CS and friends spent a couple of days driving around the southern part of New Mexico last week, first stopping at the unbelievably beautiful White Sands National Monument. It had been 10 years since I'd stepped foot onto the long stretches of gypsum sand that make up the park and it was just as quiet and surreal as I remember it. There are about 12 backcountry campsites (which are seemingly never full) and holy holy are they humdingers. Except for a few lizards and moths, there's barely any wildlife around, and without any trees to provide those old bumps in the night, it's dead silence throughout your entire stay. Pure and open go-on-forever-white-sand silence. You can hear your body working.More photos after the jump.MP3: Jonathan Richman - The Desert
