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One of my first stops on my Journey through West Texas was at "Monahans Sandhills":http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/spdest/findadest/parks/monahans_sandhills/ State Park in Monahans, TX.

When I got there it was almost 100 degrees outside with the sun beating straight down on me. The park ranger mentioned that the dunes were 40-60 feet high "right now". That last part — the "right now" — confused me but I didn't ask any questions. Once I was out on the dunes it made perfect sense.

(click to enlarge)

The shape and size of a sand dunes is not a fixed thing. Wind and rain play the largest role in continuously reshaping the landscape, but, as made obvious by simply walking in it, just about anything touching the sand will change its shape.

The sand under my feet acted as a natural noise absorber. This combined with the fact that there were no other living creatures willing to brave the heat, and no trees or buildings near by meant that the sand hills were completely, utterly, absolutely *silent*.

Those of you who watch my Flickr Account may have seen a few of my Monahans images already. You can view "more of my images from Monahans":http://djamesphoto.com/photos/200608_monahans/ in a quick gallery I set up. If you like to be surprised one image at a time then don't look, because many of these images will make an appearance on my photoblog when it's ready (any day now).