Sunday Summary #144

Visiting the Land of Enchantment

Hi there,

Welcome to Scho & Jo’s 144th Sunday Summary. This edition of the Sunday Summary was written in northern New Mexico.

We have two questionnaires for you in this email and would love your input!

Well, we didn’t mean for four weeks to pass by since our last Sunday Summary, but it has. Let’s catch you up!

Last 2 Weeks.

We spent two weeks working on BLM land in Carlsbad, New Mexico (you’ll notice a slew of blog posts below) and getting caught up on some much-needed work. It felt so good to check so many ongoing tasks off our to-do list, allowing us to focus on our current and upcoming travels. *Insert sigh of relief* During that time, we also waited out a sandstorm, which was a totally new experience for us. Following our “work-cation” we spent some time visiting three more National Parks.

First up was the Guadalupe Mountains. We climbed to the Top of Texas Guadalupe Peak and took in the incredible views overlooking the desert landscape that used to be underwater millions of years ago! It was incredible. We also hiked Devils Hall Trail and the Pinery Trail. The next day, we had rain, but we didn’t let that stop us as we hiked the McKittrick Canyon trail. Previously, while visiting Big Bend, a National Park ranger told us about the unique smell of the desert after rain. As two east coasters new to the desert landscape, we were blown away by the trail's unique floral and woody smell during the rain. We can see why people love the desert so much.

Next up was Carlsbad Caverns National Park. We went from above ground in the Guadalupe Mountains and then hiked down into the caverns below. It was truly a grounding experience seeing the massive scale of the caves. We were impressed with how beautifully the caves were illuminated by the National Park system and felt so lucky to have scored a spot on the only Guided Ranger Tours, which is limited to 24 people.

Our last park was White Sands National Park. We spent the day playing in the dunes, hiking the trails, and taking another Ranger Guided tour. We learned about the park’s unique ecosystem being located in a basin and what makes these gypsum sand dunes in the world (there are three in the world) so special: water! The cherry on top was watching the sunset over the dunes. It was stunning!

Mixed in with our time in New Mexico, we also spent time with Adam and Kathryn (Adventures of A+K) in southern New Mexico! We enjoyed eating at a local taco shop, family-style dinners, dog walks at sunset, and just hanging out while working during the day. We enjoyed a beautiful backdrop over the Organ Mountain Desert Peaks National Monument, which is BLM land - something we have quickly grown to love!

We headed north to explore northern New Mexico! We visited Santa Fe, ate delicious New Mexican food, explored the capital city, and went hiking in Santa Fe National Forrest. The Enchanted State even surprised us with a hot spring, which was more like a warm spring, but we were thrilled regardless. We didn’t have high expectations for New Mexico, but we were blown away by the culture, Pueblo and Spanish architecture, delicious food, and the ease and variety of outdoor activities. This will certainly not be our list time in New Mexcio

The Next Two Weeks.

This week we’re heading to our next state and will be seeing two sets of friends to share some memories visiting new (to us) National Parks and enjoying vanlife at it finest! Any guesses where we’ll be heading next? Honestly, this state is what I (Jen) was most looking forward to when starting van life, so traveling there, is probably going to make me emotional. I’m excited and a bit nervous… will it meet my expectations? TBD!

Videos.

In case you missed it, here are all the vlogs we’ve released since our last Sunday. Summary:

Blogs.

We’ve been working on getting caught up on all of our previous content work so we can focus on National Park and travel content. We’ve completely finished our Great Loop and Van Build blog posts and have published several great posts on some of the National Parks we’ve visited to help you during travel planning!

Great Loop Blog Post

Van Build Blog Posts

Congaree National Park Blog Posts

Big Bend National Park Blog Posts

From the Eyes of Ollie.

I had the best time visiting White Sands National Park! My parents buried me under the cool sand, and it felt great. I had a blast playing in the sand and running around the dunes. This might just be my favorite national park yet!

Have travel recommendations for us?

As we travel from Sea to Summit and explore all 50 states and 63 National Parks, we would love your recommendations for best restaurants, can’t-miss hikes, excellent camping spots, and favorite things to do around North America. Share your recommendations with us here!

Gratitudes.

One of the things we wanted more of in this van life chapter was the ability and ease of seeing family and friends more often. We just spent three nights with Adam and Kathryn in southern New Mexico and had such a great time. From eating delicious tacos to dog walks and a family-style dinner. It’s been so nice to see friends while traveling and even better yet, to get to create so many great memories together.

Peace and love,

Jen + Elliot

 P.S.

If you are new to our Sunday Summary, you can take a look at previous issues here.