Expedition Me & You

While Bandelier National Monument was relaxing and inviting, Chris and I were most definitely interested in additional exploration when it came to cliff dwellings and New Mexico's historic sites. Our schedule permitted us one destination on Tuesday. We could choose to visit the Taos Pueblo or Puye Cliff Dwellings . Although the Pueblo is supposed to be pretty spectacular, Chris and I are wary of crowds. The Taos Pueblo is a very popular place. Although it's filled with authentic Native American artisans and craftspeople, she and I felt more like we wanted a one on one experience doing something a little more exciting than shopping. Puye is beautiful . A Pueblo guide provides an intimate tour throughout the site. What I enjoyed most about it is that her experiences were firsthand. She is a direct descendant of the individuals who used to inhabit the cliff dwellings and her knowledge about the area was not only complete but also genuine. In fact, the people who used to...

For anyone interested, I thought I should compile a complete list of resources for anyone who may want to replicate our destination wedding! As mentioned previously, Chris and I had a vegan wedding in Santa Fe, New Mexico. We planned everything ourselves with much help from our moms. I had a very difficult time with everything and any help I can provide to others attempting something similar could be valuable. So, here goes. Venue Hyde Memorial State Park It cost $500 for an entire day's use. It is a state park and is run by rangers. They are not overly helpful, but the price is amazing. The scenery is fantastic. We booked for their final week. Unless you want to risk ran, sleet, hail, and snow, I would suggest booking a week or two before their final weekend for your fall wedding and probably the opposite for spring. Officiant Marilee Harrison, Humanist Celebrant We could not have asked for a more professional officiant. We loved Marilee. She provided us with options f...

Chris and I visited Bastrop State Park today for a nice hike. It's been a few weeks since the last time we went exploring and Chris was really itching to get out there. Her goal for the both of us is to one day backpack so the sooner we start training, the better.  Several years ago, wild fires destroyed homes, land, and public areas throughout Bastrop. The state park stands as evidence. Regrowth is happening, but it will be decades before the park is normal again.  Despite the destruction, the park really is beautiful. It has vibrant fall color. The ground is speckled with mushrooms, ants, and wild animal scat. Our path led us over fallen, charred trees, but the trails were level and otherwise easily navigable.  Entrance to the park is $4 per person 13 and over. We started our journey at the scenic overlook near the route 1C leading to Beuscher State Park. From there we picked up the Purple Trail until we found the Old Road...

A very, very long time ago, Chris and I lived in Elkins, West Virginia. In 2008, the two of us drove 1-2 hours to visit the Green Bank Radio Astronomy Observatory located in the same state. I was a nerd-in-training then so the immensity of its importance didn't strike me at the time, but I still found the experience worth remembering. And I had fun taking pictures. You are not allowed to use digital photography close up, so this is the best photo I got. The sun was setting. It made everything very picturesque.  The telescope is used in a number of sciences including Chemistry and Physics. Here's what the website has to say about its use in Planetary Science: When the GBT is used as a partner with a transmitting radar antenna, it can be used to map asteroids, moons, planets, and comets to a level of accuracy that is often better than spacecraft which are actually in orbit around those objects. Also, radar penetrates the soft surfaces on some of these worlds, giving...

Try as we might, Chris and I got a late start on the first day of our honeymoon. Our tire surprised us with a nice, little leak! Awesome! Also, family were starting to leave town. We ate a nice breakfast, had coffee, packed up, and headed out to Tesuque to explore some ruins. Except... we could not find the right place to go and our phones weren't able to get a good enough internet signal to find advice on Google. Plan B (you should always have a plan B) was Bandelier National Monument . Why? Ruins. But also it was supposed to be tarantula mating season and who wouldn't want to see migrating giant spiders? Exciting! The drive from Santa Fe was fairly scenic. I took a number of photos from the highway. Bandelier is further ahead! I can see it! Okay, maybe not but still. Here we go! The preserved ruins and surrounding natural area are home to scientific research in addition to being a fun tourist spot. Parking off site is required. Visitors leave their vehicles...

It is only sensible that the first story I share with our readers be the one of our wedding day. While we have been adventuring for many years together already, it is the point at which this particular expedition really began. The two of us started planning our big day in January. We had a few options we could choose from; we could have a symbolic ceremony in Texas and eventually have a legal ceremony elsewhere, we could elope to a location where same-sex marriage is legal, or we could have a small ceremony inviting friends and family in another state where gay marriage is allowed. Ultimately, the last one is what we chose. New Mexico seemed like the most appropriate option. It was close to where we were and was located  within a reasonable distance for the rest of our families. Having never been there before, I wasn't sure where to search for wedding venues first. I was most familiar with Santa Fe by reputation. Coworkers had told me how beautiful it is there, how many art galle...

In 2006 I first laid eyes upon my one and only. After two years as friends, the two of us began dating long distance. About two months later we had had enough of that. I moved to West Virginia from Austin, Texas and the rest simply fell into place. Six years later, we decided to finally make it official. In true adventurer fashion we opted for a destination wedding. Our friends and families met us in Santa Fe, New Mexico to watch us exchange vows and to celebrate the years with us. The day after our ceremony our honeymoon began. We learned a lot during the following week. We realized that our love of dark skies beats our love of fine restaurants. We discovered that we would rather build our own eco-friendly earthship than make a "handyman's special" green enough for our liking. And it also occurred to us that we'd rather spend our free time seeing new things and learning new skills than being stuck in the same, old routine. Expedition Me & You is all about t...