The early morning pre-sunrise shadows added an extra dimension to the dunes. It was cold outside, but the dunes beckoned one last time. 

We were on the road by 9 AM, headed west on I-20. The topography began changing once we were past the Permian Basin. The “hills” and bit more vegetation were a welcome change. We merged with I-10 and crossed into Mountain Standard Time near Van Horn, Texas. The topography drastically changed after we traveled through El Paso shortly after noon, with the hills becoming steep, craggy mountains, generally free of vegetation. Pistachio orchards began appearing and continued as we crossed into southwestern New Mexico. Near the New Mexico/Arizona border, we turned south toward our first target destination, Rusty’s RV Ranch in Rodeo, New Mexico, arriving at about 5 PM. The remainder of the evening was spent setting up, and enjoying the New Mexico sunset.