Although we have been living in our van for over two months now, I haven’t been updating the blog every week about our journey. So, I’ve decided to start chronicling our time on the road: the adventures, the hard times, and all of the beauty that we see throughout the country.
This van life chronicles series is going to act as a sort of journal of our trips and our time on the road. I hope you enjoy this new series and please leave comments on what you want to know more about!
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Places We Went This Week
Van Life Chronicles Week One
After spending a few weeks at my parents’ house over the holidays, seeing family and working on van renovations, Dylan and I were eager to hit the road. In our last couple of days, we scrambled to install a heater, tie up some loose ends, and pack up the car with everything we will need for the next few months. Vinny (our van) won’t see my parents’ house for another 8 months if all goes according to plan.
Despite throwing most of our belongings in the van without any organization, we decided to venture out. We had a lofty goal of driving 3,000 miles in just 5 days from DC all the way to New Mexico. Our first night, we stopped at Dylan’s brother’s house for a quick pick me up before continuing on our journey.
We drove through St. Louis, stopping for a quick visit to Gateway Arch (National Park #11) before continuing our drive West. Over the next couple days, Dylan and I went to three states we had never been before (Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri) finding coffee shops to work in along the journey and delicious food to try (no one has time to cook after driving 8 hours a day).
Amarillo, Texas
After a long four days, we made it to Amarillo, Texas. A place I had not heard much about, but would soon hold a special place in my heart. You may find yourself driving down the highway through Texas and all of a sudden you look left and there are cars sticking out of the earth. This is Cadillac Ranch, an immersive art installation made by hippies from San Francisco, where you can spray paint Cadillacs from many years ago. I’m not sure the meaning behind all of it, but boy was it fun!
After a fun trip to the Ranch we explored deeper into this part of Texas and we found Palo Duro Canyon State Park. This park is home to the second largest canyon in the US and I couldn’t believe I had never heard of it. We chose to do a sunset hike to Lighthouse Trail. Walking amongst the red rock formations it struck me how crazy life is. One day I was in the snow ridden streets of Maryland and four days later I was walking through vast desert landscapes. Dylan and I were all alone at the top of the hike and we took our time just taking in our incredible surroundings.
National Park Exploring
That night, we sped on to Roswell, New Mexico (another new state for the both of us) home to aliens and UFOS. At every corner, there were alien figurines and UFO statues, including a McDonalds shaped like a UFO. Dylan was disappointed that we weren’t abducted by any while there.
Although we hoped to spend more time in Roswell, we had lofty goals to go to three national parks over the long MLK weekend, so we moved on. We got to Carlsbad Cavern (NP #12) with two minutes to spare before our self-guided tour through the caverns (if anyone knows me, then you’ll know I was super anxious about being late). Dylan and I made our way down the dark cavern halls into the vast Big Room in the end. We were mesmerized by the stalagmites and rock formations that sat within the cave’s walls. It was like entering another world.
At night, we treated ourselves to a movie and a stay in the Walmart parking lot (classic van life chronicles) before a long weekend of hiking in the Guadalupe Mountains (NP #13). These mountains are imposing and grand, but also very tiring to hike through. We hiked more than 20 miles in the park including the hike to the highest point in Texas: Guadalupe Peak. Not only did these mountains figuratively take my breath away, but they also literally took them away. We found the first of a string of wonderful camp spots right outside of Carlsbad, with our own fire pit and views over the mountains beyond.
Visiting White Sands felt like being in the middle of a dream. Everything about our visit was magical, that it almost didn’t feel real. The first night, we drove up to a free campground set on a lake outside of the park and were greeted by the most vibrant sunset that I have ever seen. I climbed atop Vinny’s roof and stayed there for 20 minutes just watching the sky transform before my eyes.
The following morning, we woke up to the sky yet again covered in hues of pinks and purples beckoning us to start our day. We drove to the grocery store in town before heading to the park and it was almost comically perfect. Each row was lined up with perfectly color coordinated stacks and the selections were impeccable. We had to grab a breakfast burrito and fresh tortillas for the van before heading into the park.
As soon as we drove through the dunefields of White Sands National Park (NP #14) I could tell this was going to be a special experience. We had purchased a sled and we were ready for a full day of dune explorations. Dylan and I found ourselves frolicking through the dunes, running around like little kids. Spending time finding the best dunes to sled and trudging up large dunes that felt like mountains. In the evening, we set up a blanket with cards on top of a dune to watch the sunset over the enchanting vistas beyond.
Our legs were spent and we were exhausted, so we visited the town diner for their famous Green Chile Cheeseburgers. All I can say was that my tastebuds were delighted. It was no surprise that a magical day led to yet another spectacular campsite.
Organ Mountains
This one sat below the Organ Mountains. It was dark when we got in, but the next morning I couldn’t believe my eyes. Jagged mountain peaks sat right above us and reminded me of the grand views in Patagonia. Amazed by the spot we found, I soon realized that I needed to use the restroom for the first time in nature. I set out with a shovel and some wipes to find a spot to do the deed. The clouds were turning pink above the mountains as I settled in. It was the prettiest restroom I had ever used.
We ended our time in the Organ Mountains with yet another wonderful hike and then we drove to one of our last destinations in New Mexico (for now). We found a spot along the Rio Grande to spend the night. We shared our camp with various grazing cows and were thrilled to find dung all around the area in the morning. After the work day, it was time to head to the destination we had planned for: Truth or Consequences.
Hot Springs
Truth or Consequences used to be known as Hot Springs, but they changed their name a few years ago. This town is a quirky small town that is famous for their hot springs, which are located at Riverbend Hot Springs. This private springs has hotel rooms and RV spots. We decided to shell out $65 for one night to stay in one of the RV spots and have full access to their springs. The RV spot itself was nothing special, but the springs were beautiful and therapeutic. It was the perfect way to end our long week of hiking (we had hiked 40 miles in 5 days).
After a few magical days, we decided to continue West and leave New Mexico. New Mexico don’t you worry, we plan on coming back. Here’s to the next week of exploring and the next series of Van Life Chronicles.
Where we Stayed
- Cracker Barrel Outside of St. Louis (38.6129802, -90.0452572)
- Cabela in Wichita (37.72670, -97.21149)
- Texas Travel Center in Amarillo (35.19125, -101.72582)
- Walmart in Roswell, NM (33.44911, -104.52531)
- Walmart in Carlsbad (32.39301, -104.22226)
- BLM Land outside of Carlsbad (32.20493, -104.33305)
- Holloman Lake Campground (32.81218, -106.12174)
- Organ mountains (32.3500600, -106.6128700)
- BLM Land on Rio Grande (33.10072,-107.28522)
- Riverbend Hotsprings $65 (33.12776,-107.25062)
I hope you enjoyed my first van chronicle. Let me know what you’d like to read about in the next one!
