Bound for Las Cruces, New Mexico, I was excited to see mountains on the horizon, and couldn't wait to get closer to them. I was also eager to meet the place I will call home for the month of November. 

I'm not really sure how I ended up selecting Las Cruces as my first major stop of this year of reflection and relocation. I suppose that browsing around on Airbnb will take you to some interesting locales. One of my goals has been to spend the majority of my time during this trip in places I have not previously been. Another aspiration is to skip cold winter weather. Last, but not least, I wanted a complete change of scenery. Las Cruces fit all of those criteria.

The drive proved to be as wonderful as I had hoped. The mountains grew in size and quantity as I wound through Ruidoso and Alamogordo. Usually, I would have stopped more to explore at these little outposts, but I was both impatient and tired. My inner explorer needed to recharge her battery. 

The temptation became too much to resist, though, when I reached White Sands National Monument. I had been looking forward to seeing it, and thought it would be nice to have a preview for when I returned. As a holder of an America the Beautiful National Park Pass, it was also a free preview. 

After snapping a few photos and winding my way along the drive plowed into the white gypsum sand, I was back on the road. The Organ Mountains grew larger and more spectacular, and soon I was descending through them into the Mesilla Valley, my new home. 

My house has more room than I could ever need, seeing as my earthly belongings consist of four totes, a suitcase, an art portfolio, and a small SUV. It is comfortable, bright, and has a lovely oasis of a backyard. It will make the perfect spot to paint my impressions of the beautiful places I have seen so far on this journey, and it welcomed me with a spectacular sunset to kick off that inspiration.