1.   In any case, the gas around Delano -- trapped in tightly packed sand that resembles concrete -- may be hard to extract.

2.   Laurent and I went for a walk on the packed wet sand and enjoyed the fading light on the water trapped in sand ripples.

3.   We ran, threw out our arms and danced ridiculous dances on the packed sand until we were breathless and numb with cold.

4.   Out on the runway itself, which is of hard packed sand, helicopters stood ready for takeoff.

5.   The south shore landscape is arid and harsh, with packed sands and hewn river canyons more resembling Utah than lake shoreline.