Chapter 01 / 07
August 29, 2026 · New Mexico
White Sands
The journey begins in a landscape that barely looks real.
I arrived late enough for the dunes to change color in front of me.
The trip began with a flight from Houston to El Paso. Picking up the rental car came with a small hiccup—the first vehicle they gave me was not properly equipped—but everything worked out. I drove away in a white Jeep, my companion for the road ahead.
Before leaving El Paso, I stopped for lunch at El Taquito. The food was inexpensive, authentically Mexican, and absolutely delicious: exactly the kind of beginning I wanted. From there, I drove through the desert toward Alamogordo, checked into my hotel, and slept for a while before continuing to White Sands.
I reached the park at around 6:15 in the evening. The landscape was extraordinary: white dunes rising out of a vast, flat expanse, with a dark line of mountains in the distance. Sunlight and shadow moved across the gypsum, making the dunes seem to change shape as I watched.
At first, I felt slightly uneasy. Signs warned about how easy it can be to lose your bearings among the dunes. I made sure I had water and everything else I might need. I had heard it was best not to rely on GPS here, and wished I had brought a compass as a backup.
Soon, the worry gave way to the place itself. I took a short walk, rested in the shade, then kept moving until I found a dune with a clear view west. The desert became quieter. The heat loosened its grip. The surface beneath my feet held ripples as precise as lines drawn across paper.
The sunset was incredible. I recorded five uninterrupted minutes as the sun disappeared behind the mountains—an attempt to keep the moment from rushing past. For a little while, that was all there was: light, sand, distance, and time.
I stayed after the sun had gone, walking and taking photographs as the white dunes moved through softer shades of blue, silver, and rose. The landscape seemed to become another one entirely.
Eventually, I drove back to the White Sands Motel in Alamogordo, a lovely place where a kind Indian woman had been especially helpful and welcoming. I went to bed early. The road trip had started, but White Sands already felt like more than a first stop. It felt like an opening scene.