Had a few with the aliens in Roswell along the way.....was New Years after all!

Abducted

Interesting mural in Roswell, NM

Rough and Smooth

Self Portrait

A $10 sled can go a long ways with a 12 year old kid. Niko thoroughly enjoyed his time sledding down the dunes and performing aerial stunts like this one.

Mesmerizing patterns of the White Sand Dunes

I could literally spend months here and probably never get bored. Every step seems to reveal a new surprise in the landscape.

That's a long shadow! Alex loved running around the dunes and chasing after his shadows.

Just another one of those happiness moments at the White Sands

The whole crew celebrating New Years Eve at the Dunes...we watched sunset and had a bottle of champagne. Amazing night, but didn't even come close to the midnight hour...guess that's what happens when Alex's bedtime is 7pm and we're all in a single hotel room.

Vegetation is sparse in the dunes as they're constantly shifting.....in the background, you can see Sierra Blanca which is the tallest peak in the area at just over 12000 feet.

Sunset on New Years Eve 2009 at the White Sands National Monument, NM

Blue Moonset over the San Andres Mountain Range and White Sands

One of my favorite pictures from the trip....sunrise at the White Sands on New Years day 2010. It was actually a bit complicated to get this photo, but glad I went through the effort. First hurdle, the park doesn't open the gates until 7am, which is too late to be in the right spot for sunrise. So, I worked out a deal with the park rangers the day prior to open the gates an hour early just for me (amazing what $50 will buy!)....I arrive at 5:45am, and am feeling pretty good that I have the park all to myself! Into the park, and trekking out on the dunes. At 19 degrees, I'm feeling pretty stupid for the way I dressed. My excitement quickly fades, as my hands and ears turn numb. After about a 20 minute walk, I look around and think...it would be really easy to get lost in this place! Sure hope I can find my way back to the car. The wind is howling, and the light minimal as I wait for sun to rise. My attempts at photos prior to sunrise just up the frustration level as I can't accomplish what's in my head with the blue moonset. I start feeling like a complete rookie photographer, and wondering why the hell I paid money to freeze my butt off in the desert. Then the sun begins to rise in the East....I find a spot with some cool patterns in the sand and a nice untouched dune and setup the tripod. Only a few minutes of good light, better thaw out my fingers in a hurry! Setup tripod, meter, focus, shutter, apeture, all good. Freezing cold, but happy with the result.