Our Stay in Medanales, NM

New Mexico

June 2021

A Warm Medanales Welcome

We had a smooth six-hour drive through the New Mexico desert, following the Rio Grande north. When we arrived at our new destination, a working farm in Medanales, we were all warmly welcomed by the owners. Their small but cute Airbnb felt homey right away. After settling in, we relaxed on the porch, taking in the amazing views.

And what a difference a place makes! Here, Hemmes was in his element right away. After curiously roaming around for a bit, he joined us on the couch outside, relaxed, and fell asleep right away.

Medanales, An Oasis in The High Desert

After walking around the area, we concluded that we were in paradise within these green surroundings. However, the owners had told us their land would be essentially worthless without access to a well on the grounds. In this high desert, water is everything.

The peaceful stroll under the shade of the trees from our cottage to the Rio Chama across the farmland was about half a mile. Since that was just too short for us, we continued following the road and saw a little church, San Antonio de Padua, just down the way. The church was a beautiful example of traditional northern New Mexico adobe architecture. Sadly, it was closed, so we couldn’t see the interior. While Catholic churches are often open to the public, these historic mission chapels are usually kept locked to preserve their history and are opened only for special feast days or local services.

The Close of a Career

This morning, I took my camera for my last walk as a “working woman,” exploring the area a few hours before my 2:00 PM call with my client’s new web company. After nine years of web design and development, I finally decided to retire. When the call ended, so had my working career.

It felt weird, though I was looking forward to finally traveling with a relaxed mind, without worrying about internet access. As if to mark this occasion, the sky celebrated with me as dark thunderstorms rolled in, bringing refreshing rain and fireworks of thunder and lightning.

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Running

The Rio Grande (big river) has been an integral part of the history of New Mexico for thousands of years. Running through the entire state, it is both its backbone and lifeblood. It originates in the southern Rocky Mountains of Colorado and then forms the boundary between Texas and Mexico before spilling into the Gulf of Mexico. Over 1,800 miles long, it is one of the great rivers of the world.