08/12: Lots of sand but where's the water
Category: General
Posted by: The Agnew Family
Believe it or not, Ed was up at 6am again and we were at the bird ponds a good half hour before sunrise. There was a sound like a jet engine and then the sky was filled with snow geese --- even more amazing than yesterday. The noise was the sound of hundreds, maybe a thousand wings starting to flap at the same time. There was less wind this morning so I guess this caused the geese to split up, some continued to fly and some landed. This morning we did not get a repeat performance of the mass takeoff. The ponds where a lot of cranes hang out was on the way back to the trailer so we stopped there for a while. I think I forgot to mention that is was below freezing (the truck said –8C) this morning and yesterday morning. As the sun rose we watched the snow geese and cranes fly from the pond and head to feeding grounds.
Back at the trailer we thawed out and packed up. Time to head south (yea!) and east. Today's stop is Alamagordo, NM and White Sands National Monument. The drive was short but interesting --- first we drove through a mountain pass (slow gentle climb to around 6000 feet then a slow gentle descent back to around 4000 feet) then past a lava field. After landing at an RV park in town we drove out to the national monument then followed a hiking trail into the heart of the dunes.
Dawn take off --- very similar to yesterday's photo. Guess that's what happens when you stand in the same spot at the same time and take a photo of the same thing.
Proof that Ed was actually vertical and at the pond before sunrise.
The view at the crane pond. Just love how the morning sun makes everything glow.
This crane was about to takeoff and didn't expect to find ice --- he aborted takeoff.
Disarray. Whose staying? whose leaving?
We found lots of sand but where's the water. It's hot out here and I'd like to go swimming. When Zaph hopped out of the truck he started squinting. With all the glare off the snow we decided he needed to wear his sun goggles.
The dunes aren't very big but they are pretty.
Don't remember what it's called but the sand mounds around plants and becomes very hard. If you pick off a piece you can crumble it your hand.
The news has been reporting huge snow dumps in London, Ontario. We figure the roads there will look similar to this. Plows clean the sand off the roads creating sandbanks.
Sunset at the dunes.
Back at the trailer we thawed out and packed up. Time to head south (yea!) and east. Today's stop is Alamagordo, NM and White Sands National Monument. The drive was short but interesting --- first we drove through a mountain pass (slow gentle climb to around 6000 feet then a slow gentle descent back to around 4000 feet) then past a lava field. After landing at an RV park in town we drove out to the national monument then followed a hiking trail into the heart of the dunes.
Dawn take off --- very similar to yesterday's photo. Guess that's what happens when you stand in the same spot at the same time and take a photo of the same thing.
Proof that Ed was actually vertical and at the pond before sunrise.
The view at the crane pond. Just love how the morning sun makes everything glow.
This crane was about to takeoff and didn't expect to find ice --- he aborted takeoff.
Disarray. Whose staying? whose leaving?
We found lots of sand but where's the water. It's hot out here and I'd like to go swimming. When Zaph hopped out of the truck he started squinting. With all the glare off the snow we decided he needed to wear his sun goggles.
The dunes aren't very big but they are pretty.
Don't remember what it's called but the sand mounds around plants and becomes very hard. If you pick off a piece you can crumble it your hand.
The news has been reporting huge snow dumps in London, Ontario. We figure the roads there will look similar to this. Plows clean the sand off the roads creating sandbanks.
Sunset at the dunes.