Truths, consequences, and work

This past week, Red Delicious was parked in front of a rustic Airbnb cabin on the edge of downtown Truth or Consequences, New Mexico. The city changed its name in 1950 when the popular quiz show, Truth or Consequences, announced it would air from the first city to change its name.

 

To the east is Turtleback Mountain, rising up on the other side of the Rio Grande. Can you see why it earned its name?

 

T or C was originally named Hot Springs because it has, you guessed it, hot springs. We enjoyed a soak in this tub overlooking the river. One couple said it used to be more laid back at this place: “It was casual — there was a rope so you could jump in the river and cool off. You could smoke a joint and rent a teepee for $14. Now it’s all ritzy.”

 

The stop here was planned from the beginning: we thought it would be wise to have a week-long break from camping early in our journey. It’s a good thing we had a place lined up, because camping here would’ve been tough:

 

We can handle 40, even 35. But 21? Too. Cold. #Californians

We’ve loved our time here, despite the cold, but want to know the truth?

We can’t wait to get back on the road.

It was great to get to know the area and have a reliable internet connection for getting work done. (And boy, did we both do a lot of work this week; what else is there to do when it’s too cold for the outdoors?) But the itch to keep moving crept up just a few days in.

Chris and I at first were surprised by how quickly we’ve acclimated to nomad life. But then we spent the past year bouncing around cities in Latin America, so we’re used to being in unfamiliar territory. You learn to find comfort not in things like your own bed or your neighborhood coffee shop, but in simple traditions like spiked hot apple cider before bed and the closeness that comes with experiencing new things together.

One of our recent memorable activities was a day trip to Chloride, a “ghost town” about an hour away. Founded in 1880 after the discovery of silver in the area, it now has fewer than 15 people living there.

 

On the drive to Chloride, we saw sweeping desert views and several roadrunners crossing the road. There are so few cars on the highway, cars traveling in the opposite direction wave at you as you pass.

 

The Chloride Pioneer Store was left with all of its goods still inside. It took the new caretakers three years to clean and organize the contents. 

 

“Those tools run on human power,” said the lady who showed us around.

 

“The original laptop” — a lap desk made of old coffee crate

 

A cabin from a nearby town’s earlier days — the town is gone now, so they moved the cabin to Chloride

 

Inside the cabin, you notice each wall has a door with slots for rifles, designed for quick escape and to protect against raids from nearby Native American tribes.

 

One of Chloride’s nine saloons

 

Now a cafe where we had coffee and pie, this building used to be a bank. But the bank failed shortly after opening, so it became one of the town’s nine saloons.

 

Soon, we’ll be heading even further south to Texas. We’re scheduled to be in Austin at the beginning of February, so we have the next week to explore West Texas.

We’re trying to plan a couple days in Big Bend National Park. We’re keeping an eye on the weather though because it looks like rain. Also, we’ll be totally off the grid there, so we have to plan accordingly for our work. That’s another thing we’re both getting used to — balancing work and travel. (And we’re about to change time zones again!)

Other things we’re exploring that we’ll report back on:

• The cost of parking: We’re tracking our campground costs and experimenting with tent sites at RV parks.
• A place-by-place project: Is there an activity we should do or place we should seek out every place we stop? We need a theme, basically.
• More music: Check out the new songs we’ve added to our Spotify playlist and suggest more, please!

So far, we can both say this adventure has been worth the risk. There’s so much to see and learn. Before we share the rest of our photos, we’ll leave you with this Eagles quote we saw on the wall of a sandwich shop yesterday:

So often times it happens that we live our lives in chains, and we never even know we have the key.

(Hint: Use your key!)

 

A glamour shot from Holly

 

A driveway in T or C

 

License-plate art in T or C

 

“Goatheads” — a spiky plant Holly got acquainted with and quickly learned to avoid

 

Red Delicious, spotted in Elephant Butte State Park, New Mexico

 

Best meal of our trip: green chile cheeseburgers at A&B Drive-In in T or C

 

Elephant Butte Dam

 

Chris and Holly on a desert walk

 

El Charro Cafe, Lordsburg, New Mexico

 

New Mexico, The Land of Enchantment

 

Back in Arizona, the tallest cactus we’ve ever seen

 

Sundown at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument in Arizona

 

And then sun up

 

Morning desert hike east of Tuscon

 

Colorful shop in the small town of Ajo, Arizona