Life is a Highway

It's a Wrap

Before I wrap the trip, a couple of pix from the road yesterday. This was the view for most of the day, as it rained and rained and rained.

When the rain let up in West Virginia, we were treated to the sight of the clouds and mist hanging in the valleys and hollows.

After stopping for a Panera dinner of soup and salad in Clarksburg, WV, we decided to see if we could find the Queen City Creamery in Cumberland, MD for dessert. Our friend Janet always stops there and highly recommends it. Hot fudge sundaes, it is!

After nearly hitting a couple of pedestrians while trying to find our way out of the city - they laughed and came up to our window, thinking we were friends just trying to scare them - we got back on the interstate and found our way home.

Now for the recap of the trip. This is what I said on the first day of our trip: "So, this morning we set off on our adventure to see what it would be like to live in the Southwest (as opposed to vacationing there). Specifically, we'll be spending May and June in Santa Fe, NM, settling in, developing a routine. Less eating out, fewer margaritas - you get the picture." Our express goals for staying in Santa Fe for two months were to see how it felt to be away from home, including family, for that long; to see how it felt being in the Southwest without spending like we were on vacation; to get to know the people and community and see how we fit in; and, bottom line, to figure out if we'd like to live there. So, how'd we do?

Turned out the family part wasn't a big problem. When we talked to folks in Santa Fe about the dilemma of leaving our daughter and grandkids in Maryland, one person said, "They do have airline flights between here and Maryland" and another told us, "That's what Skype is for". The airline part we tested by flying Connor out for a week, and that went famously. Though we didn't use Skype, we did talk to Erin and the kids regularly; Erin emailed and texted photos to us, and she was able to keep tabs on us via this blog. Another person with grandkids in Texas said she invited her granddaughter out and was using her as bait to get the rest of them to move to New Mexico. Connor is our bait - he loved it out there.

The spending part didn't go so well. We love the Navajo weavings and jewelry, and the Southwestern art and colors really resonate with us. We went to the Crownpoint Navajo Rug Auction twice, and bought rugs each time. We bought several art prints directly from the artists, as well as several other things we just couldn't resist. We shopped and ate out more than we'd intended. On the other hand, our casita and townhouse both had every convenience of "home", and Marie experimented with local ingredients and recipes. And I had no problem working in my coaching practice while in Santa Fe.

The people and community part started out a bit rocky, as my early blogs chronicled. There's a lot of money in Santa Fe, both local and visiting. Our casita was just off of Canyon Road, ground zero for galleries and trendiness in Santa Fe. My initial attempts at connecting with the people on Planet Santa Fe were met with attitude and a strong whiff of entitlement. This changed when Marie and I shifted our focus to the working folks. When Marie and I feel uncomfortable in a certain setting, I'll turn to her and say, "This isn't our tribe". We found our tribe once we got away from the $10,000 paintings and $2,000 bracelets and $900 pairs of cowboy boots. We fell in love with the complex fabric of the culture, a sometimes uneasy mix of Native American, Hispanic and Anglo. Santa Fe is a relatively small town, and it's got its opera fans who dress up and tailgate. But it also has a wonderfully diverse community of folks that we felt very comfortable with and embraced by.

We also got "the full Monty" on the rigors and hassles of living in Santa Fe. Like most of the West, water isn't something you take for granted. New Mexico is in a brutal drought, and you're soon reminded that the West is a desert made habitable only through an unholy alliance with dammed rivers, big snowmelt and hoped-for monsoons. We got a glimpse of this the minute we stepped into a grocery store - food was expensive because they can't grow much of it there. Another reminder was the smell of smoke from the big Wallow fire 200 miles away in Arizona. This was replaced with wildfires just north of us in the Sangre de Christo mountains and just south in the Jemez mountains. The latter fire caused the evacuation of Los Alamos for a week, and the extreme fire danger caused the closing of much of the National Forests in the area. We could feel the tension, stress and fear of the situation. On the other hand, everyplace in the United States comes with its own potential natural disaster. Flooding. Tornados. Earthquakes. Hurricanes. Marie and I have already been evacuated from our home by the National Guard due to a hurricane, losing both cars. Is there a place that has no risk of catastrophic occurence?

At the end of the day, our answer to the last question is, yes, we'd like to "live" in the Southwest, and Santa Fe fits the bill. Why the Southwest? Big skies, big spaces you can lose - and find - yourself in. Hands-on history (and at your feet). Why Santa Fe? Great culture (no, not the opera), great people, close airport with direct flights (in Albuquerque), great climate, interesting food, good healthcare. And we feel very comfortable there. I put "live" in quotes above because we still haven't figured out the details. As a minimum we want to spend more time out there. Continue to rent? Split time between two homes? Move out there full time? Not sure yet. Finances will narrow the options, and family will play a big role.

One thing is certain, though. We had an amazing time during our two months in Santa Fe. We both feel extremely fortunate to be able to take a trip like this and live the lives we're living in retirement, especially for a retired government worker and retired secretary. Life has been and continues to be good to us. Though the path forward isn't clear right now, it's full of opportunity. That's been the case up until now, and I have no doubt it will continue to be the case.

Back Home, But ...

We arrived home a little before 11:00 tonight after a long day on the road. It rained hard a good part of the way but, once again, it wasn't raining when we packed the car this morning in Indiana and wasn't raining when we got home. Be thankful for small miracles.

