Our first major stop in the US on our summer vacation was at White Sands, New Mexico. We were pleasantly surprised! White Sands is a dessert in the middle of nowhere that boasts of sands made from gypsum and calcium sulfate. The sand is white as can be, and surprisingly cool to touch (apparently due to the high rate of evaporation of surface moisture and the fact that the sands reflect, rather than absorb, the sun’s rays).  These...