Just over six months ago I got married on top of the building shown above. *cue tears* There couldn’t be a more perfect way for Jeff and I celebrate six months of marriage than to visit our favorite spots in the desert and, most importantly, the one we tied the knot at.
A brief history – since the beginning of our relationship Jeff and I have been making annual trips to the desert. Our very first trip was super soon after we started dating and we both consider it to be a major piece of our story and credit it for us falling in love. Although we definitely had a big fight that trip, we learned that we traveled well together. (Long story short on that fight, I got a migraine but refused to admit I didn’t feel well and ended up being a big butthead.) Also on that epic roadtrip back in 2014, we discovered Two Guns!
It was right on the way to where we were heading except we were majorly crunched for time. We had reservations and had to check into our hotel before the front office closed for the night. But Two Guns!!!! It looked amazing. We had to stop, there was no two ways about it. Jeff and I agreed we’d only spend ten minutes there so we both got out of the car and literally ran from building to building snapping photos like crazy. The ten minutes were up in no time at all. We got back to the car gasping for breath and full of adrenaline. My pictures weren’t that great but it’s honestly one of my favorite memories from that whole trip.
We obviously had no idea that four years later we’d be back in the same spot with our closest friends and family exchanging vows.
On our anniversary trip, just a few weeks back, we spent the night at Twin Arrows Casino (the same hotel we also stayed at the night before our wedding) and woke up bright and early to catch Two Guns right at sunrise. To be fair, we were still on Ohio time and woke up far before the sun started to make its appearance. We lazily watched a movie and a half in the big cozy hotel bed before heading out into the desert. I was convinced it’ll still be too dark to explore but as soon as we parked the car at Two Guns we were greeted with the most beautiful golden sunshine.
It was incredible.
Our first few visits to Two Guns we mostly concentrated on the abandoned buildings nearest to the highway. We actually didn’t even realize there were ruins out further on that first visit. Now, those ruins are my favorite. Although we got married on top of one of the buildings out furthest, I had never really had the chance to photograph the area. I was little preoccupied on the last time I was there.
We had the whole place to ourselves, as is always the case. We wandered around, poked in structures we hadn’t been in before, and took a handful of photos together that I’ll treasure forever. It was a little bit weird being there without everyone else but it was so much fun to reminisce.
Visiting Two Guns for the fourth time was super special. I find something new to love about this place after each visit. It really is just a bunch of old ruins in the middle of the desert but it’s such a huge piece of our history together.
I’m half worried it’ll just continue to decay and soon become even less recognizable. The ruins were graffiti free on our last visit, now they’re starting to be covered in tags. I’m also partially worried that someone will purchase the land and make it somewhere we can’t continue to visit every few years. (Although, I would hope after being married there I’ve kind of been grandfathered in and can visit anytime if I just show off our wedding photos. Hehe!)
A few related posts –
Two Guns + The Apache Death Cave
That time I got married in a ghost town (the wedding post!)
Twin Arrows + Two Guns
Six month anniversary!
Until next time, Two Guns!
xoxo
