Road Trip, Day 7...concluded

We headed off to the East in search of New Mexico. Immediately we entered desert and it was exactly what we hoped for. We drove and drove and drove. We went through the Missile Range and where the first bomb was tested. Then, we made it just before sunset to the White Sand Dunes National Park. It was absolutely beautiful. The Sand Dunes made the mountains in the background appear hot pink.

Sunset was definitely the time of day to go. The Dunes are very similar to the red ones that we saw in Vietnam.

We headed out south east towards Carslbad hoping to pitch camp before dark. We ended up in Carlsbad after 10 pm and really had a hard time finding a place to camp.
We ended up driving forever looking for a place and decided to park behind a motel. We made dinner over our camp stove in their parking lot and slept in the car...which was so uncomfortable. Its amazing how when on a road trip, taking a nap in a car is so comfy and easy, but when it comes to sleeping for the night...just not a good place to be.