My daughter came to help me unpack and get settled. She’s my first visitor, and she arrived (after spending the night in the Denver airport) the day after I moved in. We worked harder than either of us could have imagined, unpacking 70 boxes and making countless trips to the local UPS store to drop off bags of bubble wrap, paper and styrofoam peanuts for reuse. She had to hold bags on her lap to fit into the car. Exhausted and sore, we unpacked almost everything. When I couldn’t stop, she made me back away from the boxes. She has now paid me back big time, from my helping her move into a six-floor walkup in NYC to being her faithful advocate.
We decided to take a break and go hiking at Tent Rocks Kasha-Katuwe Reservation. We were told to bring water, sunscreen, and a hat, and enjoy hiking through spectacular narrow crevices in rolling, organic rock formations. It was majestic and breath-taking, mainly because it was so dry and hot that I could hardly breathe! No one told us that it would feel like the hottest place on earth. At 102 degrees, I had to stop and rest twice from the parking lot to the beginning of the trail. My daughter suggested that we quit there and tell everyone that we did Tent Rocks. No, I insisted that we go further. We made it to the narrow divides and squeezed by people passing in the other direction. When we heard that it was another mile to the top, we looked at each other…not a chance! We turned around and loped downhill to the car, too tired to resist the pull of gravity.
When we got home, we could barely stand up. I would have felt like mush if I had more water in me. Instead, I felt like dehydrated mush, freeze-dried food for astronauts, fossilized shale. I painted a picture of how I felt. Tomorrow we are going to Ojo Caliente mineral hot springs. I’m looking forward to a rest! Glad to have you along!
So glad to be along with in your exciting journeys ! Looking forward to reading more! But do watch that heat!