De-toxifying Billy

We thought these warnings on the washers were a little dramatic

After visiting the doctor and getting testing for Maeryn and realizing that we really weren't kicking this thing, we settled down in Silver City to wait for test results and get the bus clean.

We did laundry and cleaned the thing from top to bottom.  We opened all of the windows and aired things out.  We cleaned the bathroom.  It was quite a day.

I kept hoping test results would come back quickly.  They said they'd rush them since Maeryn was so young.  We waited 48, then 72 hours.

There was praying and buying of tons of healthy foods and putting iron drops in Maeryn's oatmeal.

Lots of just... waiting.

One day I went into the city by myself.  It was lovely.  I met a lot of people - the barista at the coffeeshop who just moved here from Alaska, the microbiologist who owned a ranch and sold her meats at the local butcher shop with all grass feds and organics, the artists'' guild that met at the same shop, the book seller who admired my selections (I got a second printing of Walden and an early edition of Sherlock Holmes (all the short stories) with original drawings)) and talked to me about Utah and hiking and the Australian Open.  I bought some good meats for the kids and some good coffee for me and I found this amazing store that sold Mexican artwork.  I decided I'd take the fam there as soon as Maeryn was feeling better.

Soon, right?

At least the bus is clean.

City of Rocks

During Maeryn's prolonged illness, we were fooled many times into thinking that she was well.

In the morning, she always seemed fine.  All day she would play and chat and behave normally... only to fall back into dreaded sickness every night. 

Today was one of those days where we thought, "She must be well!"

And we went off to City of Rocks State Park.

Such a neat place.

I'd like to camp there in a tent someday.  The sites are scattered among the City like tiny oasis in a vast desert - using rocks as roof-lines, overhangs as added shelters. 

This is Maeryn howling like a wolf on the rocks.  Totally sick, right???

After an hour or so of scrambling up and down rock faces and ducking into caves, Maeryn declared she needed to go potty.  I took her to the visitor's center and waited.  And waited.  And texted Michael to tell him, "Maeryn's sick again, we need to go home." 

So we did.  Piled into the car. Maeryn snuggled Lovey.  Her face was pale.  She was quiet.  Another night.  Me trying not to worry.

In Which We Don't Go to the Gila Cliff Dwellings

The Cliff Dwellings.  You know the ones.  The ones you read about in your social studies textbook in seventh grade and you don't ever think you'd see something like that in real life...

That's where we were planning on going today.

The drive was almost two hours - down the road with the "pinwheels" and up a mountain of insane switchbacks and cliffs (with no dwellings) leading down a couple thousand foot drop.  No guardrails.

We were running late.  The park closed at five and we were just leaving the bus around two.  Michael was driving a little crazy.  My knuckles were white on the grab bar above my head... but I tried not to show my fear... too much.  I'm still here writing this after all, right?

Once we arrived at the park the rangers told us we were the last group they were allowing to hike to the dwellings.  We were relieved at our luck.  We started over the bridge to the trail... and then Jonah got sick.  So sick...we had to go back home. 

I tried not to be too bummed as the ranger radioed to the top of the trail that our "group of four" wouldn't be arriving and told them to go ahead and shut things down up there. 

It was the beginning of another long bout of sickness.  Especially for Maeryn, who was down with a bug for weeks and we ended up visiting another local urgent care, meeting her awesome doctor Isaac, and getting all sorts of tests run to make sure we didn't all have parasites (we don't).

On the way down the mountain we stopped once to check out the view:

And we stopped here to check the GPS and make sure we weren't lost beyond repair:

 

I made Michael take a picture of the sign.  Too awesome.

We stopped at Sonic on the way back. I got onion rings.  They were good.

Jonah woke up that night puking, but in the morning he seemed better.

A few nights later, after another round of Sonic, I was in the bathroom puking too.  All. night. long.

And Maeryn...  she was sick for so long I started having nightmares she would never get better.  And asking friends from home to pray.   And telling my mom I was scared.  

At the same time one of my best friends was being evicted from her apartment.  She needed help.  And I was so. far. away.  

I felt so helpless.  So angry.  

Eventually things did turn around.

Maeryn started to get well.

