48 Hour Road Trip
HEY GUYS!
As much as we all love our week long trips, sometimes we just don’t have that kind of free time. Not a problem. Weekend getaways can be intense and not for the faint of heart ( AKA anyone who enjoys to sleep), but it can be done AND you see some amazing sights! With that being said, I wanted to share with you my most recent 48 hour road trip I took a few days ago.
I was itching for one last adventure to end the year. Planning the road trip wasn’t that difficult. I had two places in mind: White Sands National Monument, New Mexico & the Prada Marfa art installation in Marfa, Texas. Luckily both destinations were doable in one day. The hard part would be surviving the drive (10 hours there, 12 back). Now I’ve been conditioned to drive long distances with no stops in between (besides getting gas) but nonetheless, it’s still exhausting. Just be sure to take turns driving, bring a good playlist, and drink a lot of caffeine.
Hours before hitting the road, we picked up the rental SUV and loaded our gear. Once our friend got off work and arrived (9:30 pm), we set off on our adventure.
FRIDAY NIGHT
There’s not much to say besides saying that the drive was indeed, very long. I was only able to keep my eyes open until 1:00 am and then I nodded off to sleep until around 6:30 am.
SATURDAY MORNING
We had finally arrived in New Mexico and celebrated by eating at McDonalds. A very popular road trip stop of mine for the simple fact that they are everywhere. I always get the same thing, oatmeal. Don’t sleep on McDonalds oatmeal guys! It’s actually pretty tasty and filling.
From there we headed straight to White Sands National Monument and arrived a little after 7:00 am. White Sands National Monument is a cool, blinding-white paradise hidden right off the US-Mexico border in New Mexico’s northern end of the Chihuahua Desert that is quite possibly the most underrated, unheard of, surreal, and unappreciated of all the parks in the USA. I think I first discovered this spot while scrolling through Instagram. Followed by looking through photos on Pinterest.
So what can you really do here besides get a good workout? Surprisingly, quite a bit. You can climb the sand dunes (obviously), rent a sled from the visitor center, take a hike along the various hiking trails, watch the sunset, and stargaze ( a great opportunity for astro pics).
To sum it up, white sands was beautiful as you can tell. We got lucky because the weather was perfect and the wind was pretty much non-existent. Because of the low wind, footprints were very visible and for pictures, that isn’t the most visually pleasing. We walked maybe a mile or two in the heart of the sand dunes to find the “untouched” sand dunes.
SATURDAY AFTERNOON
After getting slightly lost on the way back to the car, we immediately started our five hour drive to Marfa, Texas. What’s so great about this off-the-beaten-path, small town? More than meets the eye according to bloggers and celebrities who have visited. I was pleasantly surprised by the quirky and artsy atmosphere. Marfa has a lot to offer: art galleries & installations, locally-owned restaurants, friendly people, and relaxing atmosphere.
The one stop I wanted to make was at the Para Marfa art installation. It’s a replica of a Prada store, complete with window displays of purses and shoes…in the middle of the desert. Head around back, and you’ll see where visitors have left locks on the chain-link fence with their names.
Next stop: Convenience West- a real Texas BBQ joint. The only thing I found odd about this place and many other restaurants is that they opened at 5pm for dinner. We arrived soon after opening and there was already a line and for a good reason. The food was so. Damn. Good. I love bbq and this had to be one of my favorites. I mean, look at these photos! Try not to drool. Not only was the food delicious but the customer service was phenomenal. Everyone was genuinely so nice.
SATURDAY NIGHT
After stargazing and snapping a few shots, It was time to start our seven hour drive back to Dallas. It was just as grueling but worth it! This was the perfect road trip to end the year. I got to experience not one but two destinations that were on my bucket list this year.
I hope you enjoyed this post and maybe inspired you to visit these places. Please feel free to comment below or send me a message with any questions you may have! Thanks for reading.