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Just as Hot Springs is a celebration of water, Monahan is a celebration of sand. Lots of it. Half an hour west of Odessa, you pull right off the interstate exit ramp into Monahan Sand Dunes State Park and camp out on the huge dunes. The dunes cover 3840 acres. Once you climb to the top of one of them, you can see one layer of dunes after the other all the way to the horizon. The sand is light and fine, not the coarse and heavy variety seen on many beaches and along rivers. It may look desolate, but this is one of the richest areas in the world. Underneath all this sand lies the Permean Basin, one of the largest oil fields anywhere. Since 1920, wells have been pumping continuously. But you don't see any of them, since digging down through all this sand is unnecessary. The pumps are located further east, back toward Odessa, where the sand is much shallower. The oil lies under this sand, but it is drawn out horizantally by modern techniques. Meanwhile, you can enjoy a great evening and morning in the dunes. On the left as you leave the interstate, you stop at the Visitor Center and Park Headquarters, pay $2 per person entry fee, and pay $10 to register for a camping post. Then you drive along the road and find the numbered post.

One post is good for up to eight people. You park your vehicle and pitch your tents any where you want, right next to your vehicle or out of sight back behind the dunes. There's a central shower house here with very nice rest rooms and the best showers we saw on the whole trip. There are also water faucets every third post. At each post is a picnic table and charcoal grille. It's too far to haul water over those big dunes, and fires are illegal away from the fire rings. so even if your group scatters to their own private tent sites, they'll have to come back to the central table for dinner. You'll need to bring all your dinner and break- fast supplies with you, because there's no camp store at the park, and no grocery store in a reasonable distance. Nor is there a restaurant nearby. To enjoy the Monahan Sand Dunes you have to be willing to camp. But this is a spectacular campground, and people come from everywhere to see these dunes. So you need to Call 512-389-8900 and reserve a site ahead of time. You'll be rewarded with the most beautiful sunset, and the most beautiful night sky, you've ever seen. To fully enjoy this site, you need a mesh tent you can leave the rainfly off. It's not going to rain and there's no dew.

The Monahan Dunes are the southeastern edge of a dune field that extends for 200 miles northwestward into New Mexico. Hard as it is to believe, these dunes are teeming with wildlife. Mule deer, grey fox, coyote, bobcat, wild boar, porcupine, possum, skunk, sand squirrel, jack rabbit, various birds, snakes and scorpions somehow find enough water and forage to prosper. You may want to be particularly alert for scorpions, which are quite plentiful. They come out at night and glow purple in the moonlight. Keep your shoes inside your tent, and keep your tent doors zipped shut. If you hike out across the dunes at night, or sit in the sand to stargaze, just keep watching the sand. Scorpions are not hard to see, move across the sand rather slowly, and will not attack you unless you are about to step or sit on them. Not only are they are not a reason to avoid this beautiful park, but they're another reason to come here.

But if you have a school group or a family with children, their biggest enjoyment at Monahan will be the chance to go sandsurfing. They can rent surfboards, surf discs or surf sleds for $1 an hour, climb the nearest dune, and head down. These are slightly altered versions of the boards, discs and sleds made for use on snow. The dunes tend to be much steeper than slopes used for snowsports, and the hikes back up the dunes are longer. So as much fun as it is, you'll probably find your kids will tire out pretty quick. If you want photos, you better snap them on the first couple of runs.

During Summers, the park service offers Camel Treks (top right). If you've always wanted to ride a camel on a desert expedition, you'll want to allow an extra day at Monahan. There are also desert ecology exhibits and a small gift shop.

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