On a bluff overlooking the Takhini River, we spent several weeks watching swans fly by and reveling in nature's delights. Later, In November, she rode the bus down from Whitehorse and we spent six weeks traveling in Trevor, the Aerostar van.
The following was written about a camp when traveling through New Mexico and Arizona in November.
They say travel expands your horizons, but clichés are meant to be ignored, eh?
We had a rule -- regardless of where we were -- at 3:00 p.m. we=d stop and make camp. (Nomads RARELY have rules, but every now and then we try one just for fun.) The rule gave us time to unpack, make supper, enjoy a glass of wine and watch the spectacular New Mexico sunset(s).
So when the clock struck, Jozien slammed on the brakes, yanked the wheel over hard, bounced over the road-side ditch and landed on the two-track with all the Dutch determination she=d used to invent the rule! The road, barely visible, led into some bland hills that looked like nothing more than a bunch of old muffins left overnight on the kitchen counter; not much fun. But hey, a rule is a rule, right?
As it happened, there was an arroyo with lots of dead wood. Jozien the pyromaniac, soon had ten-foot flames keeping the evening desert chill at bay. Wine in hand, supper on the stove and sunset in full swing, we found ourselves truly entranced (New Mexico is known as The Land of Entrancement) as the local coyote chorus regaled us with a wonderfully polyphonic version of AOde to Sunset.@
The next morning Jozien took off up the arroyo. You know how the Dutch can be, and she=s no exception. She likes to walk IN the arroyo rather than ALONG it. This can be dangerous if there=s a flash flood. But she is, first and foremost (after all), a Yukoner! In the desert the horizon can be 50 miles away. But what often catches your eye is barely more than five feet away....by your shoes. So being IN an arroyo kind of makes sense.
But this was no ordinary arroyo. It=s sides began to narrow and heighten. Then, suddenly, she came to a small cliff. She climbed up and found herself in an alcove. Facing her, across a small depression, was an even larger cliff.
She approached the wall with caution. Feeling her way up, her tongue sometimes snuck out between her teeth (a childhood habit) as she concentrated....searching for hand-holds. But she made it.
It was like a cathedral! A huge wall enclosed an area approximately 50 meters in diameter. And the vegetation was luxuriant! There was a huge oak, larger than any she=d ever seen in the desert before; an aged pinon pine, several barrel cacti and through it all, birds flitted about while butterflies danced over a pool of water at the center. It was magical!
She sat under the oak and admired its gnarled bark and huge trunk. It had to be hundreds of years old! The birds were almost tame, but after coming within a few feet they seemed to grow bored and flew off. The silence was so intense she could hear her blood pounding in her ears. The New Mexico sky was so blue and the air so clean each breath was a delight!
And who would have guessed? This place, so magical it brought tears of joy, hidden among hills so bland. You can never be sure what you=ll find when you venture onto the paths Aless traveled.@
But it=s amazing how often magic awaits!
