Okay, okay, this is another generic blog post about rounding out another year. Something, something, something, I’ve done well, and I look forward to next year. Then, to subvert all expectations, I will admit that I hadn’t done that well, and will confess that I greatly fallen short of my hopes and dreams.

Whatever the case may be, taking a trip to two sandy places within a four hour drive of Albuquerque, NM is a seriously rewarding venture. And I would highly encourage you to try to visit both places at some point in the near future. Because now is almost always better than later.

For some reason I really like looking at sand dunes. They’re just so pleasing, and calming to to view. For some people, these are beautiful places. To others, it’s just sand. Boring. I wouldn’t harbor any ill feelings towards those who don’t appreciate these areas but, I would probably prod them to take a second look.

Looking across the desolation can sometimes be a cathartic experience. At least for me, I can dump out what burdens me into the sands. Admittedly, not all lingering feelings let go when I want them to but, the sands are able to welcome much of the pains. You can also allow the sand to be your audience for when you wish to aspire for greatness. Much akin to shouting aloud upon a mountain peak, you can beat your chest upon a dune.

I personally think that White Sands is the most ideal location to expunge your negative thoughts. Let the gypsum bury them under, and then allow the nearby weapon test sites to blow them away! The relatively easy access, and low difficulty of hiking around the gypsum dunes makes this place an ideal place for rest and recovery.

Find a nice, lone dune out in the distance. Take a seat upon it. And just cry it out. Fun personal fact, I haven’t emotionally cried in about nine years so I have to resort to shouting out my frustrations instead. You can also shout it all out too if you wish. It’s just that other hikers may be able to eavesdrop in on your personal time. To better mitigate this, just get into the park upon opening (7 a.m.), and be the first one out there in the dunes to let it all out.

As for the Great Sand Dunes, it’s where you can have your own… “ascension”. My suggestion for having the best experience at this park is to summit the nearby tall dune. The dune has a name but, I never remember it. Anyway, climbing the dunes will probably be the most intense mile long hike you will likely ever have. Upon reaching the top of the dune, you can call out to the mountains, and proclaim that you are the greatest! Shouting here is more acceptable as everyone else will understand, and probably give you a thumbs up.

At the end of it all, try taking a self portrait to record what you have accomplished at the parks. These don’t have to be masterpiece self portraits. Just taking a simple selfie with your cellular device will suffice. But, be sure to take a good look at the resulting self portrait. What do you see? I’ll leave interpretation up to you as this would be a personal journey. What have I seen in my self portraits? Well, that’s an answer I’m probably taking to my grave so… ha!

I won’t dare give some kind of money-back guarantee that doing what I did will help any of you. But, it did somewhat help me at least. I admittedly did find some of my emotional baggage still clinging onto me from White Sands so I’ll probably have to go out there again sometime soon.

All-in-all, go to these parks. You won’t regret it.