White Sands National Monument, New Mexico, December 2015

We stayed for a couple of days in Las Cruces, New Mexico. One of the highpoints of our stay was to visit White Sands National Monument. The sands are gypsum and are, indeed, stunningly white. 

Visitor Center -- PWA construction in Adobe

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Threatening skies

360 Degree Panorama

Driving the Rio Grande, Presidio, Texas, December 2015

Following recommendations of the staffer at the Marfa Visitors Center, we made a day trip south from Marfa to Presidio and then down the Rio Grande to Lajitas and north again to Alpine and back to Marfa.

The landscape along the Rio Grande is stunning, to put it mildly. The contrast of the river and the mountains behind is great indeed. 

There was considerable history in the region, with the forces of Pancho Villa operating in the USA in the early 20th century as well as in Chihuahua at Ojinaga. 

Close to Presidio is Fort Leaton, which was a private fort and trading post from the late 1840s. 

Fort Leaton

Fort Leaton

The Rio Grande

The Rio Grande landscape, as enhanced by Google Photos

The resort at Lajitas

The resort at Lajitas

Tablelands, Gros Morne National Park, Newfoundland, September 2015

One of the most enjoyable hikes we have done on this trip is on the tablelands between Woody Point and Trout River. This is of great interest to geologists as it is (as best as a novice can understand) the exposed Earth's mantle. The dominant rock is peridotite. I had, as suggested at the Discovery Centre, downloaded the Park's Explora app on my phone. The video commentary and other information is keyed by GPS. The phone buzzes when the app wants you to pay attention. You can listen to the park's (funny) geologist from the exact spot that is intended (see here for another review). Very well done indeed and unfortunately has only had a few hundred downloads on Android. More people should use this tremendous resource. 

Detail of peroditite

The barren landscape