The Libators go Corner to Corner: Thanksgiving in Aztec

We were able to spend two weeks with Russ' mom and our nephew (they are housemates). It helps to stop moving for a while, and I felt less homesick.We have spent so much time here over the years that it does feel like home to me too. We did do many of our favorite things in the area, but not as much as usual, partly because of the cold weather, partly because we were tired and partly because we tried to help out around the property. It was a quiet and peaceful Thanksgiving. I loved it.

A good sign.

Steamworks Brewing in Durango.

The La Plata Mountains.

A treat while shopping.

Rubio's. A local favorite.

Sophia's Mexican Kitchen. Breakfast is always good here.

Homemade salsa with Rum Chata.

Using the tractor to move the roof-top tent to storage.

My favorite snack. I didn't expect to find it in New Mexico.

Trying the brews at 3 Rivers Brewing.

Nothing can prepare you for the self. True.

He licks the condensate from the windows.

The cows made it up to the field.

Happy Thanksgiving.

 

We lucked into clear weather driving, followed by some much needed rain and a double rainbow on our first night here. I interpreted that to mean that our time here would be beautiful. We made an effort to do some of the R-Pod maintenance tasks that we can't do on the road from RV Parks, mainly flushing and sterilizing the fresh water and grey water tanks. That required two trips to the Aztec city dump station; it's such a nice amenity provided for free by the city. Unfortunately, Russ' mom's washing machine died just before we arrived (that is why I did our laundry on the road before we arrived). I did borrow a shop vac and really cleaned up the cat litter from the upholstery and the floor, and I used my Swiffer to mop, too. The trick is to not worry about doing everything at once, but to do at least one thing every day. Russ worked with his mom and brother to take apart the irrigation pipe and store it out of the way so the cows could come back up to use the fields. Apparently the cows will break the pipe if it is left in place.

We did get hit with another surprise... our doctor and our typical health providers were no longer going to be accepting our health insurance plan, so we had to change it during open enrollment. In other words, immediately. I'm grateful that the ACA enabled us to retire early, since health care is stupidly linked to work in this country, but using the system is a pain. In the end, we ended up with a plan that is actually about the same cost as our old one, which we were expecting to triple in price for next year. So it worked out better, since the price increase was abandoned along with our old plan.

We also made a day trip up to Durango, Colorado to do some shopping, but mostly to eat at one of our many favorite spots.  It's always difficult to chose just one, but we chose Steamworks Brewing this time. Unfortunately, we were only in Durango this one day, so all of our other favorites will have to wait for another year.

Rainbow over Cedar Hill.

Draining the wastewater tanks.

Refilling the freshly cleaned freshwater tank.

Welcome to Aztec, New Mexico.

Welcome to Colorado (the border is about 5 minutes from Russ mom's house).

Golden tree and snowy peaks.

Enjoying our day out at Steamworks Brewing.

The food is great, too.

The hostess was artistic and bored. She did this in chalk while we were eating.

Durango has lots of murals and public art.

Durango is in the Animas River Valley.

Replacing the washing machine.

Packing up the irrigation pipe for another year.

Safety Meeting.

It's heavy and difficult to disassemble.

Russ' mom did get her washer replaced, but there was a gas-to-propane converter missing from the gas dryer, so the dryer had to wait to be installed. Luckily, the old dryer still worked, so I was able to do all my laundry, including the sheets and blankets (so much cat hair). I defrosted the fridge and freezer in the R-Pod again. I vacuumed the truck and wiped down the interior. It's so much more pleasant to spend all day driving if the truck is clean. I also went into town with my mother-in-law to restock the pantry. I bought all the food I would need for our stay, but also for our trip home. Nobody here wanted to go shopping the day before Thanksgiving, especially me! Our plan was to leave the day after the holiday, weather permitting, so I wanted to be fully ready to roll. Russ and I went into Farmington to get more cat food.

We also ate out at the local restaurants: Rubio's in Aztec and Sophia's Mexican Kitchen in Cedar Hill. I always order green chile when we are in New Mexico, and I also get a sopapilla with local honey for dessert if the restaurant has them. I try to eat my locavore diet, even when traveling, but the local foods are different, of course.

