Santa Fe

This off shift we made an 11 hour road trip to Santa Fe in celebration of Valentines Day, and our three years together (February 19, 2010). 

We spent two days driving for one day of site seeing, but the trip was full of spectacular rock formations and colors, so we didn’t mind. We had both heard lots of great things about Santa Fe, and in the end, it’s all true. We're already excited to go again.

After a long day in the car, the first order of business was a good meal at Blue Corn Brewery. New Mexican cuisine is outstanding. No other Mexican food I’ve had comes close to measuring up. The local brew was good, but not terribly memorable. We did bring home bottles of other New Mexican brews that we would really like to have again. 

Santa Fe is well known for art. We spent our day at the Georgia O’Keefe museum, and then looking at several of the over a hundred galleries. We encountered the awe-inspiring work of Vladamir Kush and metaphorical realism. 

All that art gave us hefty appetites. So we went to Maria’s for some more New Mexican deliciousness, as well as a tequila and margarita education. Maria’s literally wrote the book on margarita's, and has a hundred recipes to choose from. When you’re seated, the waiter hands you chips, salsa, and a pamphlet of information on tequila. 

The next day we got an early start back home. We stopped at Bandelier National Monument to see the Ancestral Pueblo of the Tsankawi people located in the cliffs. Scrambling around the rocks to discover petroglyphs and dwellings was really exciting.

After a few hours at Bandelier we pressed on to the four corners before continuing home.

First Week

Now that we’ve made the training cut, we are expected to do a 3 shift internship. By the beginning of March, we should be full fledged staff. Normally there are two staff in a group with the student to staff ratio being 4 to 1. As interns we have the opportunity to work with a group as a third staff. As such we can learn from seasoned employees about the daily happenings in the field.

My first week was outstanding. There were lots of memorable moments. I got to work with two really competent and caring people. Mike and I both got to work at graduation, where we heard how the program has benefited families.

I also had a personal victory this first week. I swallowed my anxiousness, and volunteered to go on a solo hike in search of missing equipment. It’s an understatement to say that I’m easily lost, so this was no easy task. Especially since most things in the field look the same to my novice eyes.

So I gathered up my courage, a gps, a radio, and verbal instructions. I realize this adventure is starting to sound epic, but truly I’m just that easily turned around. The missing gear was at the previous camp site, just over a mile away. Furthermore, I’d already passed from one campsite to the other as a group at least three times. Still, these things are hard for me!

Long story short, I totally did it. In fact, I only used the GPS when I got near the new campsite because it was in the middle of trees. Trees are way beyond my navigational abilities. This solo hike was a big deal for me in terms of taking steps toward an important life skill that I’ve somehow avoided for the last 26 years. It is also important to my promotion potential. 

I have my eyes on the head instructor position. As head instructor it would be my job to lead hikes and choose camp sites. My recent expedition gives me hope that eventually I’ll be able to do those things with ease.