White Sands National Park is the newest National Park, designated such in 2019. Before then it was a National Monument. Some 275 square miles of dazzling white gypsum sand dunes shift and settle in the Tularosa Basin a short drive from Las Cruces. The park is surrounded by White Sands Missie Range and could be …
Derek and I both like old buildings so we went into the old Mesilla village in Las Cruces. Mesilla was incorporated in 1848 and in the “wild west” era attracted colorful characters like Billy the Kid and Poncho Villa. Back in 1854, the United States acquired present day New Mexico and Arizona as part of …
Once again, we put our National Park pass to use and visited Dripping Springs Natural Area. It’s Bureau of Land Management and normal $5 but they accept the park pass so it was no charge for us. We spent the afternoon hiking around and checking out the area. First, we hiked out to the namesake, …
I will venture to bet that not many people reading this blog have been to Las Cruces, NM; though maybe I’m wrong. After leaving Tucson, we drove over to Las Cruces for a week to see what there is to see, and do what there is to do. Our campspot is back up against the …
Pontiac Ridge Our first hike of the year was short but sweet. We hiked Pontiac Ridge which was four miles with 1300′ of climbing so basically two miles up and two miles back. What a gem! Once you get past the last row of houses it’s all wilderness and absolutely beautiful. After a quick descent …
What an awesome year! We’ve ridden and hiked in some amazing places since we first set out from Bend last January. For the last day of the year it seemed fitting to mountain bike. If you read our blog, you know we have ridden quite a few sections of the AZ Trail. My favorite was …
This year Derek and I have collected billions of memories and they just keep coming this holiday season. I was able to spend my niece’s 8th birthday with her, and Christmas with family. We made four kinds of homemade tamales with my mom for a Christmas Eve celebration. Darnit, I don’t have a picture but …
Looking back through pictures, we realized we never posted from out last days in San Diego. While staying with Derek’s mom, we took another day to ride around the area and check out the views. We took our gravel bikes again and did a big loop that clocked in at 38 miles with 3600′ of …
Tourists in Our Old Town Before Bend, Derek and I lived in San Diego and now we’re back as tourists. We took an afternoon to go down to La Jolla cove and walk along the beach and up through the town. Sixteen years later, the area largely looks the same. The sun, the surf, the …
Rancho La Costa Preserve We are back in Carlsbad, CA visiting family and friends. After an almost 7 hour drive the day before, we needed to stretch our riding legs. Not far from Derek’s mom’s house are the trails at La Costa Preserve. Riding almost every way up and down, we put together 14 miles …