Dune View, White Sands, New Mexico, USA (Enlarge)
In southcentral New Mexico, west of Alamagordo, are the world's largest dune fields of gypsum sand. The brilliant white sand dunes cover an area of nearly 230 square miles, with many dunes rising to over 60 feet. The best time to visit the dunes is on a warm winter day; there will be few tourists compared to the large numbers during the summer months, and the winter light is absolutely beautiful on the shimmering sands. Wander far out upon the dunes and spend hours playing and lying in the sand. The spirit here offers an expansive sense of calmness and a childlike joy in the heart. The dunes also seem to attract visitors from very, very far away; while National Park and government officials will resolutely deny their existence, hundreds of UFO's have been sighted at White Sands during the past 30 years. The dunes were a fabled site for vision quests of Indians from throughout the southwest and northern Mexico.
Dune View, White Sands, New Mexico, USA (Enlarge)
Martin Gray is a cultural anthropologist, writer and photographer specializing in the study of pilgrimage traditions and sacred sites around the world. During a 40 year period he has visited more than 2000 pilgrimage places in 165 countries. The World Pilgrimage Guide at sacredsites.com is the most comprehensive source of information on this subject.