Inspired and tired - a New Mexico travelblogue

A concerned friend asked if I was doing anything for my flu. I think hosting is all I should be expected to do for it, but then there's

• steam
• Benadryl
• Chestal
• whiskey with honey and ginger
• Kleenex
• Thieves' oil (thanks Annie!)
• whiskey with ginger
• whiskey
• neti pot
• Oscillococcinum
• hot showers
• Mentho-lyptus
• albuterol
• azithromycin
• whiskey
• Vicks Vapo-Rub
• whiskey
• Poise pads
• hot tea with whiskey

Her kind question started me thinking about the sort of person who does nothing for her symptoms. I do seem to be ailin'. Prop me up here until it passes. I'm such a natural relief-seeker; it would never occur to me not to exhaust my options.

I'm sharing a small apartment in TorC. It's cute, clean, easy, cheap, and convenient, with no long-term commitment. I feel like there's a joke here, I just can't get to it.

Now and then, an idea floats past that intrigues me for no logical reason. I used to grab the poor thing, analyze it juiceless, then leave its dry husk in a pile of exhausted notions. Lately, I just enjoy the excitement of the thought, explore it a bit, and let it be exciting for its own reasons. I don't have to turn it into my life's work. I don't have to read Amazon reviews on the book. It doesn't even have to be "worthy," whatever worthy might mean. I just mine it for the interest. I'm calling it transient inspiration. Maybe the value is in the thrill of the idea, and not in its execution.*

My cousins visited from Flagstaff. They refuse to admit I made them sick. We drove up to Chloride and had homemade pie at the cafe. There's a new food truck between Chloride and Winston where we picked up donuts. I lost 90% of my hearing driving up the mountain - remarkable experience. It returned on the way down, and I was 10% disappointed.**

I told some Facebook friends that I had bubonic plague, Hansen's disease, and impetigo. The last two worried them, but everyone in New Mexico has plague.

*This post is a good example. Probably best left as a fascinating spark, I pummeled it into reality.

**Paragraph was written to justify calling this a "travel blog."

What I Did on Your Summer Vacation.

My friend, Betty, asked if I was going to write the blog anymore. She also registered a complaint about the poor quality of the nothing she had been seeing here recently. 

Rainbow over Albuquerque.

I'm pleased to spend a lot of time with animals, but enough about my friends (RIM SHOT). 

Rosie and Little Ann.

And enjoying other people's art.

And sprucing up my cabin, with my girlfriend's help. 

I met my lovely daughter-in-law this week! She's married to my lovely son!

Nina and Phil. 

We took them into the Gila Mountains...

Guess where?

Emory Pass

... and Truth or Consequences...

A Little Slice of Heaven, Truth or Consequences, NM. It used to be Brazen Fox, which used to be Happy Belly Deli.

We did the Monticello/Winston/Chloride trail...

After being told I can't get there, I have become obsessed with Monument Park.

...and the Datil trip, of course.

I brought them so they could picture where I do nothing.

One last scenic stop...

Sunset over Rio Grande, Elephant Butte, NM.

My mysterious side.

We enjoyed Nina and Phil and their youthful energy. I once had youth, but not energy.

They're still traveling home this morning, after so many delays that it could be amusing if they weren't so tired. They are currently disillusioned with United Airlines, unless UA does something amazing to make up for this trip. Your move, United!

Monticello, Winston, and Chloride, New Mexico. With company.

My friend, Maggie, is here in T or C visiting me! Throwing caution to the wind in celebration, I ate cheese. I pulled out the stops.

Later I wished I hadn't.

"...you know I'll always love you ... AND THAT'S HOW YOU PERFORM THE FULL-NELSON, EDITH. LET ME KNOW IF YOU HAVE OTHER QUESTIONS,"

 

 It's time to play "What Are You Looking At?"

Do you see?

R: She's undercowver.
M: It's a cowvert operation.

Do you see it?

Haw haw haw haw! Look what I'm doing!

That's so wrong.

I'm a cow! I'm pooping!

They're taking your picture.

I'm a Cowver Girl!

Always an appropriate house gift for someone you want to impress.

We had an early supper at Chloride Bank Café, where the food was yummy again. I did not cheese it up here - I AM NOT AN ANIMAL.

I feel like there's a subtle theme running through this post. If you're blocked: 11-year-old boy.

I thought this morning I wonder if 52 between Winston and the Very Large Array is passable? and this afternoon two friendly ladies from Las Cruces said "We just came from the Very Large Array on a dirt road!" and they said it was just fine. Now we know. They un-recommend it during monsoon or after a rain.

It's shorter, but it's longer, if you know what I mean. These ladies claimed it took them 1:45, but I think they lost track of time from having so much fun. Google brings it in at 3:27.

Here's the longer, shorter way:

2:36

My father used to say "I like a shortcut if it doesn't take too much longer."

A bromide about Chloride, New Mexico

A gal can only sit around on Main Street so long before she has to go seek adventure elsewhere.

Now and then someone writes a blog post about Chloride and the Pioneer Museum. If you've never been to the museum, you're thinking Muse-Ho-Hum. If you've been, you know those other people are wrong.

I'm not a museum cheerleader, but this is unique. So, let me RAH! RAH! tell you a teensy bit in an enthusiastic way.

[If you've heard this before, please adjust your volume. I'll alert you to the new stuff.]

Donna Edmunds, restorer and curator.

 When Don and Donna found Chloride, they were looking for a campsite and got lost. They thought they had stumbled into an old movie set. Donna said "This is where we need to retire."

The safe weighs 6000 pounds. I guess it's SAFE where it is.

Bats and rats had lived and pooed inside for 70 years. That's a lot of composting. They started their project with shovels.

Ninety percent of what's on display was under the poop. The rest came from other buildings in Chloride.

The previous owners closed up and left everything where it sat. Which is where Don and Donna found it, and set to restoring the building and its contents.

If you had saved a historic place from poop, you would be proud, too. They have made this into a place worth coming to see. You can imagine that they're sensitive about sham-poo in their museum; please use the pit toilets in the rest area.

 There is no set fee for viewing the museum, although you are free to leave a donation. Think about all that guano they shoveled. The longer you think, the more money you'll want to leave in the box. That's long enough! You'll want to save some cash for lunch. TURN YOUR SPEAKERS BACK ON.

 Donna and her daughter, Linda, encouraged me to have dinner at Chloride Bank Café. If you insist!

I browsed their menu and saw something appetizing that could be easily veganized. Yay food! I ordered a quesadilla without the queso. She offered to sub beans. Yay beans! Not only did she know what "vegan" means, she IS one! She and her husband have been vegan for twelve years. Yay vegans!

You can have whatever you're craving, though, because they offer meat and cheese and eggs. It's a full-service place, and breakfast is served all day. You won't need a lot of money to eat there, but you will need cash.

The gallery and gift shop features local artists' works. There is a beautiful quilt there that I stared at until we were all uncomfortable.

Disapproving Horse can eat and disapprove simultaneously.

My GPS requested that I turn left.

 REQUEST DENIED, GPS! Find a different shortcut.

Linda at the Winston General Store was very friendly and suggested two primitive campsites I might enjoy. The store offers some groceries, hot coffee, jewelry, belts, things in camo colors, and cute, gifty items. And showers.

Paula found her inspiration in my interview with Percy:

A tumbling bird from Nantucket
A pigeon with really bad luck-It
flew down from the sky
with a shriek and a cry
Landed butt over beak in a bucket


Sherry from In the Direction of Our Dreams is making matches for Spud. Look who she found:

He has honorable inTENTions.

Think about all the guano I shovel. Put on your boots and click.