I have now been through four Border Patrol stations. They don’t do much besides ask if I’m a US citizen, let the dog sniff sometimes, or just wave me through. I must look like the All-American girl and no worry to them. I’d be curious to see what they do when they actually suspect something fishy going on.

It’s been an experience traveling this part of the country. My only complaint – the water is horrible and my skin is crying to get back to the humid, moist environment I left. I drink a lot of water and I am finding it almost impossible to stay hydrated.

Made it to Big Bend National Park. It was total desert all the way there, but in the park I finally got to hike in mountains again! I actually stayed in Terlingua at another RV park. I mentioned that desert camping has its beauty, but what it doesn’t have is nice campgrounds! They are all parking lots with hookups, but oh well, I digress.

If you only have one day to spend in Big Bend, or one afternoon like me, I would suggest hiking the

It’s about a 5 mile round trip with 1100 ft elevation gain. At the top, you have some great views in both directions. This pic was for Patti Miller

It reminded me of being in Zion and sitting on the edge of a very high cliff. People were worried about us there, but in BB, it was only me. Good thing I didn’t slip!

Nap time! It was comfy up there and the weather was beautiful. For those of you who know me (or are getting to know me), you know I love being on top of a mountain, especially with nobody else around. I don’t know why, but it’s one of the best feelings and kinda spiritual for me.

We saw the world’s smallest Buccees on the way here, but is this the world’s smallest church?

Maybe six people could fit in there? Services on Sunday! I left my car in the picture for scaling purposes. To be honest with you, I don’t know if Big Bend is a destination place, but if you’re in the area, definitely check it out. Maybe I needed to spend more time there to get a better viewpoint? I have a friend camping there as I type this (we should have coordinated and camped together – missed opportunity). Maybe she will have a different opinion. On to the next stop this week.

Oh, wait! Let me explain Marfa first. I wish I had a picture of all the crazy things I see on the side of the road. Some of them are worth a U-turn (I saw a 3-story high roadrunner today, but didn’t turn around). Anyway, I felt like I was driving forever and seeing nothing but desert and warn down tiny towns – which is what I thought Marfa was. I didn’t even slow down! Until I started seeing stuff like this on the side of the road (if you ever drive through SW Texas, keep your eyes open! I’m sure I missed a few crazy things.)

You can see there is nothing but desert surrounding these things! Turns out, these are considered artistic sculptures (the Prada one is pretty famous I guess) and Marfa has quite the artistic scene. Huh. I didn’t turn around to check this out. There is a reason I don’t collect art – I don’t always understand it. To each his own.

I also saw this blimp for probably 20 miles before I actually reached it (just outside of Marfa). I was wondering if they were building a subdivision in the middle of the desert because it looked like something they would float in the air to advertise new homes. I never figured this one out, and I am getting off target, but this is how my mind wanders when there is nothing else to look at. I can see that some people actually live out here because there are shacks scattered around. I don’t know how they do it. They must be made from stronger cloth than me. I did see a sign painted on one of the decaying buildings “Keep the Lonely Places Lonely”, so maybe they like it that way?

My next stop was Las Cruces, NM and White Sands National Park!

This is another place I suggest you stop by if you are in the area. I spent a couple of hours out there and it was pretty cool! I was walking a 2.2 mile ‘Backcountry Trail’ and quickly got to the point where I couldn’t see another soul (or any indication of where my car might be). I took a 360 degree video, but it wouldn’t upload to this blog. I felt like I was the only person on a desolate planet. I was grateful for the little pole markers to keep me on track. I was hiking up one side of the dunes and running down the other. Those of you reading this who grew up with me in Southern California – remember the big sand hill we used to run down at Point Magoo? Same feeling on a smaller scale, but that’s OK since it is 50 years later.

One more stop before I hit Scottsdale. Follow me on this tip of the day. I was a real dummy.

Tip of the day: If you try to map yourself to White Sands, make sure you go to the National Park and NOT the White Sands Missile Range because they WILL turn you away and create an hour long detour. I should have got a clue when I saw live tank artillery going off in the distance. Go ahead and laugh at me, it’s OK.