on the reservation

The spirits weren't very excited about our presence on the Navajo Reservation last weekend. In fact, they blew up a windstorm just for us. It's fun driving in the desert with hurricane force winds, let me tell you. Especially with a minivan full of journalists (a.k.a. back-seat drivers.) White knuckle driving at it's best. This is also the day after my minivan had a flat tire an hour from civilization. So I was a little wary. But the view of Shiprock was worth it. Even though I could only stand being outside for five minutes to get shots of it (the wind blew me to my knees at one point), you can't even see the sand blowing around in this photograph. Showering that night, I looked down at the tub and it was full of sand. I had sand places where I didn't know sand could go. But I won't elaborate on that.

Ghost Ranch

The Ghost Ranch is most well-known as the place where Georgia O'Keeffe resided and painted some of her most well-known pieces of art. It also afforded the most beautiful and iconic views of New Mexico I was privy to on this trip. So many blockbuster movies have been filmed here. Most recently, the opening scene of the new Indiana Jones movie! The accommodations are rustic, but you have to understand that the people who spend the night here are either participating in a special art/archeology/history program, or are on a spiritual retreat with their church. Let's just say that I've never been on a press trip where I've had to make my own bed. And have eaten in a mess hall. It was like summer camp. And I LOVED it! Mainly because THIS was the view from my room!
The sunset was one of the most spectacular of my life. The air is so dry that when the clouds begin to rain, the water evaporated, leaving streaks in the sky. As the sun begins to set, the streaks turn all different shades, the one I happened to capture was the most brilliant shade of pink.
We also visited a monastery in the middle of freaking nowhere, down a 13-mile dirt road that bordered the Rio Chama river. More amazing scenery. And really entertaining monks. Who brew beer. And design websites. I like to think of them as the monks of the new millennium.

just for the record

I find a little bit of Iowa EVERYWHERE I go :-)

10,000 waves

Ten Thousand Waves is technically a day spa, but it feels kind of like the ewok village. If the ewok village was transported from Japan to the hills above Santa Fe and specialized in making people feel high on life. Accommodations range from a renovated vintage Airstream to a multiple-bedroom villa. We didn't have a chance to stay here, but we spent one of the most relaxing mornings of the trip (and the best physical body treatment of my life) here. We started with a dip in the baths, followed by an 85-minute Indo-Asian treatment. After massaging warm oil into your body, you're then sprinkled with calamus root powder, which is scrubbed into the oil. Then more massage. Then you're wrapped, mummy-like, in heavy blankets that have been steeped in numerous herbs. I guess it opens up your pores so your body is able to absorb the healing powers of the herbs (unlike some wraps in which you're supposed to sweat out toxins.) My eyes were covered in cucumber slices and then my face was packed with cold compresses. Every few minutes, my therapist would mist my face with lavender-scented water, then stick a straw in my mouth so I could sip cool water. Divine. I can see why the Hodapps are obsessed with this place. And yes, although I knew clothing was optional, I opted to keep my suit on to spare the construction workers (they're in the process of opening two new baths.)

the rest of the new mexico photos...

here's a link to my favorites from the trip to new mexico:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/libbadibbado/sets/72157607542169827/

RAW culinary (not cooking) class

While in Santa Fe, the Health & Wellness group spent an entire day at BODY of Santa Fe. All three meals were raw, vegan, and organic. I was in heaven. They had me at raw sushi. Instead of rice, they used jicama (pronounced he-cuh-muh), which is like a sweet cucumber. Yum. I got a shot of these limes that my group in the culinary class used to make the raw coleslaw. So, while I was stuffed to the max all day long, and uber relaxed after three spa treatments, I returned to my hotel ready to crash. I awoke a few hours later. STARVING. Absolutely RAVENOUS! I always pack enough little snacks to last the week when I travel, and I ate ALL of them that night!

Traditional Japanese Tea Ceremony

First, we all knelt and rinsed our hands in this rock.
Then, we took off our shoes and crawled through this.
We ate these sweeties before the ceremony.
Natsuko performed an intricate dance to prepare each bowl of tea.
After bowing and thanking the tea, you place it in your left hand and turn it clockwise twice.
You're supposed to finish your bowl in three and a half sips. On the last sip you can make a big slurping sound.
It was delicious!
Thank you, Natsuko!
Then I slid the door open and this is what I saw :-)

groovin' to the grooviness

"My" yoga studio :-)

I am on a complete and total yoga high right now! I'm at this amazing green retreat center outside of Santa Fe, and the instructor didn't show up for our yoga class this morning, so I taught the class. It felt so relaxing and natural! I wasn't at all nervous, and I knew exactly what to do. I got tons of compliments and a round of applause afterwards. Maybe I should pursue yoga instruction? Hmmmmm......

New Mexico is amazing. Soaring at 7000 feet above sea level near Santa Fe, with people who are not called "groovy" or "hippies" for having natural spiritual thoughts. I mean, last night when we were having dinner (all organic, locally grown cuisine) and talking about our relationships, the spa director was telling the story of how she met her husband and she actually said, "The first time we hugged, my chakras went wild, and I just KNEW he was the man I'd spend the rest of my life with." They took a roadtrip and had a private, spiritual wedding ceremony, just the two of them, and they came back married. I don't know if they're legally married, or just spiritually married, but it did not seem the least bit strange considering our surroundings. This place is so steeped in spiritual culture, history, and creativity, that describing that FEELING you get when you meet someone you feel you've known your entire life in terms of chakras seemed the most logical description of said phenomenon.

My casita at Sunrise Springs Retreat

Ramblings. I'm about to have a cranialsacral therapy, which will realign my central nervous system and heal me from the inside out for at least three weeks. The transformative therapy will work with the patterns my body was formed around. The theory holds that in the womb we are all perfect beings, and then we suffer bodily trauma as we get older, first at childbirth, then through normal things like crossing our legs, running, wiping out on our bikes, etc. So this session will work at restoring my body to it's perfect form. Might be difficult considering the scoliosis, but people that have undergone the treatment come out two inches taller. Here's to being 5'8" in a few hours :-)

The spa at Sunrise Springs is going to be unlike any other spa I've visited. It's a completely natural surrounding. There's no music, no smells, and even the water comes straight from the natural spring (no cucumber or lemon slices, darn!) They want patrons to focus on their surroundings, hear the birds sing, the bugs buzz, the wind through the 150 year-old tree limbs. All the products used are grown and made on site. All organic, all natural.

So yeah, this place is pretty freaking sweet.