My friend got the help she needed.

And I felt the calm wash over me. 

And remembered that God is there.  

Even when I'm thousands of miles from the people I know.

Even if I don't get to go to the cliff dwellings.

White Sands National Monument. Also Mexican Food and Camels.

White Sands National Monument looked like the coolest place on the face of the planet.

Seriously.

And not just because Michael and Maeryn both bought new sunglasses at the gift shop (Michael also bought Maeryn that sweet new bracelet). 

I had read in the free touristy New Mexico magazine that you could actually sled ride on dunes at this place.  What?  Incredibly cool.  Couldn't be real.

But it was.

And it made for one of the best days on the trip so far.

Maybe the best day.

Jonah went first.  He was bravest.  We got the sled at the gift shop for $16.  You can sell the back when you're finished for $5.  Don't get the wax though.  It's a rip off.

We all tried it eventually. 

 Maeryn wasn't huge on sledding down the dunes.  She did it once or twice.

Michael tackled me.  Three or four times.

We all tried rolling down sans sled.

We moved to steeper slopes.

Maeryn drew pictures in the sand and marked X's and required Michael and me to say lines and pretend we were in a movie about a snowstorm.  She created this storm by digging like a dog and throwing sand all over us.  It was cool.

The dunes were just... breathtaking.  The sledding was thrilling and just as fun as snow - maybe more fun than snow. 

There were families scattered all over the park, squealing with delight and zooming down mountains of crystal white sand. 

When we were too hungry to keep going, we loaded up into the car and parked at the gift shop so I could ask someone who worked there where the best place was for Mexican food.  In New Mexico, you're somehow always hungry for Mexican food...

While I was inside...

This guy was parked behind Sally.

We had to take a picture.

I got a recommendation for the best ever Mexican food ever.  It's a place called Margo's in Alamogordo, NM.  Oh.  My.  Mexican Food.

 

SO TASTY.

SO SPICY.

JUST. PERFECT.

 

... Maeryn had fries.

We Make the Best of Things

So.  This happened.

We were pulling Sally from Carlsbad to Roswell with plans to check out some aliens and park a night or two at the state park outside the city... and her tire got busted.

We didn't notice until we pulled into a parking lot in Roswell with Sally and Billy.  We'd been dragging her along like that for who knows how many miles today. 

Nobody was particularly happy about it.

But God was smiling on our troop that day.

We happened to have parked right across the street from a tire and mechanics place.  We were also within walking distance of the International UFO Museum and Research Center.  So...  Maeryn stayed in the bus and played (she had no desire to see any aliens), Michael got the car fixed, and Jonah and I toured the museum.

It cost $7 for adults and $3. 

It was alright. 

I wouldn't fly to New Mexico just to see it or anything... but it was cool that we went. 

Plus it was something relatively interesting to do while Sally was doctored.

In spite of trying to be positive, we were still a little down.  The fix went as well as possible.  Just $85 for the new tire and install.  But...  we still had this setback.  And it was tough to be totally cheery.

We loaded up, slightly gloomified, and headed to the state park.

We didn't expect much.

It was only eighteen bucks a night. 

But...oh...what eighteen bucks can buy you...

The view from the front of the bus

From the back

To the side

Maeryn, again, wanted to stay inside.  So she did that.  And Michael, Jonah, and I explored the surrounding and almost totally empty camping area, beach, playground, and lake.

What a wonderful day.

Hiking the New Mexico Mountains

On the way to the caverns, we saw these incredible mountains in a neighboring National Park and we knew we had to hike them.  So the next day, we did!

BEWARE OF MOUNTAIN LIONS!

The view was spectacular. I'm not used to how far I can see in every direction. 

This mountain reminded me of a pyramid.

We hiked about 1.5 miles, having learned that trying to hike a whole lot farther normally results in a lot of frustration all around - at least with the entire family. 

I loved this hike.  I loved how far you could see and the excitement of mountain lions and Jonah with his field journal.  So much beauty.  My favorite thing about New Mexico so far is that when you look around you see so much brown.  Just brown.  Bland, plain brown.  And then sunset happens - and all of those pinks and purples and yellows are reflected off of everything.  You must see it.  You really must.