Tucson is a fun college town that also happens to have family, so we visit pretty frequently. The sights, cuisine and company never disappoint. Our first evening there we were treated to a home-made vegan broccoli soup prepared by Adrian’s brother Eric, who is among other things, an incredible cook. Adrian’s Dad visited and we helped him get settled in his new apartment. My son Andrew and his Girlfriend Erika flew in on Tuesday, and it was lovely to have them meet Adrian’s family. Eric and his husband Richard were unbelievable hosts. We went on a day trip to beautiful Mount Lemmon and hiked rugged and stunning Seven Falls trail in Bear Canyon, led by the very energetic Richard.We decided that this hike was poorly named because there were no falls and no bears, but we would do it again and try to keep up this time! Eric and Richard also treated me to a wonderful celebratory dinner for my graduation!! We got to take the local trolley for the first time, and I got serenaded by a Mariachi band. They were unfamiliar with Erika’s request, but she translated my song for me to something roughly “you will be beautiful for a long time”. Hey, I’ll take it.Eric also took the time to complete a traditional tea ceremony with Drew, Erika and I and acted as a docent for us at the exceptional and multi-trip worthy Sonoran Desert Museum. The tea ceremony was a was so unusual for us and not something we would have many opportunities to do. The ceremony was beautiful, and Eric used it as a way to help us learn about tea, think about purposefulness, and the honor of providing for others. We ate and visited and just had an amazing time.
Travelling far distances in a car can either be freeing or miserable. We opted for a combination of the two by attempting to get to New Mexico as fast as possible. We had some misguided idea about going out on the town when we got to Amarillo, Texas on Saturday evening. However, we settled for some exceptionally cold and crisp white wine at the hotel bar and called it a night
We knew there were some very large and scary forest fires burning south of Taos, but information on the internet was strangley hard to come by. Our GPS routed us on scenic state road 120, which had us going up into the mountains via the little ski town of Angel Fire. Well, this state road lost its dividing lines and became a little narrow about 30 miles in. Up ahead we saw two police vehicles with lights on, pretty certain we were about to be turned back the way we came. The young officer merely scratched his chin and said “yeah, you can keep going”. Just make sure you head toward Taos and not Santa Fe.
We continued our journey with a little less confidence that then shrunk to miniscule proportions when the “highway” turned into a narrow gravel road. This was some beautiful country of sweeping vistas and shimmering lakes in the distance. The smell of smoke started to make our eyes water, our noses burn, and our minds worry. Then, sure enough, there was the turn to Taos. We decided to abandon our plans to camp due to the smoke and very windy (20 -50mph) conditions and found an adorable Airbnb casita in Arroyo Hondo. There we had a luxurious place to stay and work and watch some dramatic sunsets from the patio. We also realized our muffler lost the battle with the gravel road. Ah well-
A highlight of our stay here was the BlackRock Hot Spring. This little gem is a pretty well-known local spring on the banks of the Rio Grande. Some reading warned us to be prepared for characters, and we were not disappointed. A young well tattooed couple were already bathing when we completed the short but scrambly hike to the bottom of the riverside cliffs. We were invited to join and soon another couple-some very seasoned and earthy locals by way of Connecticut. These couples bonded over similar hairstyles (two-mullets!!) and the choice to often be “houseless” but not “homeless”. We were then joined by another young woman who stripped at the top of the rocks before joining the group, much to the delight of all of the men in the pool. A third “Hollywood” group from the artist town of Madrid and their friend from LA joined in with glittery barely there swimsuits, expensive sunglasses, bandanas and a birthday to celebrate. Our stomachs told us it was time for dinner and we headed out only to run into a troubadour with gourd instrument in hand. He was on his was down to serenade the group. He assured us how warm we had made his heart by our simple passing introduction and wished us a magical night. It was magical, alright. New Mexico is often described as weird and wonderful. We agree and could not wait to be off on our next adventure.
The next New Mexico adventures included a few days in Albuquerque, a wonderful dinner with Greg Sherr, some amazing camping along the Gila River, visiting the Pueblo Cliff Dwellings in Mesa Verde National Park and hot spring hiking. Then…it was on to Arizona.
