The Land of Enchantment

In Mrs. Both's third grade class at Donovan Elementary School, Mrs. Both-- still to this day, I believe-- makes each of her students write a report on their favorite state in the union. How I ended up with New Mexico I don't really remember but what I do remember is just about everything else: State Motto- "Land of Enchantment," State Bird- Roadrunner, State Mineral- Turquoise, and they live in adobe houses and hang dried peppers on their doors. Anyway, it was with great excitement that I finally crossed into this, the fifth largest state in the union and it really hasn't disappointed. New Mexico has a beautiful desert landscape that plateaus into Rocky Mountain vistas and bluffs that are truly stunning. Scattered in between the scenery are countless little towns and villages, all a little more liberal and a little more progressive than one might expect.



Katherine and I spent a couple hours walking through Old Town in Albuquerque yesterday. It was a bit touristy and a bit kitschy but the old adobe buildings had such a distint charm that it really didn't feel like a tourist trap at all. We're staying at a really nice old motel that dates back to the heyday of Route 66, complete with a blinking neon sign and a tell-it-like-it is name: The Monterey No Smokers Motel.



"Either of you a smoker?" the gruff man at the front desk asked upon arrival. "No sir..."

But we are definitely drinkers, and the lucky coincidence that my dear friends Katie and Stevie had just moved into Albuquerque proved rather serendipitous. We met them downtown at a bar called Burt's Tiki Lounge. It was pretty cool. A decent hip-hop dj, and cheap drinks lead to a very drunk Jake (and I think a much more sober Stevie, Katie, and Katherine). Lots of fun, and I woke up at 8:30 AM with no alarm and no hangover. :-)





Anyway, we're off to the Grand Canyon today. Probably won't get there till the evening because we're stopping at Sky City, an Acoma Pueblo built on top of a 300 foot bluff and (perhaps) the Petrified Forest.