girl on the road: all she wants to do is drive

on the road again, i have released myself from the grasp of hueco tanks. it was so difficult to leave and i think it hit me when i counted back in my calendar and realized i had been there for a month. time to go.

though most of the time i was lost in the crowds, i did make some good friends during my stay. the people i met all seemed to arrive at the point where it was time to leave, but this time it was i who had to leave. i didn't even really feel like climbing another day and was starting to feel lazy. lazy and happy to hang out, which doesn't make me feel very good about myself. it was time to move on. when i packed up the car almost everyone had gone climbing so i didn't get to say good-bye to too many people. i feel a bit bad about that, but they're also on the road so i hope they understand and perhaps we shall cross paths again.

leaving was tough to do, and i miss hueco. i was there long enough that the place felt a bit like a home to me - as close to a home as you can get when living out of your car on the road. it's like i've started my roadtrip all over again and while driving i feel a bit melancholy about the whole thing.

so i did the only thing feasible. i got naked.

i got to say good bye to one friend and talked with him about my departure. when he asked me where i was going to go, i just said that i was going to go look for a state park to visit and camp by myself, in search of solitude. he suggested city of rocks in new mexico. i was determined to make it to arizona, but when i reached the new mexico border (13th state visited on this trip i think... i've lost count or don't care to count anymore) i stopped at the welcome centre and picked up a few travel brochures.

i found that the city of rocks state park was just a mile away from the hotsprings i had

wanted to visit. earlier in the week i did a search online and found hotsprings with camping. then i stayed an extra day hoping to visit them on a rest day with others, but of course everyone had stuff to do. now the fact that they showed up on the map down the street from the state park my friend had mentioned, i couldn't resist. besides, the speed limit here is 75 which is about 120 kilometres an hour. betsy doesn't really like to go over 60mph so the drive is a bit longer than mapquest thought it would be.

first time on this trip that i've camped in a location without arriving with a friend or expecting to meet a friend.

i've soaked in the hot springs twice tonight and everyone here is so relaxed and

chilled out. i was hoping it wasn't going to be a swingers nudist colony, and if there's any of that i surely haven't seen it. my favourite pools were 106F and 103F. i can feel my worries slipping away as i soak, and a sense of calm comes over me. i haven't been to hot springs very much in my life, and i've never been by myself. now i understand why everyone here is so relaxed. i sat in the pool watching the stars and tracking my favourite constellations. it's a great first day back on the road. i think i'm going to stay on my own a bit longer.

here are a few pictures of some of the friends i made in hueco.