Forests and Phones- New Mexico

The landscape around Chaco Canyon was pretty bleak (Chloe doesn't seem to think so) but there was one particular Northern Mockingbird that I will always remember. I've always laughed at its song on our bird clock at home because it's so long and varied ... but the real call was even crazier! This bird was a non-stop chatterbox with a variety of different songs, calls, and chirps. I'm not sure if that's normal for a mockingbird or if it would be ostracized by its peers for being obnoxious, but it was impressive nonetheless. The next impressive thing in New Mexico were the forests. Two hours outside of Chaco Canyon, we picked up some groceries in a small town and then we started to climb into the mountains. The trees (mainly pines but also the occasional Douglas Fir) appeared immediately, along with meadows of green grass. Corwyn kept screaming with joy in the backseat saying this was the best day ever! We stopped for lunch and he rolled around in the grass like a dog that found a dead seal on the beach. He was ecstatic! The campground at Bandolier National Monument was full of pines and we were able to hang our hammock in the campsite again (We hadn't had enough trees to do this for a couple of weeks). Mountain trails, more cliff dwellings with dangerous ladders, a close encounter with a big diamondback rattlesnake, and flush toilets. All we could hope for in a campground.

We also experienced some city culture in Santa Fe by visiting Meow Wolf, which is a combination of art museum, modern lighting display, and escape room. The mystery we were supposed to solve required too much patience and reading for the kids but they loved all the wild lighting, strange creatures, secret doors, and tight passageways. I was skeptical of the steep price before we went but the 2+ hours we spent in there were great! Unlike anything else I've experienced in real life (kind of like being in a video game, actually).

Chloe's phone died on us which caused a minor crisis since it's the one that connects to our car and provides all the maps. It took a day and a half to get it fixed, which kept us in Santa Fe for an extra day, and we had to limp along with my more simple phone. Suddenly, we were reading actual maps again and looking at travel pamphlets for information! It was a great reminder of how important these devices have become in our daily lives, even when we come in and out of cell phone range each day. I've been reading about the negative effects of social media on people's mental health recently (in a paper magazine, not online!) and I'm concerned about that, but as a navigation and information tool, they are second-to-none. I can't imagine completing this trip without all the information they provide us daily. We got to explore this town a bit more though including cycling some of there many rail trails!