He looked so comfy, I didn't have the heart to move him to make the bed.

The cows are interested in us. This photo was taken through the trailer window.

Veggie scrambled eggs with a bagel. Use up those last bits of vegetables.

Durango Joe's is a local chain with good coffee.

I like the colorful murals at Rubio's.

Good local beer and a paloma.

Chile relleno.

Yeah. The end for this dryer. I think this was the last load it ever dried.

The collapsible crates are handy.

Sophia's Mexican Kitchen for breakfast.

Cleaned up and ready for more travel.

We did have another local celebration before Thanksgiving. Our niece and nephew share a birthday, six years apart. We celebrated with dinner at Russ' brother's house, just with family, but it was a delicious meal and a nice visit with everyone. The third sibling and his wife also came up from Albuquerque for the birthday dinner. Nephew #1 is the oldest of our nieces and nephews, and he and his wife are moving, so they also brought up some larger items to store in the shop while they change houses. They stayed for a couple of days, so we had an opportunity to really catch up and also to enjoy their dog, Bjorn! A funny incident with Bjorn: he was preparing to lay down on a blanket to sleep and just kept rotating and not finding the right spot. Niece-in-law says, "You can't mess up the spin cycle." I thought that was particularly appropriate considering that the new washing machine was delivered just a few days prior to their visit.

Homemade salsa... no recipe, just love and spicy chiles.

Spaghetti (fake meatballs for me) and green salad.

Penelope likes to wedge into the chair with her humans.

Extra seating for the whole family.

Birthday girl.

I love that the siblings have the same birthday.

This is where he was born. I think he knows it.

It was a tight squeeze to get it past the R-Pod.

Niece-in-law and Bjorn. He's a good boy.

The planner keeps my life in order.

Russ' brother takes care of the family projects.

Farmington, New Mexico.

The pie was too big to fit in the ice chests.

The Animas River next to Ruins Road.

The majestic cottonwood in winter.

Crescent Moon.

Sunset light on Mount Nebo.

After everyone went home, we went to pick up a (free) pumpkin pie in Farmington that Russ' mom signed up to receive from her financial planner and to pick up our pre-made Thanksgiving dinner from the Safeway in Aztec. We chose the ham dinner and sides, but I was able to also get a Tofurky vegan ham roast for myself. It was actually pretty good.

I also did the bulk of the travel planning for our trip home. It was close enough to our departure that we had a good idea of what the weather would look like on the route, so we chose one of the shorter paths home, but crossing the Cascades through the Columbia River Gorge instead of over Snoqualmie Pass (which would be the shortest). We also decided to stay one extra day in Baker City, Oregon, in order to wait for a snowstorm to pass. I always feel a bit more relaxed when I have all our nights lined up with reservations secured before we leave.

Ruins Road.

Downtown (old) Farmington.

It's a cute downtown.

I enjoyed all of the beer.

Russ went for the beef dip sandwich and the stout.

Decorated for Christmas, with holiday messages in Navajo.

I'm a big fan of the sticker decor.

Philosophy by sticker. Be authentic (and weird).

The return on Highway 550.

He likes drinking the condensate better than water from his dish.

Thanksgiving dinner box.

Ready for dinner.

Everything was delicious.

Cheers. We are grateful for this amazing journey.

One last view of the cows.

Pumpkin pie, then goodbye.

One last breakfast at Sophia's. This was huevos rancheros.

Last view of the house as we leave for home.

Russ and I took a final trip into Farmington to enjoy lunch at 3 Rivers Brewing before we had Thanksgiving at the house. I really enjoyed the lunch, but also our quiet holiday with just the four of us. It's a big change from my usual Thanksgiving with my large extended family (on my dad's side). We spent some time heating and preparing our big meal, but I also prepared a few things for our return trip the next day: hard boiling some eggs, making tuna salad, and loading the fridge and freezer. We ate a final breakfast at Sophia's Mexican Kitchen before pulling out for the last time and heading home. I loved our stay here, but at this point, I'm homesick and desperate for my usual routine.