White as Snow

Alamogordo itself was not so exciting for us. However, before our trip, we received a tip from an acquaintance about the nearby desert. The entrance to the White Sand National Monument was only about 20 minutes' drive from our motel.

For $5 per person, you can explore the national park by car. At first, it seems unspectacular. However, the further you drive into the park, the less green it becomes and the dunes rise. And indeed, the sand appears white as snow. There are specific places where you can stop and admire the landscape either on small paths or, like us, simply stroll through the dunes.

An incredible feeling after just 10 minutes' drive from the entrance. Surrounded by sand that seems to have no end. Despite the temperature being only 26 degrees, it felt much hotter. We drank 4 bottles of water in just one hour.

At the entrance of the national park, there is a small souvenir shop. Here you can also buy small plastic sleds to slide down the dunes. Unfortunately, we only discovered this when we were leaving the park.

After this unforgettable experience, we had a 5-hour car journey ahead of us.

However, we wouldn't get bored during that time.

Not far from White Sand, our phones suddenly went off. It was a test of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. Totally confused, we turned off the alarm, and a few minutes later, it went off again.

In our research, we found out that this was not announced to any US citizen, as many shared their surprise on Facebook.

Unintentionally, we later became active learning material.

In the middle of nowhere, there was a tiny little house. In front of it, a small cabin. And inside, two customs officers. Every vehicle in front of us was waved through. When the customs officer asked us about our citizenship and heard that we were not Americans, he immediately waved us out. We soon realized why. His partner, a very young and reserved man, was the new colleague. We served as a demonstration material to check a visa. While the two of them studied our passports, we patiently answered their questions about ESTA.

When all the issues were resolved, the two of them kindly said goodbye, and we could continue driving.

After that, we drove through rocky hills until we finally arrived in a steppe-like valley. A few bushes and dirt or sand on the left and right. At first, we thought people were lighting small fires everywhere. But then we realized that small whirlwinds were forming in the surroundings. Every now and then, we saw one and were fascinated.

Our destination today is Tucson. Here, we will spend the night and explore the area tomorrow.