dry and 17 degrees

Mar 01, 2008

Cold. I couldn’t close my fingers around my camera to release the shutter. I had never imagined it would be this cold in the desert. Little did I know of the New Mexico arid region in early January. I had planned to camp at White Sands National Monument over Christmas break to get the best sunrise pictures possible and save a few dollars, though lack of research lead me to forego the 17-degree weather and find a motel nearby.

I had stayed the night before in a hostel in Truth or Consequences, soaking away under the clear night sky, listening to the other guests talk about family heritage in and around New Mexico, my eyes half-closed letting the warmth of the hot springs seep into me. I tried the five different temperature springs by the end of the night and had gone to bed refreshed.

Today was colder, though. The gypsum reminded me of the lake effect snow forming in Michigan. My white rental would have disappeared into the dunes behind it, but for the darkness of the tires…

Written on January 3, 2008