White Sands and Franklin Mountains

Sam and I made the most of his two days here by visiting White Sands National Monument in New Mexico and the Franklin Mountains that are a few miles from the casita. We drove to White Sands on Thursday evening to see the moon rise and were worried about the impending clouds. We arrived at dusk and the view for miles around was cloudy, yet tinged with pink and purple from the setting sun. We saw lightning bolts from about twenty to thirty miles away, which is one of my favorite sights here. The moon was full Thursday and we were so happy to see it rise! It was orange and huge and we watched it ascend into the sky until it disappeared behind the many ominous clouds.

We hiked in the Franklin Mountains State Park on Friday evening about two hours before sunset and were grateful that the sun was on the other side of the mountain! The temperature was tolerable, but the hike was tough. The terrain is jagged and rocky and it was a tough ascent and descent. Even though we had to take our time figuring out the path up, the view at the top was fantastic. We could see the Rio Grande and mountains to the east in New Mexico. I hope to return to both of these places on one of my weekends to check out more trails and to picnic at White Sands. This part of Texas is so accessible to many interesting landmarks and I am grateful to be able to leave the city and within twenty minutes see nothing but mountains and space.

Tomorrow, I begin my orientation at the birth center. It will last for four days and we will do one twenty-four hour shift this week. During orientation, we will learn more about Maternidad, our responsibilities, and take a field trip of El Paso to learn about great eats and markets. Stay tuned for details from the first few days!