Summer is over in New Mexico. I thought it would be fun to look back.
Wow, I forgot how much we had done until I looked up all the pictures.
If you are new to this blog, here are the links to various trips we took.
Happy last day of September!
-Sofija
This is a first for me, posting someone else’s post. But it was just too inspiring to pass up. You might remember my post on our friends, the Hollands, who are schooling their children while traveling the US? Well this family takes it to another level.
“Abigail went to Transylvania, Romania to research the prevalence of bats and the myth of Vlad the Impaler and Count Dracula.”
Roadschooling is the only way we can travel and educate our kids at the same time. A lot of people ask about entrance into university when the kids get older and we finally had the chance to prove it.
When Abigail applied to study at the Polytech (Community College), the teacher wanted more substantial proof that she had not been sitting on a couch watching episodes of South Park for the last few years of her roadschooling. So I sent her a letter . . . Here is the main section.
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In the past 4 years, Abigail has visited many countries in which she took advantage of learning opportunities, cultural immersion, language training, historical studies, etc. She learned from experts in the countries and from daily schooling activities as well as completing directed projects assigned to her by her parents.
Highlights of these recent educational experiences are as follows:
– Abigail studied ancient Chinese history at the Forbidden City and Temple of Heaven in Beijing, China.
– She studied ancient Egyptian history at the museum at Cairo and on location at the Giza pyramids under the tutelage of Ibrahim Morgan, historian and Egyptologist. Of special interest was King Tut, who was about the same age as Abigail and, like Abigail, had ear plugs.
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I dug through some old pictures and found these. The Very Large Array is a pretty surreal place. Jodie Foster’s movie Contact was filmed there. It is in the middle of nowhere in New Mexico (2 hours southwest of Albuquerque), surrounded by nothing but high desert.
There is a museum and some outdoor activities to learn about astronomy. Astronomer all over the world use these giant telescopes for their research. Make sure the telescopes are in a favorable configuration before you come. Some configurations have the telescopes too far stretched apart and you won’t be able photograph them nicely in a row like I did above. We went there twice, so the pictures above are from a different visit than below with the kiddos. 
Gosh, they were so young. The boy in the blue shirt is my nephew. The last picture is my favorite. Just in case you are wondering what Shane had for lunch that day…
If you make the trip bring lots of sunscreen and a hat. There is absolutely no shade. There is nothing to eat there and the nearest town is half an hour away.
Have a great day,
Sofija
I love it when you are traveling, everybody is getting hungrier by the minute, and you frantically search for a good place to stop and eat…and then what looked like a nondescript picnic area on a map turns out to be this:
The coolest playground in an unlikely area. We found this at the Riverside State Park in Aztec, New Mexico. It sits right on the river Animas. A local told me that they plan to build trails to connect Aztec, Farmington, and Bloomfield. If you are driving from Albuquerque to Durango you want to stop here.
Cool playgrounds are essential for successful travel with kids in my opion. As I find other interesting structures I will post them. If you have a favorite playground I would love to feature them here. You can contact me at sofija.burton@gmail.com.
Have a lovely day,
Sofija
Friends, it has been a fun filled week for us. We drove up to Durango on Sunday and came back Monday. It was a quick trip, we didn’t do much beyond shopping on Main Street, but I scouted some fun things to do next time we bring the kids.
Durango was originally a mining town. The town has successfully preserved the architecture on main street. They kept most chain stores (I only saw one Subway and one Starbucks) out of the downtown area and filled main street with fun local shops, galleries, restaurants, and hotels. Below is one of the two old hotels in town. I would love to stay here if it is just me and the husband coming up.
During this trip we “only” had 3 kids with us. This made it a lot easier logistically. Main street has just the right length a 5 year old can easily walk, and just enough toy and candy shops along the way to keep them occupied. Located on Main Street is also a visitor center that can answer any questions you might have. Below is my husband with the kids, while I juggled my coffee and my camera…
Love the hills all around down town.
Durango has spent 1 million dollars on art installations around town. The horse below were probably the most expensive ones of the collection. Just the right sizes for the girls…
At the end of Main Street is the train depot. It is here where the famous Durango/Silverton train leaves in the morning. We were hoping to enjoy the scenic train ride through the mountains but two things deterred us this time: its an all day affair and it costs quite a bit of money. Hopefully next time. The train depot also has a museum, another fun thing to do for the kids.
