White Sands National Monument

 

We spent the morning in our lovely Walmart parking lot of Las Cruces, working on business for Jordan’s online company, Surgical Fibers. After lunch we took the quick 60 mile drive to White Sands right through a desert and U.S. Rocket launching testing facility. It was a pretty boring drive but every desert has it’s beauty if you look for it. This particular one had some pretty cool rocky mountains with crazy layers on both sides of the desert. And then there was this beautiful golden glowing grass on the sides of the road that would dance with the wind. Their color is unlike any other and catches your eye in the sunlight.

The white dunes appear out of no where across this desolate place but we were stoked to be there. We pulled up and walked around the visitor center for a few and without wanting to waste anymore daylight we anxiously headed into the park. We picked up our annual “Adventure Pass” for $80.00. It allows you to get into National Parks, Reserves and other government regulated areas for free or for a fraction of the price. I think that Military and Seniors get a free pass or discounted one at the very least! Anyways, we have found on our adventuring that this pass comes in handy and saves us a lot of money throughout the year.

There is a 14 miles loop through this National Monument full of great picnic areas and many areas to stop and play. I have grown up playing in sand dunes, as my father loves to ride dirt bikes, but these were unlike any other I have seen. They are so white….. little baby crystals that catch the sun and sparkle. We climbed up to the top of one of the first dunes we came to and our mouths just fell open…. Everywhere you look there are these white dunes. Just a minute ago we were driving across this very desolate desert and now we are in a whole other world. This happens a lot in a nature I have been noticing. Like the redwoods and the coast, or the geysers and mud pots in Yellowstone. I guess that every little piece of sand here is made up of gypsum and that there is a lake bed only twelve inches under the ground which allows it to stay where it is. I can’t imagine what this place looked like before all the gypsum crystals were crushed into tiny pieces… probably pretty crazy!

We spent the rest of the afternoon playing like little kids in the sand. We made sand angels, ran up and down, tried to sled down them and explored this new world. We waited to leave until after sunset because we couldn’t pass up the opportunity. It was pretty marvelous. We had 360 degrees of pure, raw, untouched beauty with all sorts of shades of pink, purple, and orange.

We had to book it down to Carlsbad for another day of adventuring tomorrow, but next time you come through New Mexico stop by White Sands, you won’t regret it! And bring a sled!!!

Jordan's Sand Angel

Justin has big wings!

My happy little guy with thunder thighs and T-Rex wings

See ya Later Montana!

My mind is blown every time we are blessed with a gracious host on our travels. Though I love driving and we really do have a lot of fun staying at Wal Mart parking lots and such, we really love a little break. A place to shower, plug in, and unwind.

Our friend from San Diego moved up north and invited us to stay a while. After a summer of only me and Jordan together 24/7 we were excited to be around another person. Plus it gave me a place to stay while Jordan was on his man trip in Wisconsin. We had so much fun exploring little towns, northern beaches and of course the REDWOODS!!! (another blog to come for these... They are more than deserving!) Jordan and I both celebrated our birthdays there and were completely overwhelmed with the kindness of our friends! They even took us out to sushi to celebrate. Most days I feel very undeserving of the kindness from others. I have learned on the road to not only accept it but to pass it on. It's a humbling and beautiful lesson to learn.

So here is a thank you to all of our gracious hosts. Thank you for opening your homes, showers, and extension cords. Thank you for opening your hearts and sharing conversations. Thank you for your gifts and so many countless acts of kindness. We couldn't do what we do without people like you!

Hebgen Lake, Montana

Goodbye Montana, See you next Summer!

Awesome picture that Jordan took!

Parker to Tucson

We left Joshua Tree full of excitement and somewhat in shock. We still couldn’t believe that we were embarking on this journey with THREE! We are either crazy or are about to have the best trip of our lives!

After a crazy few weeks, well basically months (since we got back to So. Cal) we were ready for our river getaway. As most trips in and out of California we make it a point to stop at Emerald Cove in Parker. Jordan’s parent’s membership gets us a killer deal and the rays of sunshine provide a perfect oasis on the river’s edge. We couldn’t wait to show Justin our little hideout.

three little peas in a pod

Colorado River

After a few days of rest and relaxation at the river we were ready to hit the road again. Next stop, Quartzsite AZ. Both of the boys are huge rock/gem fans and Quartzsite just happened to be in full swing of their annual rock and gem show. There are thousands of tents and different vendors all lined up on the streets selling all of their treasures. Besides the rocks there are rv supplies, antiques, and all sorts of treasures of old! We walked around a very small portion of it for a couple of hours. We probably could have been there for days considering all the things we didn’t see, but we had to get back on the road to Tucson.

Treasure Hunters!

Meet Mark Twain our newest traveling buddy!

It’s funny while living in Tucson for our first year of marriage I wasn’t too thrilled on the place. Yet, every time we go back I am filled with so much joy. It’s funny how blessings become more apparent in retrospect. I get overwhelmed just thinking of all the amazing things that came out of that year. Here’s to name a few:

1.     Built a solid foundation for our marriage, just the two of us.

2.     Paid off almost every drop of debt

3.     Sold our extra car and got rid of car payments!

4.     Built some lifelong friendships- the ones that become a part of your family

5.     Learned how to live on a budget

So, coming back to Tucson is always happy for us, a sweet reminder of a lot of awesome things and a lot of great memories. Plus, we get to see Mikey, one of those friendships that have turned into brotherhood. Even though we have an extra person this time around, Mikey still welcomed us with open arms! He has one of the most giving, loving and hospitable hearts of anyone I know. His house always feels like “home” and that’s something that is so nice to find when you live out on the road. We took Justin to our old Tuesday night hang out and reunited with some old friends. It was a lot of fun full of a lot of laughter. After that our friend Steve showed us how to prepare and eat MRE’s, like he did while he was in Afghanistan for six months. It was also full of laughter and awe. It’s pretty crazy that our soldiers live off of those things. On our second day there, the boys went golfing and had a BBQ and I had a coffee date with my old manager (from In-n-Out) and her family. I love that I am still in touch with her even though it’s been almost three years since I left the company. They are amazing and we had such a good time.

After a slow morning on Thursday and a fun lunch at Tucson’s Eegees we said our goodbyes and made our way to Las Cruces, NM. We are planning to hit up White Sands National Monument on Friday so we need to get Destiny a little closer. 

Jordan and Mikey

Me and Sandra

Steve cooking us up some MRE's

Military guy...

Justin is ready for another day

Steve gave Jordan and awesome Ukulele!

Love AZ gas prices!

Lunch Date with these Handsome Men!