Kelso Dunes, Mojave National Preserve

see more on Flickr

click photo to enlarge
Over the years we have been though the Mojave National Preserve a dozen or more times and I always say I want to go over to the dunes. But, we are always on the way to one place or another and don't have the time to stop. Well, now that I am retired time is often not as important, soooo we finally stopped at the Kelso Dunes. The dunes cover 45 sq miles and the largest of the dunes rises 650 feet in the air.

click photo to enlarge
The Kelso Dunes are also notable for the phenomenon known as singing sand, or "booming dunes". People will sometimes climb to the top of the dunes and slide down slowly, generating a low-frequency rumble that can be both felt and heard. The booming is much more pronounced when the dunes are extremely dry. We did not climb to the top of the dunes and we did not experience of hear the singing dunes.

click photo to enlarge