Our stop in Las Cruces was a two nighter so Tuesday was our one full day in the area.
We had White Sands National Monument on our place to visit docket.
Before driving to White Sands, we decided to find a dog friendly hike in the Las Cruces area. Penny and Annie would not be visiting White Sands so we wanted to get Miss Penny exercised before leaving her in the RV.
After Googling "dog friendly hiking trails in Las Cruces", I was presented with Soledad Canyon Day Use Area. I read about it, took in a few reviews and then decided this would be the place to go. Taking Penny to a lousy hiking area is like taking a kid to an amusement park that is closed. I try to get a good feel for our hikes. I love the surprises that these hikes offer but do not love those that do not allow dogs or are closed for repairs etc...
Soledad was about 20 minutes from the RV park. It was fairly early in the morning when we decided to go and Annie Belle showed zero interest in getting out of her bed. I made sure she'd had her medicine and we left her to finish her morning sleep.
Because we were headed into a canyon, Siri was totally confused. I relied more on a real map and we easily found the trailhead.
THE TRAIL STARTS OUT WIDE AND IS EASILY DEFINABLE
SOLEDAD CANYON SITS AT THE BASE OF THE ORGAN MOUNTAINS
We got started and Penny Lane had her nose to the ground. She would definitely stay on leash while we were hiking. The smells must have been everywhere.
The trail is advertised as easy and as far as knowing where you are and where you are going, that is true. The trail is well marked and you have the canyon to your front and the valley to your back. The terrain is a bit rough and hilly. Good shoes and water are a must.
As we made our way towards the canyon, we were treated to the colors of spring wildflowers. I say we but I really mean I. Rob and Penny were marching along as I would stop to take a picture and run to catch up. They would have stopped and waited but I was enjoying the extra exercise.
TRYING TO OPEN
VOILA!
As we got closer to the Canyon, we came to a trail junction. Turning left would take us back to the car and turning right would take us closer to the canyon. The left turn was part of the loop trail and the right was an opportunity to extend the hike.
We turned right.
The canyon offered a bit of shade, a few more species of Flora and echoes. Echoes were a bit new to Penny and watching her react to them was funny. She was certain we were being followed.
AS ET WOULD SAY "OUCH"
After hiking and climbing a bit, we decided to turn around and head back to the car. Penny was well exercised and we had gotten some great views of the valley below.
LAS CRUCES IS WAY DOWN THERE
We returned to Lewis and took a bit of a break to eat lunch. We got the pups settled and got back in the car for the drive to White Sands National Monument.
White Sands is about 55 miles from Las Cruces. It is an easy drive and it is definitely worth the time and effort.
So, you are driving along Highway 70 and everything is flat, dry and brown. There is a bit of green here and there and there are mountains in the distance but most of it is scruffy looking. You drive and then you drive a little more. You see signs for White Sands 40 miles, White Sands 28 miles etc...
As you continue to motor along, you see white mounds on the horizon. They are not as tall as any of the mountains and they are less obvious but they are there.
Suddenly, you are there: White Sands National Monument. It is not really sudden but the change is so extreme that it seems to be.
A few noteworthy tips about this area.
(1.)Make sure you have water before you leave the visitor's center.( 2.)Chapstick is a plus. (3.)Sunscreen is a must. (4.)A hat and sunglasses are a huge help. The glare from the white sand is incredible. (5.) Get a dish sled from the shop and sled the dunes. We bought one used and I had a blast. They also sell small squares of wax. I kept our dish waxed and we had some pretty good rides.
There is a short movie in the visitor's center that explains how White Sands came to be. It is all about water from the mountains running towards a lake at one end of White Sands. The water is high in Gypsum. When the lake water evaporates, it leaves behind solid but fragile gypsum crystals. As the wind blows, the gypsum crystals are broken into smaller and smaller bits until they become grains of sand. It is believed that the area is only 4,000 to 7,000 years. Word on the street is that, geologically speaking, 4,000 to 7,000 years ago is like yesterday. So, geologically speaking, if we had come on Monday, it would not have been there. HaHaHaHa!
If you can, visit White Sands. It is one of the many fascinating Natural Wonders in this world.
Another great day in this thing we call life.
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