To “fly solo” is to “fly free,” truly free of everything that has held me back. 

It is interesting spending a day just sitting in nature.  It is hot here with very little shade.  I found a spot under an aspen tree,

with its quaking leaves fanning the air around me.  The evening sun finds its way out from behind the shelter of the aspen so I take advantage of the solar energy penetrating every cell of my body.  Sun is good, in moderation.

The sun is about to drop behind the canyon wall and I can emerge from my blanket beneath the aspen, and like a nocturnal animal, take in the Rio Grande Canyon, in all her glory.

Today, I let go of all the “shoulds,” and the “have too’s,” and allow myself to just “be” in the moment, with whatever transpires.

The drive between Jemez Springs and the Rec area of the Rio Grande right outside of Taos, was an interesting observation.  Because the Jemez Spinrgs area was in “high fire danger alert,” it was quickly becoming a ghost town.  I was the last to leave my campsite, other then the camp hosts.

There was yellow tape blocking all the “pull outs,” creek access points and hiking trails.  There were rangers everywhere, parked at the side of the road on high alert.  Even the woman I met at the Café told me to be careful because everybody around that area was worried about the potential for fire.  There was an energy of expectancy.  It felt strange to see everybody waiting around for a fire to start.

I drove up over a mountain range and ended up in a very depressed, low energy area.  The road I was traveling led me right to the “checkpoint station” of the Los Alamos Labs.  The guard turned me around and pointed me to a nearby road; the one I should have taken, and told me that was the way to Taos.

There was no cell phone reception in the entire mountain range from Jemez Springs on, so I didn’t have my google maps.  Note to self:  Get an atlas; one of those things they make out of paper, and keep it in the van for moments like this when I don’t know which way to go and my phone can’t help me out.

I was not only lost without my “maps” but lost in an area that didn’t feel good to be in at all.  At some point my maps kicked back in and I realized I was on the right path; the road to Taos.  I drove through an equally depressed City, which took so long to get through as there was bumper to bumper traffic moving at a snails pace.  I felt a bit like a mouse in a maze and couldn’t wait to get out.  I was also hungry and that never helps.  I pulled over outside of town and grabbed some vegan cheese, rice crackers and grapes from my back kitchen and headed up the mountain towards Taos.

As I pulled away from the low energy of the reservations, military labs and poverty the world opened back up again.  Things began to feel much better.  The beauty of the Rio Grande opened up, inviting me to stop and take it in.  There was a visitors center at the recreational area so I stopped and asked about camping.  They pointed me down the road across the street and told me there were a couple spots left.  I was surprised to hear they didn’t close down this area too, because with the heat and the high winds it was equally at risk for fire.  They didn’t seem to have the same concern as the Santa Fe National Forest did.

Fortunately, I secured one of the few remaining spots in an unhosted camp area, perched high above the Rio Grande.  It was exposed to the wind and the sun, with no trees or shade, but I decided to stay anyway.  I was tired and just needed to stop driving.

The wind was so strong, I opted to avoid cooking and pulled out more rice crackers, hummus, mini bell peppers and red grapes.  For dessert I had medjool dates with my homemade cashew, almond butter.  It was amazing and reminded me that sometimes it is the simple things in life that make it worth living.