A Dose of Taos..

....was just what the doctor ordered, however she didn't- instead I prescribed it for myself! I was drawn to Taos before this road trip, not sure why, just knew it was one of my top ‘bucket list’ items, a must-do place to experience.. (And not only because Julia Roberts lives here.) (Well, like that was only 5% of the reason for coming.) I felt deep down that I may come away changed,or, dare i say- transformed, in some way, in a good way.There’s something very special about Taos, it feels like a healing place- both body and soul- and it knows that about itself, with designated or known sacred places. This is likely the well from which springs the area’s 'street cred' as a centre for creativity , with rich histories and present-day influences of Spanish, Mexican, Taos Pueblo American Indian cultures all woven together with the freespirited, outdoor enthusiasts,New Agers (who must be getting a little old now, dontcha think?) , artists, people who just love to live there and..well, I don’t even really know what I'm talking about, just going on my day and a half there and that's what popped up for me!

Now a word about the altitude..you'd think that most people would do some research about altitude before going to a town a) located in a mountainous region and b)connected with a ski resort..but nooo, I kinda like to do just a little reading before a trip and then rely on word of mouth from people I meet along the way…the spontaneity makes it more magical and fun (translate that into 'bad time management leading to inability to read up about the trip before I left'). Henceforth, I dolt-ishly wasn’t aware of or prepared for Taos’ 7000 ft elevation and the pounding heart palpitations that kept me awake a few hours each night, with random thoughts of ‘does this town have a hospital’ and ‘ so THIS is the special kind of heartburn you get after eating New Mexican Mexican [yes,I meant that] food every night'. These symptoms happened sometimes during the day, and were served occasionally with a side of shortness of breath. But knowing it was the altitude and not my own personal Day of Reckoning, kept me from worrying (excessively) about it..

Getting back to the Bucket List comment-how many of us even have a Bucket List? We mosey along in life catching experiences and the wonder of it all etc etc along the way, but if we don’t articulate for ourselves what we really must do before we ‘exit stage right’, we may never fulfill ourselves completely. Or find as much joy as we can possibly handle. I’m so guilty of that, with an ‘I’ve done everything’ mantra- marriage, family, career, Weight Watchers,..well, maybe I’d like to learn Spanish and play the piano - sooo notttt Bucket List material- learn Spanish AND DO WHAT WITH IT=Bucket List Item. I really believe if we think it we will create it.. While I was driving that blissful High Road to Taos, I suddenly envisioned a scene where I check into my hotel room and ask if there is WiFi, sort of need it because 'I am a writer'- and just saying those words in my fantasy made me get all misty..so what’s that all about? It’s about finding new passions in life and I think writing could be one of mine.

For those of you whom I lost a couple of paragraphs ago, stick around, this is where it gets interesting…

Another reason to look forward to Taos was to connect with the dearest friend of one of my family members. I had only met her once and thought at best I could expect we might have a coffee and chat about life in Taos,I didn’t want to keep her from her vibrant young life on that day, having to entertain some middle-aged broad searching for Idunnowhat on her Artist's Journey/Freedom Tour…oh and with a million questions for everyone I meet. Well hoist those fears aside, girl, the day became so much more than that, first of all because I made a new friend that day- who woulda thunk that bonus was in the cards for this trip? And second of all, because she invited me to do something I have never seriously thought of doing. Because I was chicken.

So when she asked me, after our coffee, "would you like to go white water rafting this afternoon?" my immediate inside dialogue whirring around for the next 45-60 seconds was:

1-did she just say white water rafting?

2-I only have one day to look at Taos and blog and um get some sun. Because we don't get sun in Vancouver.

3-How can I say no to such an opportunity, I have tomorrow morning to check out Taos

4- I think I might say yes, I feel it coming..

5- my glasses might fall off, and there goes $600 floating downstream

6- well I did bring contact lenses with me, in case I did something active.Haven't cracked em outta the case yet

7-Um, what if I can't fit into whatever riversuit I need to put on

8-What the hell, I might say yes, I can if I want to-I'm grown up now!

9- I HAVE to say yes, this is my Freedom Tour

and..

10- I want to face the fear of the unknown, it'll be fun and totally blogworthy !

So I said yes. And then had the most incredibly wonderful next several hours. Starting with going to get tamales, cooked in warm corn husks, buying them from a street vendor in his trailer, soo0 yummy (the tamales that is, altho he was cute too), and finishing with margaritas at The Alley , a cool little bar/grill with an open air ceiling (the Photo of the Day) , friendly people and plants all over..and where I got asked for I.D.?! I kinda died a little and went to heaven a little..

But the meat of the matter, and yup, yet another XtendaMomentOfTheDay, was what happened Between the Tamales and the Alley (hey, that would be a good name for a movie) ..rafting this beautifully scenic route down 5 miles of Class 2 and 3 rapids ,sparring with the Rio Grande. My friend's boyfriend was a guide for this cool rafting company (and she can guide too) so I felt certain I was in good hands..I hadn't really felt too nervous until we got the safety talk, ie, that 10 % of rafters fall out, and what to do in all the scenarios (even ending up under the boat- you do NOT want to go there)..I felt a new appreciation for the high fat percentage on my body, believing it would enhance my buoyancy, and also for Mum paying for all those swimming lessons. We wore tight-fitting lifejackets (it transported me to Verona with its [Romeo and] Juliet-like corset effect) and helmets..and it was a BLAST! I was not afraid once, got happily but solidly drenched by the freezing waters, but it was sunny and warm and it felt like a baptism of sorts, like I could now go forward in life with the memory of this JUST SAY YES experience to JUST SAY YES to more such experiences. As we careened and glided through the waters we were told great stories about the history of the geography of the land forms surrounding the banks of the Rio, and the coolest thing ever- docking the raft so we got super close to petroglyphs in the rocks (of a lizard and other designs) left by Conquistadors and Pueblo Indians, some 2000 years old. We also viewed the remains of a town that had been a thriving centre during the Gold Rush, and the road that sprang from it and is still there.. but now only a handful of people live there in humble dwellings. I could so clearly visualize how it looked in its day, teeming with hard-working adventurers sifting through ore near these same banks of the river, excited for their dream of a Bigger Future once they found the motherlode.

The exhilaration of running the rapids ,paddling like hell and feeling the effect of our work as a team,with blue sky above, the sun on my shoulders, a great group of people in the raft, complete confidence in my friend and her boyfriend's abilities to safely navigate us, the rich history declaring that Others From Days Gone By had shared this trip down the Rio Grande-this same route- made this undeniably a Peak Experience, one I did not want to end- and a memory that will sustain me during the inevitable gray days that plague Vancouver.

I guess this could be called a Life Lesson, because I felt sooo alive doing it...

..Rolling, rolling, rolling on the river

If you come down to the river

Bet you gonna find some people who live

You don't have to worry cause you have no money

People on the river are happy to give..

-John Fogerty

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