Rain in the desert and other life-giving experiences

The Recalculating road trip is off to a great start!

We left Austin on Friday night — a few hours later than we had hoped but isn’t that always the way when you’re trying to get out of town early on a weekend?

Our first planned stop was to an RV park in Ozona, Texas, where we essentially planned to stay the night and get back on the road ASAP in the morning. This plan changed slightly when we arrived at the site around 11 p.m. and realized it was the campground version of the resort in The Shining … totally deserted, miles from civilization and eerily lit.

The decision to backtrack a few miles to the Econolodge and RV Park was a no-brainer. So, we essentially spent our first night on the road in a gravel parking lot with water, electric and sewage hookups but we weren’t chopped into bits by a maniac so we’re considering it a win.

By the next afternoon we were in Carlsbad, New Mexico — chosen for its short distance from both Guadalupe Mountains National Park and Carlsbad Caverns National Park. It was cold, windy and raining — in the DESERT — when we arrived, so we opted to sightsee 750 feet underground first.

The caverns are amazing. Miles and miles of beautiful rock formations all in a cave the size of about 14 football fields. Uncle Toyo (aka Tony) has been learning how to use our DSLR camera and caught what I must say are some pretty impressive shots considering the very low light conditions in the cave.

The next day we braved the sunny, cold, windy weather and hiked the 8.4-mile round-trip trail to the top of Texas’ tallest peak: Guadalupe Mountain. We almost died. Not really, but it was insanely hard and so windy at times that Uncle Toyo literally grabbed my backpack because he was worried I’d get blown off my feet. So chivalrous.

Surviving that hike was invigorating. I can’t recall ever feeling so bone-tired and accomplished. Everything from our shoulders down ached, yet we’re glad we did it. We live with so many comforts today — I often take the elevator up to my fourth-floor office for goodness’ sake — and coming by something the hard way reminded me of the incredible ways people survived on treacherous landscapes for generations. Every step, every day was tough then. Hunting, gathering, sheltering, finding water even … all of it required a level of skill, commitment and grit that few today possess. They probably went to bed bone-tired every night — whereas I sometimes read for an hour before I’m tired enough to sleep.

Easy street is a cozy place, but I think we’ve travelled it too long. We’re looking forward to following the paths of more resistance over the next four months, and hopefully finding life-giving experiences and valuable lessons in unexpected places.

That said, we’ve decided that to survive the remainder of our trip while maintaining our sanity and love for one another, we’re capping the hikes at 7 miles per day. Reflective thoughts on the rewards of grit are little comfort on the trail, and that last mile up and last mile down on this one were so brutal I literally thought about ducking and rolling the rest of the way down and praying I don’t break a bone.

That kind of thinking is not what Recalculating is about. We want to take an enjoyable detour from our “normal” lives, see the world and make memories before returning to our friends, families and full-time jobs. Being miserable for two hours of a six-hour hike doesn’t fit that bill. It also doesn’t allow me to move much for the following days — my legs are so sore I cannot even begin to describe it. Every step sends shooting pain throughout my lower half. Muscles that I didn’t even know I had ache even when I’m lying down…

Yet we still went on a short hike today. That means I’m going to have some seriously sculpted legs by the end of this trip, if I can manage to stop eating so many freakin’ tacos. ⇐ Written while sipping a margarita and munching chips and salsa.

Which brings me to my final point: After hiking almost 9 miles and burning an Apple watch-estimated 1,238 calories, all while in New Mexico … all you want is a cold drink and some great Mexican food. Sadly, we learned the hard way that restaurants in Carlsbad are not open on Sundays. None. Of. Them. And we tried … Yelp, Google and physically driving around revealed the only things open were a smoothie food truck and Pizza Hut. So we went back to the RV and feasted on leftover pizza, prosciutto, raw carrots, crackers, mixed nuts and grapes. Maybe that’s the kind of gourmet dining we should get used to during this RV-living phase. Or maybe we’ll plan ahead better when we hit grocery stores prior to small towns … just in case.

And to cap off this post that’s mostly about our first three days of travel, but also a little about life and vitality, I must share that we got another nephew this morning! Happy birthday, Ryan! We can’t wait to meet you!

Entrance to the cave, which we entered when we walked into the cave on Monday. Weather and late arrival demanded we take the elevator down on Saturday.

Carlsbad Caverns, walking down.

Carlsbad Caverns, walking down.

Carlsbad Caverns, The Big Room.

Carlsbad Caverns, The Big Room.

Carlsbad Caverns, The Big Room.

This bridge was the only break from the rocky terrain.

Uncle Toyo!

Proof we made it to the top!

View from the top, just one side.

Creative series, shot 1 of 3.

Creative series, shot 2 of 3.

Creative series, shot 3 of 3.