Great advice for the first trip, I shoot it a lot and can give you just a little more.
I shoot the bad water our area very early at sun up, hike out about three miles. Take a compass with you so you can get back to your veh with the sun in your eyes.
The Sand Dunes are best after a big wind but not only then.
I am an old guy and it is not that easy to go straight up the dunes, I try and go around and approach them from the long end. Try early, peoples footprints can ruin the shooting, only a wide angle or your 18-200 with a snack,water and tripod is enough to carry.
Shoot this in the full moon a second time.
Tecopa is good also, forget the Date Orchard.
If you rent a 4x4 you can got out to the moving rocks, they call it the race track.
Have fun and let us know how you did, I like some of my shots in blk/wht
You hold it down to focus let go and if you move focus again.
We have had some very positive feed back on this, some great ides please read all the positive feeds on this.
The first photo I took with this method as stated by others, I forgot the button was set for focus and just used the shutter release as I always had and did not get a good photo because I was not focused. It is strange at first but worthwhile. I learned from a lecture given by Robert O'Toole.
Yes, on the Nikon in you menu you will find AE- focus AMONG OTHER AE CHOICES.
Pick that one and learn to focus rather than pushing the shutter release 1/2 down to get focus.
Advantage if your using a telephoto lens when doing Macro it goes back and forth trying to focus every time you move and you keep loosing your subject.
You move up with your back focus, set it and push shutter release.