Hello Canyon, Goodbye NM

Bandolier hiking dinner with parents is that it?
Today the two of us attempted to board a train ride to the grand canyon. We found that the "not inexpensive" experience only departed once per day and allowed only three hours at the park, then had a one-chance return. We had been on the fence about this anyway, so our decision was made.

We're in the car now. Around Flagstaff we had driven through a snow-covered area dominated with coniferous trees that reminded me of upstate Michigan (except for the snow-covered mountains in the distance). I couldn't explain it because on both sides of this swatch of sizeable trees is a semi-savanna with low bushes and dry grasses about to become tumbleweeds (I say semi because I think savanna has to be totally flat and a little more dry...and I don't want to be wrong so I'll just stick that prefix on). 

If I knew more about geography, weather patterns, ocean currents, whatever, I could make a guess. Anyway, at the park we visited yesterday it was nice to see trees again. It felt like home.

But as the landscape changes it's becomeing more easy to believe that we will soon come upon the rocky, vegetationless canyon we have seen in countless pictures. 

I'm gonna go back to New Mexico for a moment. One thing worth mentioning was getting to meet our host Matt's parents. They were totally awesome and as the waitresses cleaned up around us they continued the conversation ad long as possible.
Heather and I ate at Baskin Robbins the next night and then reheated our leftovers the next night in the next door gas station's microwave without buying anything there,  but the staff wished us a good night and I felt okay about it. We went back to Baskin Robbins to eat. I think that was the first time spaghetti had entered the haven of sugar and dairy.

That night we stayed at an historic hotel from our guidebook, which made me quite giddy: El Rancho.  It's claim to fame is that many black-and-white movie stars passed through its rooms in days of yore. It also had a cozy lobby and great, well-kept neon outside. There were even complimentary postcards in our room.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. Did I tell you about old city Albuquerque yet? Our second morning in NM we visited the cluster of shops in the center of town. It was desolate because of - oh wait, I did tell you about that, because I told you about the church. And did I tell you about our frozen picnic? We got back to the car and decided to eat outside. And my scatterbrained self focused on organizing the meal instead of bringing my coat. Yet I feel very fond of that meal.

That was the comedy day.

The next day we learned about forgiveness in church as I looked at a stained glass depiction of Jesus all the way at the end of the sanctuary from my balcony seat. Through my contact lenses which are usually just a bit off, and with the distance and the lighting, and the artist's choice of colors, Jesus looked not like he was surrounded in a bright and blinding aura, but in a sea of beautiful foresty greens, green being the color of welcome, and he WAS the light, depicted in whites and golds.

And I enjoyed the lesson, too, and even the prayer, which included the phrase "web of life." I'm familiar with the phrase "web of lies," and to hear "life" in the place of "lies," I will never think of entanglement in the same way again.

We also came on communion day.

At my church, communion is done kind of in isolation.  You go and get your bread, or someone passes it out to you. Here, you can't get it unless you go up front and get spoken to by a pastor/priest/reverend/not sure what they were called there but it doesn't matter. Scary, huh? And I was in the balcony so it was quite the decision to go down. I didn't just follow my row up when it was time. So I talked to God and when it was time we went up. It was a good time.

So the trees just got MUCH taller. Maybe I didn't look at those photos close enough.

So anyway, second day, quickly since the canyon is right around the bend: we hiked at a place called Bandolier something or other, where pueblo people both built residences and lived in naturally-formed caves in the faces of the orange cliffs. We climbed inside them and took many, many pictures.

It was a "hike" back, too. I thank Heather for driving as I no doubt snored in the back.

I thank Matt profusely for his hospitality and bid NM a temporary farewell.