J is for Jump
More than a few years ago Dreaming and her siblings went to Arizona to visit grandparents. We went on a trip... somewhere in Arizona... where there were huge sand dunes. We had a wonderful time jumping from the sand dunes, trying to jump high enough and far enough out, that our images could be captured on film, in flight, with nothing showing under us. There was a lot of jollity and jeering... and great memories, too.
On our recent trip we stopped by White Sands National Monument in New Mexico. The dunes are formed by blowing gypsum sand, which is lighter than silica sand. The gypsum crystals are water soluble. They dissolve in rain water and cement together forming a thin solid layer under the shifting sands. The sand does not convert sunlight into heat energy, so the dunes stay cool enough to walk on, even on the sunniest days.
The dunes move inexorably with the wind. Park employees actually plow the roads. It is hard to believe that this picture is not showing snow drifting on the road after a blizzard.
The shifting dunes also cover plants.
Which have adapted to being buried in sand.
I made it to the top of a dune.
Our car, the dark object on the left, provides a little prospective.
Jump?
As I stood on the edge of the dune,
I remembered that summer, long ago,
jumping nimbly from the dune.
I decided.....
What the heck....
1
2
3
JUMP!!
JUMP!!
1
2
3
JUMP!!
JUMP!!
No, I just couldn't do it.
I guess I'm no longer nimble enough
to jump.
to jump.
I settled for a scoot!
I should have sprung for the sled!
That last shot made me smile.
ReplyDeleteA scoot is sometimes just as good as a jump! Fun times!!! New follower here from A to Z!
ReplyDeleteOh Dreaming! I loved this post! How fascinating to learn that gypsum sand doesn't burn your feet! I love it when someone talks geologically! The pictures of you jumping and butt-scootin' were priceless! The images of the white sand dunes are strangely beautiful! Another item on my growing list! Thank you for sharing, and have a great day!
ReplyDeleteWow, the sand looks so white in your photo. I'm not very good at jumping, I guess you had a soft landing :)
ReplyDeleteSuch a special place.
ReplyDeleteLOL what a fun post! Love that last picture especially! Great photos. We've driven by but from a distance. Such a unique place!
ReplyDeleteI'll take gypsum sand over snow any day!!! Not burning bare feet is just one plus of this lovely sand.
ReplyDeleteAnne
Oh this post and your photos brought back good memories! When my children were small we lived in Las Cruces, NM, less than an hour's drive from White Sands. We spent a few wonderful Sundays there, renting waxed sand surfing boards that looked much like skateboards without wheels and used to slide down the side of dunes, either standing or sitting. A beautiful place, great fun! My son was two then, he is 33 now, that WAS a long, long time ago! :-)
ReplyDelete