Phoenix to New Mexico

Designer price tags, shootout vibes, and a once-a-year cactus bloom.

We left Phoenix early in the morning—but not before I somehow found myself in the fanciest second-hand shop I’ve ever stepped foot in. Think designer labels for hundreds of dollars, polished racks, and perfectly curated displays. There I was, clutching my single $1 bill like I might score a bargain… let’s just say I was mistaken. Not a hope in hell.

We escaped the city and made our way to a place I’d been dying to see—Superstition Mountain. Just before we reached the national park entry, we stumbled across this incredible old mining town that looked straight out of a movie set. Wooden facades, a rattling little train, and a saloon that made you want to push open the doors and order a whiskey. I half expected a shootout to break out in the dusty street.

We wandered around for a while, but I skipped the old creepy church—it had weird vibes and I wasn’t risking it.

Time wasn’t on our side, but we made it into the national park and set off on a walk. Instead of trekking all the way to the base of the mountain, I got distracted by the tall saguaro cactuses—because they were all in bloom! This only happens one day a year… and we just happened to be there on that day. Unreal.

I sent my drone up to film bees buzzing around the flowers, then set up my paints right in the middle of the walking track (after convincing myself no rattlesnake was about to slither out from under a rock and ruin my day). I could have stayed there for days, sketching and soaking it all in, but the road was calling.

We were already running behind, so it was back in the car and onwards toward New Mexico—another adventure waiting just around the bend.