Jack Black! In the Desert!

The first truly ridiculous thing we saw out west was White Sands National Monument in New Mexico. The link will explain the science behind its formation better than I will, but you have to understand how strange a place it is. You’re driving through one kind of desert – the standard southwestern scrubland we became very well acquainted with – when suddenly you come across another, completely different kind of desert – a la the Sahara.

The name says it all really. There is white sand. And lots of it.

For some reason we decided we’d do some backcountry camping, which the park allows a small number of people to do in the middle of these godforsaken dunes. Rolling into the place at midday, to a blazing sun, we started to question our decision. But a gallon of water and enough sunblock goes a long way. By the time the sun set we realized what an unbelievable place we had stumbled our way into. If you’re nearby, go. It is absolutely crazy. There’s really nothing else I can say.

Except… there’s always more that I can say. As we sat atop a dune we remarked what a perfect place it would be for a movie – more or less accessible by car, it has a feeling of remoteness few places can match. Then we noticed the trailers. Tons of them. Animal cages, catering trucks, arc lights, you name it. Turns out Hollywood agreed with us and had taken over a far corner of the park to film scenes for the newest Jack Black vehicle. I can’t really describe how weird it was to be in this beautiful wasteland of a place only to trip over a guy carrying lattes to a crowd of extras while a peon with a leaf blower diligently followed behind, erasing their tracks from the pristine dunes.

Anyway… Mr. Black hid in his trailer so we didn’t get to harass him. But we did get to see some trained camels. Fun.