ARIZONA ROAD TRIP WHOOP WHOOP :p
for about a week, my husband & i traveled through new mexico & arizona, crossing some national parks off our list & doing/seeing some other cool things. we were also able to see some family, which is always a plus. this was our first road trip in our new hybrid RAV4, which was awesome because it is such a comfy car AND the gas mileage was fantastic.
we started off driving for hours through new mexico to visit white sands NP & camp. white sands national park was really cool, a lot bigger than the great sand dunes in colorado (width-wise anyway). & the sand is SOOOO soft. we did not do much there, but we did wander around a little and attempted to sled (did not work out well). we then camped about 40 minutes away & ate tacos for dinner. our campsite had SUCH a beautiful view. i also weirdly slept really well? which was crazy.
day two, we visited the white sands missile range museum. we learned a lot of interesting facts about the history of various wars & how some missiles were created. we also walked around & got to see various military planes, vehicles, & missiles. the coolest thing i learned was that the WSMR helped with the sound effects for the star wars movies! explaining why there was randomly a darth vader helmet in the muesum. we then got tacos & coffee in las cruces. funny story, my allergies got REALLY bad when we were in this area. i am talking eyes watering, headache, running nose, the whole gang. come to find out that this area is where many pecan orchards are & there were SO many pecan trees, which i recently found out i am allergic too (at least it was pretty to drive through lol). we then drove to benson, arizona & stayed in a super cool airbnb.
day three was a pretty chill day. we drove down to huachuca city to go to my cousin's grad party, because she graduated high school & was named valedictorian (WOOOOOOO). it was super cool getting to celebrate her & seeing family. afterwards, we just hung out at the airbnb & just relaxed before heading back out on the road the next day.
day four was a hot & busy day. we drove up to saguaro national park, both sides, which was SUPER cool. there were so many cactuses, i have never seen so many in my life. we did a small hike on the east side, but it was super hot so we did not do too much. we then drove up to phoneix & stayed with another cousin. it was so fun seeing her.
day five, probably one of the HOTTEST days we were there. we tried this delicious coffee shop called better buzz. delicious cappuccino & spiced mochas. we then drove to canyon lake to swim, kayak, & paddle board. it was VERY refreshing given how hot it was. it was also my first time paddleboarding, which i really enjoyed it & want to do it more. we then went back to my cousins & rested before getting back onto the road for the next leg of our trip.
day six, we woke up early, got some more better buzz coffee, & started driving to the granite mountain hotshots memorial hike. it was really, REALLY hot, but a gorgeous hike & we learned about the wildland firefighters who passed away in that fire. definitely got me emotional, but it was a very meaningful hike. after hiking for about 4 hours, we went & got some breadsticks & pizza, stopped at the eric marsh foundation (prescott) to buy some souvenirs (the money goes towards helping familes who loved ones died fighting fires), & got some more coffee at a super cute shop called wild iris coffee house. we then drove up to flagstaff & camped at ashurst lake (i did NOT sleep well this time lol). day seven, the last day. we decided to drive home a day early, so this was a day full of driving, driving, & more driving. we tried yet another coffee shop in flagstaff called foxtail coffee. Very delicious & i bonded with the barista about being BROistas. then we drove for what felt like five million years to four corners, which was very underwhelming, unfortunately. we then just continued driving through southwestern colorado back up to colorado springs, which was WONDERFUL driving through such beautiful mountain passes (and it was so much cooler). we got home super late & basically just went to bed lol.
overall, the trip was so much fun & i am so glad that i was able to see two new national parks. i am also so happy i got to enjoy such a fun adventure with my husband. now i am chilling at home with a pretty gnarly sunburn & getting back into my routine of day-to-day life. also getting ready to go back to school this fall?!?!?!?!
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