What is up with this town? I just have to ask myself that.
And now, I guess I’m asking you. Not that I expect you to be able to answer that, if you’ve never been here to this little jewel of the Nile.
OK. It’s not the Nile, it is the Rio Grande. And this gem looks more like a lump of coal than a diamond in the rough. But unless something changes – which may happen very soon – that coal might become a diamond before this town ever grows up.
“The difference between whether you can make it happen or whether you can’t is not how many obstacles you have, it is how badly do you want to do something totally life-changing—totally for yourself.
We will give you the tools to change your dream into reality, but the implementation is yours to enjoy.”
— Phil and Carol White, authors of “Live Your Road Trip Dream”
I bought the book because I wanted to figure out how we could take some time off without going broke, and Road Trip Dream succeeded in helping us do just that. With the release of its second edition, the Whites’ book is as vital as ever when it comes to considering every critical aspect of how to plan, execute and live your own road trip dream. Don’t even think of embarking on a journey without reading and following the advice laid out by these two seasoned road trippers.
We’ve seen many places in the U.S. where human habitats are completely at odds with the environment. In places like Florida, builders continue battling nature, despite all of the evidence that this is a bad idea. Living there is a constant struggle between the land, the animals, and the humans, and as a result, few things about the place feel natural. There is complete and total disharmony with the environment.
But here in the harsh lands of New Mexico, humans seem to do a better job of working with their surroundings. From the ancient style of adobe buildings that naturally insulate homes, to suburbanites doing xeriscape conversions, people seem to be more willing to work with nature.
It always works out for the best. I keep reminding René (and myself) of that whenever we’ve been driving along time in search of the perfect place to boondock, and the day is getting long.
Recently, while visiting El Morro National Monument, we kept searching for an inconspicuous place to pull over for the night. Good thing we didn’t find one.
On our way to Santa Fe this week, we tried to “make good time” so we opted to take the interstate.
But as New Mexico’s breathtaking scenery began appearing, how could we be in a hurry? Despite our frantic timeline to get to Jerry’s oncology appointment, I wanted us to have some real fun before we dealt with the serious issue at hand. So we hit the back roads.
My Road Trip USA book has a section about Highway 53, The Ancient Way, which parallels Interstate 40 from eastern Arizona into New Mexico. This route takes you between the Pueblos of Zuni & Acoma, and was the path that Coronado took while searching for the Seven Cities of Gold. This road has been guiding traders, explorers and adventurers through the west for over a thousand years, and since we are explorers, I thought it only fitting that we hauled our rig down that two lane road too.
Who says you can’t build real friendships online? Since hitting the road, Jim and I have been lucky enough to build friendships with some of our favorite Internet superstars, some of whom we’ve actually met in person. Finnegan was the first. Then came Heidi,Matt, Sara and Bella, Sami, The Big Dog, and now Rhodester and Coffeesister.
In the past, whenever I visited L.A., I’d have a hard time adjusting to the frantic pace, smoggy air and traffic. As much as I like seeing my family, I hated how stressful the city made me. But my visit was different this time. Our sabbatical has changed my attitude toward visiting places that I find undesirable, which makes life a lot more enjoyable. As Jim likes to say, “it is what it is,” and I accept that can’t change that. So this time while visiting the region, I decided to try to see more of the positive things about L.A, and find beautiful things about it, like nature.
Driving around Los Angeles, I can’t help but wonder what archaeologists of the distant future would make of the cryptic tags of today’s graffiti artists.
And I have always snickered inside at all the modern day scholars writing dissertations on the meaning of ancient petroglyphs which may in fact just be the scribblings of prehistoric taggers.
I’ll be honest; other than the chance to see my family for the first time in almost a year, I wasn’t looking forward to returning to L.A. I grew up here, in Whittier, about 18 miles from downtown, and I just can’t stand this place. My family stays in L.A. because they love the diversity and opportunities that a huge city offers. I split when I was 22, opting for cleaner air, walkability and the small town vibe of San Francisco instead.
My parents grew up in East Los Angeles, in the 1940s and ’50s, as children of hard working Mexican immigrants who came to the U.S. for a better life. Mom and Dad grew up poor, but they share many fond memories of their neighborhood on the edge of downtown, before they moved to the suburbs where they would ensure my four sisters and I had an easier life than they did.
My Dad still has friends out there, and last week, Jim and I got what Dad called “The Two Dollar Tour” of my parent’s old stomping grounds. Looking at it with fresh eyes, I saw that East L.A. isn’t all so bad; there’s lots of thriving small businesses, it’s colorful, and I have to say, the food there is damn good — the best Mexican food we’ve had anywhere in the U.S.
When you’re camped out in the middle of a wild desolate landscape, without a cell signal and a silence so deafening that its roar squeezes your brain like a vise, it’s tempting to believe that you’ve fallen off the radar. You look around for miles and see nothing but desert landscape, imagining that there are no rules, laws or entities that have power over you.
What is up with this town? I just have to ask myself that.
“The difference between whether you can make it happen or whether you can’t is not how many obstacles you have, it is how badly do you want to do something totally life-changing—totally for yourself.
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