The Land of Enchantment...

... has actually really enchanted me. After a good night of sleep in the Wal-Mart parking lot of Clovis, New Mexico, I headed West toward Santa Fe. I even got to make an impulsive stop at a roadside attraction! I saw the grave of Billy the Kid in Ft. Sumner, New Mexico! And visited the museum too, which strangely left me more perplexed than before I entered.

Basically, practically nothing is certainly known about Billy the Kid, though there are plenty of resources that cite him as a personable and respectable individual. He was mostly elusive in his 21 years of life, the number of men he actually killed is contested, and his resting point could actually be within one acre of the tombstone I saw.  I love history!

Anyway. Now I'm in Santa Fe, and I really like it here. My first stop, of course, was La Montanita Food Co-op. The store is pretty nice (and is also a member of NCGA, so there were a lot of recognizable co-op features), but it's still no Wheatsville. But! They do have a discounted deli items shelf, which is awesome. I feel like I've been eating very healthy on this trip. It's more affordable, and I'm feeling very good too. Also, I've been exploring a bunch on my bike. Maybe I'll manage to lose some of those Guatemala/bacon/BBQ fat cells. The truth is, though, I don't ever want to travel again without my bike! It's so practical and efficient. And fun!

I came upon this labyrinth with a sign that instructed me to walk through it and find peace & serenity in doing so. Then turn around, walk the same path, and bring the peace & serenity back with into the world. It was a nice barefoot trek. When I got to the center, I realized it took me a lot longer than I anticipated. So I tried to guess how many steps it would take me to walk out again. About a hundred I thought. It turned out 364! I've never been good with numerical approximations I guess.

Anyway, last night I went to a show that I read about in the Alibi, the local weekly publication. It was Carrie Nation and the Speakeasy, a bluegrass outfit from Wichita, Kansas. I learned from Matt, the banjo player, that Carrie Nation was a prominent figure in the temperance movement. Therefore, the complete title of their band is awesome. & their show was really fun too. And I made some new friends! All travelers, naturally. I think those are more likely to start up conversation, I guess myself included. But also generally quite interesting folk. And I even said Yes to a beer offer. [Monk's Ale, made in a local New Mexico monastery by Benedictine monks - yay!] It's weird because usually I like to treat people and facilitate good times. But now that I have no income, I should learn to be more accepting of generosity. I even accepted a free CD from the band. I was on a roll! And then I slept in my sweet downtown parking spot because there's no limitations on Sunday parking. I love it when things work out, as they generally do.

Last night at the show, Billy, a guy from Denver traveling with his girlfriend, enthusiastically declared, "You know.. having a career and making lots of money really isn't what it's all about. I've always wanted to do what you're doing."

"Yeah," I said. "Me too."