. The wind picked up during the drive, blowing the sand around — now it really did look like we were in a snowstorm. I felt for the folks in the picnic area.
Near the end of the Loop, we parked in front of a large sandhill to watch kids and adults alike ride down the hill on sleds. It was slow sledding. Our visit didn’t take long, but we found it both interesting and enjoyable.
Our next stop is Tucson, AZ. We will step up our game there because we booked eight nights at an upscale RV Resort. Helen will meet you on the Pickleball court.
Please join us. We’re Easin’ Along.
The white sands are strangely beautiful, Joe, asking beach or snow? Compelling shot of the road image! Nice to know the rates are good for camping!
Hi, Terri,
This campground is one of the best kept secrets in the Military inventory. Great scenery, and low rates. Glad you llked my road shot, the sky was pretty dark on the day we were there. Have a great week, and thanks for checking in. Joe
“Blowing Sand” is a beautifully balanced shot. Love the sun rays peeping through. Eight days in Tucson sounds nice. Have fun.
Hey there,
We’re having a big time in Tucson. It’s hot, but things cool down quickly in the evening. I read your post today and it hit me where it hurts. I understand, but I’ll miss your adventures. Thanks for stopping by, and send all the best to you and Malcolm going forward. Joe
Enjoyed, as always, your post. Safe travels – have fun ‼️❤️❣️
Thanks, Ginny.
We watched this mornings service from Tucson. You were the best. Take care and thanks for stopping by. Joe
White Sands is much more enjoyable on a calm day, that’s for sure. Joe, in all my years of planning camping trips, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a military campground that has been poorly rated. WSMR campground looks like a great base camp for your visit. Thank you for your service – happy to see you and Helen enjoying a benefit from it. 🫡
Good morning, Mary,
Military campgrounds are a real benefit for our young people in uniform as well as our retired veterans. Some are better than others, but they’re always clean, affordable, and (very importantly) secure. We will be at Coronado in a few weeks, which is a fav. Great to hear from you. I assume boating season is getting close, so enjoy! Have a great week! Joe
I took two grandsons “sand sledding” at the Great Sand Dunes in Colorado but soon found out our plastic snow sleds didn’t work too well! Some other sledders loaned the boys the ones they rented there. Love sharing in your adventures!
Good morning,
We watched sledders try very hard to ride down a short hill, but it was tough sledding. Finally, a rather large lady sat on the sand and “crab-walked” down the hill, making a large, wide furrow–packed the sand down pretty good too. Sledding was easier after that. Great to hear from you! Thanks for stopping by! Joe
Hi Joe, So glad that you and Helen are on the road! We never made it to White Sands because every time we were nearby it was crazy windy and we didn’t want to get sandblasted, lol. But we did spend a couple of days in Texas at Monahan Hills State Park on one of our cross-country RV trips and had a blast sledding on the sand. P.S. I’ve been having computer/blog problems and have been out of the loop, but I’m working on getting things sorted out. We would love to catch up with you and Helen somewhere!
Good morning, Chickadee!
I understand computer problems. I finally traded my old Mac in for a new one. Life is better. Ditto on meeting up. We go to Charleston several times a year, and probably drive close to you on the way. We also spend some time at our favorite campground in Cherokee, NC. I’m sure we could arrange a meetup somewhere. Please stay in touch, and give my best to Eric. Joe