I sat on the top of a slope, the bright orange, plastic sled firmly beneath me. My senses felt overloaded, confused, not only by the spectacularly beautiful scenery surrounding White Sands National Monument but also the conflicting memories the desert evokes. I planned to sled down one of the bright white dunes, decked out in a winter coat, hat, and scarf - evoking winter. Yet I planned to sled on sand, reminding me of summer, the beach, my hometown in Florida. Kicking my legs forward, I began to move, faster and faster and faster as the white hills sped by me. Joy bubbled up, erupting in a high-pitched squeal reminiscent of my childhood.