Fall break for college students is a time to breathe some fresh air, not think about books, test, or class for a few days and for Texas Tech students a time to get out of Lubbock and escape the dirt. For me and two friends, it was just what we needed.  We planned the trip, had our itinerary, packed our bags and on a windy Thursday afternoon we loaded the car.  Of course we then had to unload and rearrange and ditch some superfluous gear, reload and finally were able to take off down the road to New Mexico, driving into the wind and through a dirt storm.  It was great to be able to turn off my cell phone when I got in the car and just listen to the music and see Lubbock disappear in the dirt behind us.  Thankfully we drove out of the wind and dirt by the time we hit New Mexico.  

We drove through Carslbad on our way to our first camping site at the Guadalupe Mountains National Park.  Of course by the time we got there, it was dark, but then again we expected that leaving after class.  The campsite was busy and pretty full, but we found a spot tucked away, unloaded and set up camp.  After we got all of our gear stored away, we decided we were hungry and would make some sandwhiches up in the parking lot near the car.  Well it turns out we were not the only one wanting a late night snack.  We had just finished up our sandwhiches, were munching on some sweet popcorn, when a skunk (our own Pepe Le Pew) came to join us to see if we had extras for him.  It was like a slow motion scene.  My sister and I froze in weird positions scared to move with the skunk circling us and the ice chest.  Pepe then walked up to our friend and brushed up against his leg just like a cat does and then finally after several intense moments Pepe Le Pew went on his way. 

So night one: set up in the dark and a visit from skunk

The next morning we woke up to beautiful scenery that was hidden in the shadows the night before.  We cooked breakfast, yummy veggie loaded breakfast burritos, cleaned up and got ready for our short drive to Guadalupe Mountains National Park visitor center and our hike up in McKittrick Canyon.  Now before we could go on our hike we were going to have to drive to the nearest town and get some more ice.  Apparently my ice chest is not keeping as cold as it use to, so we had to replace the ice frequently.  We ended up driving about 35 miles for ice  in White City, NM where we encountered our only bear and a few aliens.  Thankfully no one was abducted or eaten and we were able to head back towards McKittrick Canyon for our day hike and lunch.    
 

Hi everyone! So this week is going to be fun, crazy, and really busy! I leave for NCECA (national council on education for the ceramic arts... that is a mouthful) clay conference in Tampa, Florida on Tuesday and will be back home by Sunday.  I will be posting about my trip sometime next week (not messing with the laptop).  For now I have to pack and get ready for my trip!  Have a great week and I will be back (hopefully a little tanner) next week!