La Plata Canyon

Sprawled across the bench of the kitchen nook and bathed in the warm afternoon sun, I was perfectly content to cradle my book until I'd read the very last page. "You guys look bored!" my grandma (incorrectly) observed, "let's do something! Do you wanna go for a hike?" Reluctantly, I placed the book in my lap, "Sure, Grandma. That would be fun." Off we went on our adventure, hiking through La Plata Canyon!

Cameron seemed less content than I was to hang around the property that afternoon, but nonetheless he was the least enthused for our new venture. Later he recounted, "Misha, hiking involves trails. You know, like a path." Okay, so maybe it wasn't a hike--more like rock-hopping and bush-whacking with Grandma leading the way. I couldn't help chuckling a little thinking of what a strange group we must've looked with Grandma picking her way among the rocks and yelling, "It's okay if you get your feet wet! It's not as cold as snowmelt!" and her two grandchildren following unsteadily behind.

Although, in the pictures I got, Cameron doesn't look too unhappy, by the end of the short "hike" he'd grown sulky and quiet. Don't ask me why; the answer remains a mystery. Boys, I will never understand them. Despite my brother's attitude, I enjoyed the Colorado scenery and tried to engage my Grandma in conversation. We stopped a few moments at a quiet part of the river, each absorbed in their own thoughts. Eventually, we found a path leading back to the dirt road and walked back to the car on...smoother terrain. The wind ruffled the treetops, filling the air with the shhhh shhhhh-ing of leaves against leaves. It was all so beautiful, so enchanting, I decided not to click my camera and simply enjoy this moment, perfectly content.

Through Cameron's Eyes: Grandma's Garden

 Grandma keeps a 1-acre plot of land for her gorgeous flower garden! Though wildflower season in Colorado is wrapping up, there were still a few purple ones remaining. Cameron took most of these photos (all except the white one above)

For a while, I entertained a little daydream about someday getting married in Grandma's garden. It is so beautiful and the flowers are already there! (Not to mention Colorado's gorgeous, albeit sometimes sporadic, weather!) Looking around with fresh eyes, it was clearly not designed for a wedding, but I think it is still a promising venue! I'll hold on to my hopes a little longer! In any case, it is still early to be thinking about that, but I'll admit, that Grandma's garden has definitely been on my mind!

Horseback Riding and Tractor Driving

 As I mentioned in my first post, there are several horses on Grandma's farm (and one donkey):

Haha! That picture ^ makes me laugh! ...and we got to ride some of them! I'd ridden a pony before when I was nine years old, but that was also ten years ago. (Amazing how time flies, huh? I feel so old!)

 I remembered quite a bit from my first experience, mostly the brushing part before you buckle up the saddle, but the first time, Lisa used a lead rope for me. Unlike last time, this time I was maneuvering the horse myself!

Downtown Durango

Isn't it beautiful?? *swoon*

At the moment, this is the view as I sit in a quaint little coffee shop in downtown Durango to write this post. (Quite an agreeable wifi situation for the time being.) We decided to come into town today instead of Monday so I could post pictures and check emails for work. I took Cameron to Fuzziwig’s candy shop just down the street where he learned that the pounds add up when you’re buying candy! “Fastest twenty bucks I’ve ever spent!” he said. Haha! I'm sure he learned his lesson!

I was a bit less heavy-handed with the levers, because I knew I wanted to purchase an iced coffee. I settled for a little less than half a pound of sour candy and this gigantic peanut butter cup:

That's about all I have in terms of an update. The peacocks crowing woke me up pretty early, but it afforded me some time to keep chipping away at The Hobbit (still a few chapters left to go) and chat with Grandma over some tea (Green tea for her, English Breakfast for me). After helping Edit keep the sheep from escaping again, we enjoyed a leisurely morning together at the breakfast nook where Grandma showed me old photographs of (young) Grandpa and the houses they built together back in the day. I'd never heard much of their history together, so it was wonderful to hear all her stories for the first time. Tomorrow, we are planning to visit the Badlands south of Farmington. We thought about going today, since it would be slightly cooler with cloud cover (which makes for better photography, most days), but I think my body is glad we didn't because I am still quite tired from yesterday's journey!

Welcome to the Farm

Shortly after we arrived, Grandma gave us the grand tour of all the animals! Goats and horses and piggies, oh my! These are the cream of the crop; I could definitely use a lot more practice! But not a bad start, if I may say so. 

I've gotten quite an education in farming and agriculture in the short time since we've been here. Since I haven't been exposed to much "farm culture" up close and personal, I'm finding it very interesting! We've even seen a few escaped sheep!

The other family on the property introduced themselves to us--Edit, and Greg, and Finn and Atalantia. There are a few more children who are off visiting friends, but we'll be able to meet them in a couple days. At dinner, we had a very enlightening conversation about the world and different cultures and countries. I loved every minute of it!

Hopefully more pictures to come; we'll see how the wifi situation goes.

Arrival

via Gratisography

I am pleased to report that I successfully navigated the 10 hour trip from Tucson to Durango, CO with relatively few difficulties. Of course there were a few mishaps ("Cameron! Which exit do I take? Cameron! Is this it? Cameron!!") and close calls (exceeding 80 mph in a 65 speed limit to pass a car while driving across a dotted yellow line) but otherwise the trip was uneventful. I couldn't have done it without Cameron acting as my copilot/navigator/DJ/secretary.

We only stopped three times along the way: once halfway through Salt River Canyon for a stretch break and photo opp, again in Show Low for gas, and lastly in Gallup for some food and a quick power nap.

Salt River Selfie!

For most of the trip, we alternated album picks: Of Monsters and Men, Walk of the Earth, and tons of Mix CDs that Jake burned for us.

Unfortunately, the wi-fi signal here is less than desirable and I am temporarily operating from a Mac computer (which I do not know how to work in the slightest) so I will have to give a more complete update (with all the pictures!) at a later time. 

Road Trip Itinerary

"Bisti Badlands" via RoadTrippers.com

I ambled up the driveway slightly more deflated than I'd been when I left the house earlier. I'd just gotten off the phone with Melissa, who had to back out of our girl's road trip we'd been planning all summer. "College is just coming up really fast," she said, "and there are a lot of extra expenses we weren't anticipating." As I went through the rest of my day, a grey cloud hung over me and I wallowed in my disappointment. "Maybe I'll just go up to the Grand Canyon or something." I said for the third time that day.

"Misha, there's a lot more to see in Arizona, than just the Grand Canyon." Cameron grew exasperated with me and pulled up Google. Fingers flying across the keyboard, he typed in various attractions across all Arizona and New Mexico and announced them (even the boring middle-of-nowhere ones) in his big, cheesy voice. Roused from my depressed mood I suggested he look up the Bisti Wilderness. "Me and Melissa wanted to go there, but we couldn't figure out how. It's too out of the way to do it on the way up to Grandma's house and too far to make a day trip from here..." 

As the search engine pulled up photos, Cam's jaw dropped, "It looks like an alien landscape from Star Wars!!" A little search on mapquest informed us that the Bisti Badlands were only 2 hours away from Grandma's house! We could easily make a day-trip out of that! Our unspoken agreement was sealed: we were going on a road trip together instead!

Besides the Bisti Badlands, we also hope to:

• Hike the Animas River trail through Durango
• Visit Fuzziwig's Candy shop (Cam's idea)
• Stop by the Grand Canyon on the way home.

My goal for the trip is to practice my travel-photography with Dad's fancy camera! Hopefully, I will be able to blog them as we go, but I'm sure the shots will get onto the blog eventually! I'm so excited!