When I graduated high school, I had the honor of travelling in a 2016 Dodge Grand Caravan to California with 4 other people. We started the journey at 3 AM with my sleepy little brother and his friend, reluctantly, close in toe. The trip to California from Little Rock, Arkansas was expected to take 27 hours if you drove straight through. Luckily, we had planned stops along the way, which broke up the 27 hours over a 4 day span. If you don’t know where I-40 goes, it travels through Arkansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arizona, and to California. My mother and I had friends that had recently moved to New Mexico, and they had agreed to letting us stay with them while we took a break from driving. I was not prepared for New Mexico. When we arrived in Albuquerque, I was beyond ready to be out of the car, because we had only stopped for gas and restroom breaks. Albuquerque was the first real stop since we left Arkansas. We are looking at 12 hours in the car at this point. It was around 6 o’clock New Mexico time and the sun hadn’t quite set. But when it did, wow. We decided to climb Sandia Mountain as the sun was setting, and while we were walking, the light was getting more pink on the ground. The thing about this sunset, though, was that on one side of your head the sky would be pink, but on the other side, it could be a bright blue. Sprinkle a few rainstorms in the distance and that’s exactly what it looked like. It is simply breathtaking. I could take a picture and then a minute later the sky could be a totally different color, and it happened for 10 minutes. I have never been so amazed. The next day, we went ventured away from Albuquerque and went to Nambe Falls, Chimayo, and Santa Fe. All of which were other worlds to me. It was warm, but not humid, and I experienced my first altitude burn (which is very weird since in Central Arkansas, everything is fairly flat). We spoke with Native Americans who were trading in the Santa Fe market, and I had chili cheese fries. When the woman asked me, “Red or green?” I can only imagine what my face looked like when it twisted up in confusion and I realized she put real chili peppers in her chili. The day consisted of a lot of food and a lot of water, since I had gotten sick from the altitude the moment we got out of the car in Albuquerque. The drive from Santa Fe back to Albuquerque was shocking, because on one side of the highway there was another beautiful New Mexico sunset, and on the other side was a huge lightning storm that we got to watch roll through from the distance. It was such a show, and I remember being tired and irritable when my brother yelled, “BLAMMM!” every time lightning struck somewhere. The whole experience was awe-inspiring. California was surprisingly cold and I was surprisingly relaxed, despite stress back home and missing my boyfriend tremendously. After that trip, I learned that absence truly does make the heart grow fonder, and I have never been more excited for a hug in my life. The trip had numerous memorable aspects, but New Mexico was by far my most favorite place. I often joke with River about if I ever ran away, how he would check in New Mexico first. I often remember how it felt to be there, and miss it more than I expected to, but I appreciate the sunsets, random storms, and that breathtaking walk that consisted of cactus dodging and snake watching, all while missing the world’s most gorgeous sunset behind me.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorGabrielle Willingham is a young Arkansan woman who sees the importance of simultaneous cynicism and optimism. Gabrielle is currently working on a MA in Communication with a focus in gender studies and political science. Archives
January 2021
Categories |