Here are two activities I will put on my itinerary for next time.
1. The Durango Mountain Resort offers:
2. The Mesa Verde National Park
Make sure you have enough time for this. Although the park entrance is only about 30 miles outside of town, it is another 20 miles to get to the ruins.
All in all Durango seems really kid friendly and a great destination for all ages. There is hiking, mountain biking, rafting, horse back riding, and rock climbing for the older ones. These are the just the summer activities; Durango is a great ski destination in winter.
Have a lovely day,
Sofija
My favorite drive to Santa Fe is through the mountains on highway 14. This little church is on the way in a tiny town called Golden. Every time I drive by I am compelled to stop and take pictures. Did I mention to you that I am drawn to the Catholic Churches in New Mexico? They are so beautiful.
You can find the pictures I took last winter of the same church here.
-Sofija
Dress: Tea
Boots: Naartjie
The Rio Grande Gorge bridge is located 11 miles north of Taos New Mexico. Crossing it is not for the faint of heart, but the views are rewarding. Next to the bridge there is ample opportunity for shopping, Native Americans and hippies are selling their jewelry, clothes, and food. A colorful bus (first picture) is selling smoothies.
Go here to see my Taos Pueblo shoot.
-Sofija
These are my favorite pictures from our recent trip to Taos. I’m thinking this girl could be a model. There is just one tinsy problem, this girl doesn’t like clothes…she hates seams, threads, and everything that itches. I have to catch her on a day she can tolerate an outfit that works for a shoot. Here she is wearing a dress from Tea and crocks. Earlier she wore some really cute moccasins but they had gotten too itchy. It was either the crocks or no pictures…
-Sofija
You can find more pictures from that day here and here.
Friends,
It has been a cycling kind of weekend for us. The husband and I went on challenging mountain bike ride and the Tour de France started. Now, I don’t always watch the Tour, and the ongoing doping scandals have made me lose all faith in this event. However, when I heard that the 100th Tour the France will be starting on the french island Corsica I couldn’t resist. I LOVE Corsica. My family vacationed here when I was a teenager. We stayed in Ajaccio (above pictures), where Napoleon was born. We rented a vacation house right by the beach. It was dreamy. Some of us also backpacked half of the GR 20. The GR 20 is a hiking trail that spans the entire island of Corsica.
We hiked half of the GR 20 from the middle of the island going north. It looked a lot like the picture above. Along the way we would see wild pigs. The trail is pretty popular, I remember the designated camp areas were crowded.
We didn’t make it to the end of the trail. Somewhere we took a taxi and drove to Calvi. This is a beautiful port city and also todays stop of the Tour de France.
From there we took the train back to Ajaccio. If you go to Corsica there is one more place you have to see: Bonifacio. It is down south sitting right on the ocean. In fact it looks like some of the houses could fall into the ocean any minute.
I have to say, it was a smart move for the Tour to start here.
-Sofija
Picture credits top to bottom:
Ajaccio: http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4rt8ZNTPE3M/S8sw_RVJVtI/AAAAAAAAIM8/qOWj6cLaCug/s1280/ZIMG_A396.JPG
ocean near Ajaccio: http://media-cache-ak1.pinimg.com/originals/db/b3/f6/dbb3f6fd41a52307d4fad04feca10597.jpg
Calvi: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kjunstorm/8371217383/sizes/l/
Bonifacio: http://cristimoise.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/bonifacio-corsica-france.jpg?w=560
Taos Pueblo is oldest continuously inhabited community in the USA. The structure above is approx. 1000 years old. People still live here, kids are out playing, people come and go.
I was surprised to see a church in the center. Today 3/4 of the population shares in some of the Catholic practices. I’m really drawn to the Catholic churches here in New Mexico. One of my goals is to photograph as many as possible.
Next we strolled through the village, where some Natives sell handmade goods. I bought a necklace made of corn. Tasha seemed to like it.
“We have lived upon this land from days beyond history’s records, far past any living memory, deep into the time of legend. The story of my people and the story of this place are one single story. No man can think of us without thinking of this place. We are always joined together. “
Tribal Manifesto
-Sofija
All pictures taken by me with permission from the Tribe.
Teach Where You Live 