White Sands National Monument...



The Alkali Flat Trail





White Sand Gypsum Crystals**

Out in that desert place,
where the craft that crashed was from space,
and those alien bodies lie in state,
on a frozen slab of slate….

Nah, that's not what this about.

It's this shining snow white sand,
that buries this hot dry land,
that stretches for many miles,
and brings the geologists smiles.

Is it mineral rich they ask,
as they go about their tasks;
they know it's a special place too,
and that's why they invite you.

**These Crystals are the "white sand".



Gypsum Plant Stand



Some of the scenery

A good place to see the clouds and moon.

El Malpais National Monument...

In the winter, click to enlarge

Out in the New Mexico country side, the lava used to flow,
from lava tubes so large, it flooded with lava, all those years ago;
now frozen by the chilling winter cold,
this is now what's left, at lease that's what I'm told.

The formations here shaped by wind and rain...
..along with the volcano, caused the land great pain;
it's all here today, won't you come and see..
the remnants of ancient times, we call that history.


A lava tube




El Malpais Arch, click to enlarge



You can...

read a paper, or a book, but how about a rock,
yessir we've found them, and this isn't any crock;
when people had no paper on which they could write,
they just marked up a rock, and left it in plain sight.

I'd be the first to tell you, I don't know what this means,
could it be a family, showing how they planted beans?
Or, maybe, just maybe, it's some kind of map,
giving directions, to a good place for a nap.

This one show a turkey, and maybe that's a dog,
I read it in a paper, it's a petroglyph, unerroded by fog;
out here in Albuquerque, in the desert sun,
but you can explore the writings, do it just for fun.

This one shows the planets, and the sun and moon,
it could be a calendar, or a lovers swoon;
more than likely, calendar, seems to do the trick,
kind of like building a clock, big one, brick by brick.

There's a man in here, over in the shade,
maybe it's a gravestone, it looks homemade;
or a successful hunter, back from a foray,
you really should see this place, maybe not today.

Enjoy!