Color Stories: Nature Amplifies the Senses

Nature has always had a way of bringing my senses to life. I find that to be true, now more than ever. Needing adventure and escape in late Fall 2020, Jake and I packed up ourselves + the pups in Klaus and headed West to Big Bend National Park.

Although some interstate travel was necessary, the trip lasted 14 days on a mix of paved and unpaved roads through almost forgotten towns and the backcountry of the Southwest TX desert.

In Klaus, getting there quickly isn’t the objective. (If you are new to our adventures, we travel in a 1990 U1300 Mercedes Unimog repurposed as our home on the road named Klaus.) 55 mph is a solid average for us. Our adventures are about the road less traveled and the unexpected you find along the way. Both the journey and the destination are set with intent, and in Klaus we can go just about anywhere we want to. This trip brought us back to big skies, bright stars (a.k.a. zero light pollution), open roads and Mother Nature.

Big Bend’s landscape is wild, unapologetic and breathtaking. Upon entry, we were rendered speechless by the majesty of this natural wonder. The color palette of azure blues, sun drenched yellows, cactus greens, terracotta hillsides and ivory sands commanded our full attention. We spent our first night in a backcountry canyon surrounded by prickly pears and lechuguillas. The daylight sun gave way to brisk winds and clearly defined constellations.

On our second night in the backcountry, we ventured to a hot spring, nestled amongst twisting grapevines and desert sands. We woke up to an ombre sunrise on a crisp desert morning.

 Spoiler alert- we also snuck a peek at Mexico, courtesy of the Rio Grande!!!
In our day to day lives, it is so easy to get caught in the mix. This trip away from the unknown renewed our relationship with nature and with ourselves. It opened our eyes to the beauty that surrounds us and brought us back with a sense of optimism for the future. The SW deserts of TX left a mark on us, but we left no trace.

*Please enjoy the pics! It is always so hard to capture what you see IRL, but we did our best to bring it to you.