osley perception: expect the unexpected

originally, the plan was the camp two nights in texas to break up the drive and allow enough time to check out white sands and make it to santa fe for an evening or two. from there, it was an easy drive to the grand canyon and we could camp in arizona for a couple days before heading to california. as we got closer to the first campsite, the rain started coming down, the sun began to set, and the temperature was dropping. setting up a tent in those conditions made for an undesirable experience.

after some thought and debate, we decided to just keep driving through the evening and pull off at a rest stop for the night. having perfected the art of sleeping in the car, it was easy to get things set up comfortably. everyone slept well and was ready to drive to white sands to check it all out.

unexpectedly mind-blowing! the detour off ten was very bland and unassuming.

the dunes where white as snow!

taking inspiration from the seafari girls of nantucket, we rented a saucer to sled down the dunes.

driving through new mexico was mesmerizing, and we actually missed the highway change for white sands...the navigator was focusing more on the scenery and less on the map! the whole white sands adventure took longer than expected and was totally worth it. with the sun getting ready to set and knowing that camping in new mexico was iffy, we needed to, once again, come up with a new plan. we agreed to skip santa fe and the grand canyon, making a the new goal of landing in arizona for the evening.

over the summer, we had an enjoyable conversation with a man at the bar of pi pizzaria. he had traveled the world as a skydive instructor and told us that if we were near eloy, az, it would be a great place for a first time jump. about half an hour north of tuscon, eloy is skydive arizona. boasting the largest drop zone in the world, we made the move and signed up for the next morning.

arriving at 8:00 a.m, we embarked on one of our most adventurous, adrenaline filled experiences! by 9:30, we were suited up, given brief, easy instructions, and loaded onto a plane full of the national skydiving team. the plane zooms up to an elevation of 13,500 feet, the door slides open, and out you go...