The Road to “El Dorado”
Golden hour in Big Bend National Park
Last April, I convinced two of my most creative, free-spirited friends to go on a desert adventure with me—and honestly? It turned out to be one of the most magical trips I’ve ever taken. ✨ Our goal was to hit the road, explore West Texas, and capture as much content as possible. It felt like part creative retreat, part costume party, part roadtrip playlist come to life!
Our road to El Dorado, unlike the 2000 animated film by Dreamworks, was a pretty smooth journey—filled with only a few hiccups, but mostly snacks, glittery outfits, and spontaneous dance breaks. I was lucky enough to find two creative, free-spirited friends that were game for this! Leah and Anne-Marie are both amazingly talented, adventurous, creative souls with a passion for music, dance, photography, and general whimsy.
We packed my Tucson to the brim with luggage, cameras, and costumes, then hit the road for the 8-hour drive into the desert. In just four days, we managed to visit Presidio, Marfa, Terlingua, Big Bend National Park—and somehow still had time for slow mornings, chasing golden hour across the mountains, and listening to every track of the new TTPD album (which had just dropped that Friday!)
We wandered through tiny ghost towns, popped into weird little art galleries, visited remote desert installations, and ended up in one of the strangest (and best) dive bars I’ve ever been to. Along the way, we met the most interesting people: a guy who built a tiny home out of a dumpster, a traveling puppet troupe, a sculptor making giant desert art, a barefoot tech founder, and yes—real-life Texas cowboys.
It was everything I needed: fun, freeing, creative, grounding. Just the three of us being doing what we love and soaking it all in.
I’ll share more soon about each stop (because there’s so much to say), but for now, I just want to leave you with this: if you’re feeling stuck, try doing something spontaneous. Grab some friends, hit the road, put on a ridiculous outfit, and see where the adventure takes you! This trip reminded me that we all can use a little whimsy in our lives.