I'll be reflecting on the trip here tomorrow - highlights, lessons learned, thoughts, and what the future may hold for us in the Southwest. Stay tuned.

Rain, Rain, Rain

Well, we expected it to be raining in Salina, KS when we arrived last night and when we left this morning. Fortunately for us, the rain passed through overnight, so we were able to unpack and repack the car without getting wet. Of course, most weather systems in the U.S. move from west to east, so it should have been no surprise that we caught up to the rain today. Right out of Salina, the clouds were pretty impressive - they looked almost tropical, and some almost touched the ground.

Before we caught up with the rain, we got another chance to admire the rolling hills of eastern Kansas.

But soon, the rain started in earnest. We had rain for about 6 hours out of our 9 1/2 hour day, but it stopped just west of Haubstadt, IN, where we're spending tonight. No sooner had we unpacked the car than the bottom fell out of the sky with a deluge, complete with wind, thunder and lightning. It's still raining - now if it would just stop before we leave in the morning ...

Tomorrow is our longest day - around 11 hours to get home to Maryland. It seemed like a good idea to cover 11 hours on our first day heading to Santa Fe. How will it be on our last day coming back? Keep us in your prayers.

Day (Yawn) Two

This morning found me in a Salida, CO auto glass shop to get a windshield chip repaired. On the way up from Santa Fe yesterday, the speed limit dropped to 45 because there was loose gravel on the road. This, of course, didn't stop a fine citizen from California from blowing past me and throwing up a rock which struck our windshield like a rifle shot. Anyone who's ever owned a Honda Element knows that the nearly vertical windshield is a rock magnet, and Marie soon found the chip. Getting it fixed quickly was a priority to avoid it growing into a crack. Clear Advantage Glass did a great job and had me out the door in less than 45 minutes.

Pulling out of the motel lot, we had a clear view of the snow still remaining in the Rockies.

We took a quick spin through downtown - what a quaint little mountain/river town.

On the way through the canyon toward Canon City, the Arkansas River kept us company. There were lots of rafters braving the rapids, which looked mighty rough to us. Might have to give that a try sometime.

Farther down the road, I looked across the river and saw a bear and her two cubs ambling down a ramp toward the river. Happened too fast to capture on "film". In Canon City we happened upon this "wagon o' antlers" in a trading post parking lot.

We decided to go in, enticed by the invitation to see "The Real West". Evidently, the real west consists of lots of dead animals. There were elk and deer heads, stuffed porcupines and rabbits, coyote pelts, antlers and various animal skulls for sale. I felt like I'd stumbled into a poacher's camp. One quick lap and we were out of there.

From there we headed to Colorado Springs. As we passed Fort Carson, the fences and overpasses were decorated with sheets and signs welcoming home family members from overseas. As Marie noted, it was really a touching sight.

From there is was on to the vast flatlands of eastern Colorado and western Kansas. "Highlights" included the world's smallest McDonalds - I think there might have been three tables (and two restrooms) and seeing the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile, always a highlight.

Most of western Kansas looked like this.

If it looks blurry, that's how it looked to us, too. Huge expanses of farmland, with the occasional copse of trees hiding a farmhouse, and huge grain elevators every so many exits. Once we got out of the Rockies, this was a pretty numbing day of travel. Tonight we're in Salina, KS. But there's hope - tomorrow we're heading for Haubstadt, IN!

 

On the Road Again

Today we packed up the Element, squeezed ourselves in and bade farewell to Casa Holly.

On our way out of town, we noticed that the Las Conchas fire was in high burn today. Last night I made one last trip up to Los Alamos, and the fire was clearly visible from the town. There were a couple of glowing hot spots at the top of the ridge above the town, but the majority of the action was to the north in the Santa Clara Pueblo and the Valles Caldera. Last night the fire just seemed to glow. Today, with high heat and low humidity, the fire took off on two fronts. I read tonight that flames were 300 to 500 feet high today, and the smoke plumes were incredible. The fire has now consumed over 127,000 acres.

On the way to Santa Fe in late April, we had intended to stop off and see the Black Canyon of the Gunnison, but we awoke on the last day of our trip to 5 inches of snow and went directly to Santa Fe. So, we vowed to do it on the way back, driving from Santa Fe to the Black Canyon to Salida, CO to spend the night. Except that the drive alone, not including time spent sightseeing, would be 9 1/2 hours. After staying up late to pack up, we aborted our plan again and drove directly to Salida. The scenery was very different from the snow we encountered on May 1, though things were a bit hazy from smoke and blowing dirt most of the way.

Upon entering Salida, we looked up in the mountains and were surprised to still see a good deal of snow. Many parts of the the west - not including New Mexico - got well above average snowfall last winter. This was driven home when we got our first look at the Arkansas River in downtown Salida. Once again we ate dinner at the Boathouse Cantina right on the river, and these pictures were taken directly from our table.

The river was much higher, due to snowmelt, than in May. Seated next to us at the Boathouse were four members of the Lewis and Clark Hotshots from Montana. These firefighting teams from the U.S. Forest Service are deployed all over the country - and sometimes the world - to fight wildfires. What I didn't realize is that they are also deployed in anticipation of fires. These guys were deployed to Salida in anticipation of thunderstorms and lightning that could start fires. Since the weather didn't materialize, they got to have a nice dinner and we got to talk with them. Nice guys with a very interesting job.

Tomorrow, on to Salina, KS.