land of enchantment

The Land of Enchantment is calling me. New Mexico is in my heart and soul.

As a child growing up in Colorado, my family made frequent trips to Taos and Santa Fe. Sometimes that was the destination; other times we passed through on our way to Mexico. Regardless, I was always enchanted.

When I moved to Texas I vowed to have mountains find their way into the souls of my two sons. New Mexico’s Sangre de Christo range had to stand in for the Colorado Rockies, simply because northern New Mexico was in driving range from Houston. I found a summer camp outside Santa Fe where my boys spent a month each summer during middle school and high school. The bonus was for me to drive over and pick them up.

On my first drive to pick up my boys at camp, one of my most dear friends came along. We had our own most memorable trip ahead of the camp pick-up. Glorious scenery with glorious joy!

I’ve made many trips to this enchanting place. My best friend and I have journeyed here at least once a year for over twenty years. Our trip to Taos in January 2020 was just about the last trip we took before COVID-19 took hold of our lives. While I’ve flown off to distant places a few times since being vaccinated, this trip feels like cementing my return to travel. I’m soon to be in a place where my soul is quieted and rejuvenated at the same time.

As May Sarton wrote: “I was unprepared in every way, unprepared for the air itself, seven thousand feet up, thin and dry so there is a bubble of physical excitement in one’s chest; unprepared for the huge bare landscape that reminded me of Chinese paintings and of northern Spain”– The Leopard Land