White Sands National Monument - New Mexico. It was a surreal experience driving and trekking about in the desert.

We weren’t expecting any vegetation as we walked further into a trail. It was cool to see shrubs contrast the stark sandy landscape.

This is how the little peak and shrubs looked like as we got closer.

We even managed to find some colorful flowers nearby. Very cool!

And some mossy shrubs. I imagine these plants to have a robust root system to be able to thrive in these conditions.

It was mesmerizing to see pristine patterns on the sand.

At some places like you see here, the patterns were so ingrained they never lost form as we walked over them.

And in places where the sand gave in, the footprints made for some fun compositions like this one.

We were looking forward to checking out the sunset, but the clouds were too thick that evening. Best we could do was to catch some azure shades instead.

We made another trip to the monument to check out the sunset. As you can see, the place transforms into something magical as the sun sets behind the mountains.

This is near the entrance of the park. One-of-a kind welcome center, as far as visitor centers in national parks go.