I introduced my daughter Elsa to backpacking some years back. Now when I have the opportunity to visit her and I travel alone (her mom has hung up her backpack for good), she usually plans a backpacking excursion for us. Last March, I visited her in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and we were off to the White Sands National Monument in that state known as the Land of Enchantment. I use this picture as my screensaver and most people mistake us for being in the snow. Whites Sands was waterless, windy, and cold but the stark beauty, strange flora and starry night made it a worthwhile destination.

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