Women's Camp 2023 (Minus One)

The last time the Ladies of J1 gathered together was pre-Pandemic. Time passed, and a great deal transpired, including some loss and a great deal of change. So much so, that it seemed essential we reconvene. So we mapped out a central location (though technically, if we gave weight to Tracey being in Saudi Arabia, we probably would have ended up in Scotland), found a time that seemed ideal (when Tracey was returning stateside for her sister's 40th birthday), and booked an Airbnb and flights to Santa Fe, NM (ok, technically the flights were to Albuquerque which was much cheaper).

But then Tracey wasn't feeling well and wasn't sure she could make the trip. She soldiered on and made it all the way from the Middle East to Detroit, MI, where she became so ill she was hospitalized. She was discharged fairly quickly, but there was no way she was going to make it to New Mexico.

But Audra, Cecily and I could not be deterred, meeting at the airport, picking up the rental car and driving over an hour to our rental house where we promptly ordered food, went to the grocery store, ate what was delivered (which actually wasn't the food we ordered), and then crashed for the night. 

The next morning we went for a short (though fairly vertical) hike before coming back, cleaning up, Facetiming Tracey, and going to Meow Wolf, an immersive art experience. We made it through all 70+ rooms (some of them multiple times) and then went to the Santa Fe Plaza for a late lunch/early dinner. After which we headed home to enjoy some adult beverages and the hot tub.

The next morning we woke up (relatively) early for a longer (though significantly easier) hike in Bandelier National Park. The drive took us through Los Alamos and a security check point, where we were informed we were not allowed to take pictures (which wasn't a huge loss since it's not a particularly scenic National Lab anyway).  Once we got to the park, we had a lovely conversation with the Park Ranger and then headed out on the Main Pueblo Loop (1.4 miles), with a special side trip to Alcove House (1.0 miles) and its extreme ladder climbing.

 

After the hike, we had lunch (and beers!) at the park and then returned to our place before going out for a fancy belated communal 50th birthdays celebration.

We had a leisurely Sunday morning before heading to downtown Santa Fe to explore the Georgia O'Keefe Museum and various shops, grab lunch and check out Canyon Road (home to 80 distinct art galleries) before heading back to the house to pack for an extremely early departure time.

We departed Santa Fe Monday morning at 4 am in order for Audra to make her flight from Albuquerque to Detroit by 6 am. Then Cecily and I tooled around the city until we found a Waffle House to hang out in, returned the rental car and then killed time at the airport until our flights (which for me was another 5 hours...).

It was a good trip. Sure, Tracey didn't actually make it and I apparently picked up a raging case of COVID while there, but it was really nice to reconnect in a beautiful place with the people that have been there for the ups and downs of our adult lives and helped us get through it all.

(To see all of my pictures, plus some of Audra & Cecily's, click here.)