A Land of Extremes

After signing off last night, the people with cars arrived, and my life began. First, it was a small troupe of wonderful women; there was Laura, from San Francisco, who is super involved in the Youth Climate (is that right?) Movement, just got done working for Greenpeace, and talked with me all night long about positive affirmations and her crazy trips to Europe via Iceland; Rachel, who is our lovely brown-haired and our resident Native Guide to New Mexico (she's from a different part of the state) that recently finished up at Rice and had the most wonderfully sparkley broad smile and silver shoes I'd ever seen; and Hannah, who reminds me of someone I can't quite place, who had worked in New York for two years at an NGO and had just left her roommate of six years. They recognized me from facebook (I friended everyone I could find from the 2010 New Mexicorps back in April sometime in order to organize a caravan that would get us from Gallup to Institute in Phoenix and back), and I recognized them as the group Paul had been talking about. Paul Appell, with whom I have been exchanging messages via facebook, had proposed that all of us go camping on our first night in Gallup, and I'd been pestering him for most of the day about when he'd be arriving.

Around 6:30, after a bit of dinner and lots of looking around El Rancho for possible incoming TFAers, Paul arrived, and we got ready to leave. It was only then that I realized I had absolutely no sleeping bag to my name. Fortunately, a kindly bystander (well, by-sitter) named Andrea came to our rescue, and lent us her spare sleeping bag and tent. I have a feeling I'm going to be constantly amazed by people for the next month; not only have the local Gallupites and TFAers shown an incredible magnanimity, friendliness, and willingness to share, but the latter group also seem to have a HECK OF A LOT of camping/rock climbing/hiking gear. I'd be jealous, if I wasn't so sure I'm more or less bound to end up with similar sorts of stuff. In any case, I'm pretty impressed that there are so many people who just camped their way here; I haven't been rustic since Girl Scout camp, with the possible exception of a night spent on the ocean's edge with my fellow teachers in Taiwan.


Anyway, the kids in cars had arrived, and we were off. Though the Red Rocks State Park was only 15 or so minutes away, the girls ended up going the wrong direction at first, so Paul and I killed time chatting with a TFAer named Allison and her mother, Gail, who were picnicking at the park as the sun set. The park lived up to its name; as the sun sank lower, the rocks glowed, illuminating the layers of sediment on the smooth outcroppings and drawing our attention up to the spires on the top of the hill -- Church Rock. It was an incredible sight. Eventually, Hannah and then Laura and Rachel found us, and we all sort of sat at the picnic table, conversing about everything from the moon-faced feral cat and stinkbugs that came to visit to our various adventures (especially to Washington, D.C.), to positive affirmations (like Jessica's!) and yoga and neuroscience.

Hannah brought cards, so we played a rousing round of Gin as the last light of the day faded rosy and blue-black behind the huge rocks that surrounded us. The breeze died down to the point that it barely rustled the silver-green leaves of the trees that surrounded us, so though the temperature dropped, it felt just pleasantly cool. The stars, one by one, came out above us, until there were so many stars that we could barely make out the fainter ones behind their brighter counterparts that made up the Summer Triangle, the Big Dipper, and Taurus. I have never seen a more beautiful sky, and between Cusco, Peru and Richland Center, WI, I've seen my fair share.




After waking up in the morning and breakfasting on the brownies with which Paul's mother had sent him off to Institute (all the better to make friends with, my dear!), we rolled back into town, stopping at Auralia's Route 66 Diner for $3.95 Breakfast Burritos, OJ, and coffee. We learned from Rachel that the correct way to order both green and red chiles, if you're undecided, is "Christmas on the side!". (Apparently, New Mexico has a state question: "Green or Red?" It refers to the chiles that come with EVERYTHING here.) The 50's decor was charming and a little hilarious, and we all enjoyed the friendly crowd of what were obviously Regulars that huddled together at the bar. The waitress was wonderfully attentive, and we never once wanted for water, coffee, or more chiles.

We got back to El Rancho and milled about for a bit; the girls and Paul had no room, and I had no key to get into mine, but after a bit, we all were able to check in to our new room assignments, shower off, change for the day, and get going. Registration involved getting lots of forms and our nametags, and then we lunched in the 49ers room of El Rancho and had our three lectures of the day. The room was, in turns, too hot and too cold, and I fidgeted quite a bit a half hour into each power point presentation, but the monotony (important information though it was) was broken up with group discussions, little jokes here and there, and a walk (:D!!) mid-day, with Julia. (Julia, who I met serendipitously in the hallway just before registration, is a lovely little pixie of great.)

Post-lectures, we all herded into vans and were off to the Taste of the Southwest, where we had a lovely buffet dinner and Julia and I talked with a bunch of people about all sorts of issues in Biology and nutrition. Most of the kids at our table were bio majors or pre-med, and I certainly got my science fix for the evening. I also made plans to go jogging tomorrow at the Red Rocks State Park -- an opportunity I'd missed this morning.

In any case, this may be my only free period for awhile; it seems as if our days will be pretty packed from here on out, and get only more packed as the weeks go on. Still, I'm really enjoying everyone we're meeting, and really liking the weather, climate, landscape, and people of Gallup. I think we'll get along just fine, New Mexico and me.