Getting Sandy

Some of you may have read my blog, A Boondoggle Adventure.  I was inspired by Brad Pitt's photo shoot at White Sands National Monument.  First, I had to go see this amazing place in person.  And second, I thought White Sands was a great backdrop for photos as demonstrated by Brad Pitt's photos.

I tried to get Dakotah to duplicate this pose.  I'll just say, Brad Pitt is pretty talented.

The information I read online talked about people getting lost because they didn't pay attention to the markers so I made sure we were ready.  Preparing for our visit, I thought Dakotah and I would have to trek a good distance to get to untouched, mountainous mounds of sand.  I packed us a backpack full of water, food and a flashlight (in case we got lost).  We had our phones fully charged and was GPS ready.

The drive into White Sands starts off slow, with some sand on the landscape.  As you continue to drive, it gets a little thicker.  There are places where you can turn off the road and park.  It's challenging not to turn off right away because you get so excited and amped about getting out there to see it and touch it.  We were patient and drove in further past the other tourists who were already on the sand.  Our patience paid off because we landed some untouched spots right off the road.  We were the only ones there.

With such an amazing backdrop, we decided to show off the colorful outfits we picked up in New Orleans to have a photoshoot.  Dakotah has a creative eye for photography.  I can't take any credit, including the ones of her which she took with a tripod.

I love this colorful, flowy skirt made in East Africa.

We can entertain each other for hours-- one of the things I love about our relationship.

I'm floating!

Dakotah and I don't need much to have fun together.

We seriously crack each other up!  We can be so silly!

So over-exposed but I think it's a great shot.

We were scheduled to make an overnight stop in Tucson and another stop somewhere in between Tucson and San Diego.  After our visit to White Sands we were amping to get home.  We stopped in Tucson for a pedi break, while we napped to energize for a long drive home.  We ended up driving a total of 13 hours that day, arriving in Imperial Beach at midnight.  It was an exhausting drive but Dakotah and I were so happy to be home.

Would I drive cross-country again?  I learned on this trip that I'm a better passenger than a long-distance driver.  I'm okay with that because I have a partner who truly enjoys driving (Thanks John).  So yes, I'd absolutely drive cross-country again and will someday but not without John!