I need to start at the beginning of the day... We woke up at the church around 7:30 and left around 8:00. I was right -- Albuquerque is really pretty in the daylight. We got a quick breakfast and hit the road. I feel like today's drive (7hr) was longer than yesterday's, which is weird. Maybe it was the anticipation! I remember feeling a little less enthusiastic today because everybody seemed to be very preoccupied with their phones and internet. Maybe I'm just weird, but I didn't come here to be glued to technology the whole time -- I feel like it causes a lot of isolation. Anyway, the scenery was awesome! I pretty much stared out the window and listened to music while the other girls read or listened to sports radio or whatever. I'm sure that we were all just too sick of riding in a "mom van" to be very social, which wouldn't surprise me.
I loved looking at the mountains and the desert, the scenery was just surreal. Even the little towns through which we'd passed were cute and interesting! Hatch, NM is overflowing with chile
peppers and quirky shops and restaurants. We stopped in a town called "Truth or Consequence", which is such a weird name, but it was a cute little town. We got some food, refilled, out gas tank, and went on our way.
The next adventure began in Benson, AZ, where we'd planned a Walmart stop for our week's worth of groceries! We planned all of our meals in the car so we knew what we needed, it was just kind of hectic trying to find everything, keep track of the money, and determine how much of everything we needed. However, it was fun, despite the craziness, and we got to witness an "extreme coupon-er"! (We left before her, though, so I don't know how much money she saved.) Fitting it all in the car was a whole other challenge...
We finally found the ranch, but Roger (the Assistant Coordinator) wasn't at the bunkhouse and there is no cell reception (they call it "The Vortex") so that was a small dilemma. However, we found the headquarters and he was there, so all was well! We put his adorable dog, Zeke, while he gave us a quick run-down of our jobs, gave us fresh bed linens, and explained a little bit of the history of the Appleton-Whittel Research Ranch! It was interesting to learn of the work they do, his field (herpetology - study of amphibians/reptiles), his background at the Phoenix Zoo, and about some wildlife we may see here! The ranch is breathtaking -- desert grasses surrounded by mountains and clear skies.
The bunkhouse is great! We have a fully-stocked kitchen (coffee maker, two refrigerators, stove, oven, dish- and clothes-washer, the works), a living area with fireplace, three bedrooms, and two bathrooms. The entire bunkhouse is solar powered. I also love that there's no cell service because I think it'd be great to just get away from life for awhile. I mean, that's another reason why I'm here! I don't think the girls currently utilizing the bunkhouse Wi-Fi would agree, but everybody is different :)
After dinner and showering, we made friendship bracelets and chatted. I mostly listened because I was pretty engrossed in making my first friendship bracelet! Beth taught me how to make them, and now I've made two, which pretty much makes me an expert. I'm kind of a quiet person unless I'm one-on-one with somebody, but I like listening to everybody's stories. Now I'm in bed and Michelle, my bunkhouse roommate, is trying to sleep. I'm tired, and I feel bad for keeping the light on, goodnight!
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