the kilometer show (day four)
I’m not in a rush! I don’t have a deadline. I actually have to wait even longer when I get where I’m going. My sister put a bug in my ear and after looking over the local area on Google Maps, I found that the White Sands National Monument was a hour and a half away. I’ve always seen Photography work done there. The appeal of sand being white when its mostly seen as brown catches people, including me. I spoke to the front desk about a second night at the Gardner Hotel and planned an early departure for the next morning.
An itchy night it was. I wouldn’t realize my bumpiest nose ever until I returned to the room. The drive to White Sands was simple, as I zipped around a canyon-like hill and proceeded through Border Patrol. I parked, explored the Visitor Center, watched a short film on the history of the White Sands dunes, met an incredibly nice couple, and purchased a Road Atlas. Before myself and other guests could enter the park, we had to wait. A Park Ranger I inquired with, informed me there was an emergency, so everyone had to distance themselves from the gate. Not even 10 minutes later, we were allowed to enter, free of charge. One can assume whoever was involved in the incident was okay, but I cannot confirm nor deny.
It takes about 10 minutes to reach the parking stations from the gate that are positioned at different points in the dunes. The slow ride is just the beginning as the tall white dunes brighten my sight, causing me to squint. I would say it was the closest visual to snow in a desert I’d ever seen, but then I remembered the snow I seen on mountains during my travels through Los Angeles. Still so surreal.
I felt like a kid as I parked my car, running into the dunes and losing myself in New Mexico’s sandy white heaven. Unable to make out the definition in the grains of sands, I perceive creamy waves of Vanilla Bean Ice Cream, rising from floors that include the most interesting patches of plant-life. I imagine myself in a sea of clouds, looking up to a sky that features a higher echelon of clouds reserved the sun. I wondered if what I was seeing was real. Is this possible? I walk deeper into the dunes. The winds blow harshly, but soon calm down. The silence is unnerving. There’s a moment when I jump at my own sudden movements. It’s so quiet, the absence of noise is its own sound someone has just turned the volume up on. I feel my emotions elevate. I feel the awareness of myself take an elevator to an unknown level. I get the idea to find the tallest dune. I locate it and explore deeper into White Sands.
When I walk up the tallest dune I can find, I look around to be amazed yet again. I fall to my knees and begin speaking. I project words to myself with intentions for them to be sent somewhere very far away. That place probably exists in an entirely separate plane, unbeknownst to any living organism with the capability of accessing this website. I say who I am, what I understand, what my perception is, and how grateful I am to still be here. I am truly thankful in this moment. The conversation is immaculate in a sense that is very personal to me. It’s one that I’ve wanted and needed to have for some time.
To everyone who reads this, please schedule a visit to the White Sands Monument in New Mexico. It’s breathtaking and totally worth it. Bring a friend if you’re into that and just enjoy it.
- raphael