Away We Go!: Rachel, Chris, and Nathan Hit the Road: Friends and Family

When Friday arrived, spirits were high! The Michelyras were making the unbelievably long journey from Long Beach to Santa Fe to spend a week visiting and relaxing. This would be the first time Rachel and I had adult company, other than ourselves, for over two months, and we were overjoyed. Perhaps even more importantly, Nathan would finally be able to PLAY with another child after what seemed like forever. Covid is tough on everyone, but it's especially hard on the children. Kids need to play, and the Covid restrictions sometimes feel almost unbearable for a happy, healthy, 9-year-old who wants nothing more than to run, dig, wrestle, and generally goof around with someone his age. When they finally arrived, it was like we'd seen each other only days before ... in other words it was like family!

On Saturday, everyone slept in after a long night of catching up. Then, it was off to the Galisteo preserve (where Nathan had his horse riding lesson) for a stroll.

We also took a short trip into town to introduce our visitors to scenic downtown Santa Fe, including the historic Plaza and artsy Canyon Road.

Much to our relief, we learned that, unlike some places we've visited, New Mexicans take their Covid safety VERY seriously.

Sunday, we headed back for a second visit to Valles Caldera. We'd had such a wonderful time off-trail trekking and exploring that we figured Mark, Tevis, and especially Miles, would enjoy it just as much. The park DID NOT disappoint! We had an amazing journey across the caldera, through our creek-side "fairy glade," and back through a trackless forest wilderness before heading back to the car. Miles and Nate even helped with the map reading.

The caldera also had a couple of unexpected pleasures. First the boys took almost endless pleasure in breaking ice on the frozen creek. Any means would do: broken stick, rock, trekking pole, you name it. Miles also began "collecting" bones on the hike, which is to say that he counted and mentally catalogued them, ending up with a count of over 100 ... including a partially intact elk skeleton, with connective tissue still holding parts of it together.

After our hike, we took a short ride around some of the more remote parts of the park. A few minutes in, Tevis noted what looked like a large dog trotting across the distant caldera floor. We were dumbstruck! Wolves are some of the most reclusive animals in many National Parks, and to see one is a great privilege. We must have sat for 15 minutes, passing the binoculars around and marveling at our good luck. Sadly, when we got back to the Ranger Station we learned that the park doesn't actually have any wolves - just a pack of abnormally well-fed coyotes. The illusion was fun while it lasted.

Which reminds me of an even better (and actually real) wildlife sighting that occurred earlier in the week. While pacing the porch late one afternoon on a conference call, just as the sun was setting, I thought I saw a coyote out of the corner of my eye. When I peeked over the fence to see, I found myself looking at a family of four HUGE mountain lions! And by huge, I mean huge ... as in as large as a big dog! I was floored and immediately raced into the house to grab Nate and Rachel, who fortunately made it outside in time to see the amazing sight.

Monday we traded in adventures for some quiet time with family and friends. We mostly hung around the house, chatting, eating, and chilling. Since this was also a quasi school day, Mark and I gave the moms a break and took the boys out for a lesson in art criticism. Turns out Santa Fe has an unusually vibrant public art scene, so we took a picnic lunch, drove into town, and visited some cool open air sculptures. The boys then reacted to each one in pictures and words. We'll have a separate post on that! In the meantime, a few pictures ...