Day 4 turned out to be my favorite day of the trip. It was the day when we went to White Sands National Park. White Sands used to be a National monument until it got upgraded to national park status in 2019. It’s an unique place that deserves at least one visit for everyone.

White sands was the ancient Lake Otero millions of years ago until it got dried up and somehow, the gypsum deposit got ground into fine sand-like dust. When I first got there, I thought it was magic snow that somehow wasn’t melting in the 90°F heat. That’s how white the sand was.

Because of the heat, my mom and I decided to check into the hotel first and return for the sunset. That way, we both wouldn’t be at risk of heat exhaustion or sunburn. Just then, I got thunderstorm warning on my watch. Rain was coming, which gave us more reasons to return later.

Thanks to me checking in the night before, the room was ready for us early. The time between getting settled at the hotel and returning to white sands allowed me to have the rest I needed. I think the proof of my rest is in the photo. Even with the lingering storm clouds, the sunset was that beautiful.