Making the Most of Santa Fe, New Mexico

June 14, 2019June 21, 2019 | jamiefeinberg

We recently spent about a week and a half in the Santa Fe area. We were mainly parked in Las Vegas, New Mexico, which is less than an hour’s drive to Santa Fe. Though our schedule didn’t allow a ton of free time (we had multiple gigs in Taos as well as three campground concerts in Las Vegas), we can highly recommend a couple of stops that we absolutely loved in Santa Fe.

We met up with a full-time RVer friend and her husband – we’d never met them in person before, so it was really exciting to connect! Turns out we got along really well, enjoying their sense of humor and all of us enjoying the incredible meal at Jambo Cafe, an African-Caribbean restaurant in town.

They hit the road a few months ahead of us and are now on the hunt for a place to live in the Southwest. It was fun to hear about their house-hunting, their business ventures and their travel across the country. Perhaps most surprising for me was hearing how challenging they find it to work when the other person is driving the RV – it makes me feel like we aren’t missing out as much driving side by side.

Their menu offered fabulous vegetarian and gluten-free options, including a couple of desserts. We all really enjoyed it, and we look forward to connecting again when our paths cross. Best of luck to you both in your search!

Later in the week, we returned to Santa Fe for a day. Destination: Meow Wolf!

Meow Wolf is an absolutely immersive art installation with a level of detail that we’ve never experienced before. You enter The House of Eternal Return and it’s very much a choose-your-own adventure as you wander at will. If you pay attention, you’ll slowly be able to piece together the mystery of a family living there, using documents, TV and other video footage, art, photos and much more.

And if you aren’t paying that much attention, it’s still an incredible spectacle.

We got in line a bit before our ticket time of 12:00 p.m. (after sharing some awesome gluten-free tacos from the food truck outside) and we weren’t leaving the gift shop until about 6:15 p.m. It was an absolutely astounding experience, perfect to mark our five year wedding anniversary, and we picked up a few items to read and enhance the experience at the gift shop, which we’ve since been pouring over.

We don’t want to give it all away, but suffice to say, it’s one of our favorite things that we’ve ever experienced together. I was so immersed that I went without food or water the entire time we were there!

Here are some more photos of our time together.

Ooh, and one more thing – we both had our first tarot card readings! They were free. The theme of mine was needing to let go of some things to allow the change and success that’s coming in, and to know that networking is good, but not everyone has useful or helpful advice. Ross was told to follow his passion and that’s where the money will be. Fun stuff, and just luck of the draw that we stumbled into it.

_______________________________

Supporting Our Blog

We are so thankful for your support of our blog and our careers! You can help by doing any or all of the following:

Purchase one of Ross’ albums!
Become a patron of our work!
Make purchases via our Amazon website links. There is no additional cost to you, and a portion of the proceeds can support our travels. Begin your Amazon search here.
Make other purchases using our affiliate links. Capital One 360 is one everyone can take advantage of to save money! Signing up with Dosh is a great way for everyone with a smartphone to support us, and we also have options for aspiring virtual assistants as well as occasional and full-time RVers to save money.
Listen to, subscribe and review our theater comedy podcast, Finishing The Season!
Subscribe to our blog, as well as perhaps InSearchOfAScoop.com, and recommend our work to your friends and family.
Take music or theater lessons (group or private) from us, either in person or via Skype at TinyVillageMusic.com.

Why Harvest Hosts Is The Best

June 7, 2019 | jamiefeinberg

If you’re looking for an affordable place to stay in your RV, you can save big bucks at a Walmart or gas station. You can find some land in the middle of nowhere. But if you want an experience that is both affordable and extremely unique, I highly recommend a Harvest Hosts membership.

I invested in a Harvest Hosts membership for my husband and I last December, but it wasn’t until recently that we had occasion to use it. After spending several months in Deming, New Mexico, we made a reservation to drive just down the road to a local winery. Checking in was easy, and we were encouraged to park wherever we liked. We were treated to gorgeous views and found a bit of shade near a tree for the RV.

At around 5:30 pm, we headed inside, ready for a wine tasting. The wine was delicious, as was the platter of food I ordered – with two varieties of cheese, olives, grapes, salami and chocolate disks, it was extremely tasty and also gluten-free. It was fun pairing the food and wine, and when the tasting was complete, we indulged a bit further by purchasing a (cheap) bottle of wine for later.

Harvest Hosts locations are happy to give you a place to make in exchange for your business while you are there, and this was a fantastic first experience.

The next day, we had a long drive ahead of. We made it to the Santa Fe area for our stay at an alpaca farm! When our hosts said the shop would be closed the next morning for shearing, we changed our plans a bit, so that we could make our purchase that evening. We were warmly invited to mingle with the dogs and alpacas, and after an early dinner, we enjoyed a full tour of the farm followed by a chance to shop for alpaca products.

We purchased two hats (one would have been a fair trade, but we couldn’t resist!) and were happy to support a local business. The sunset was gorgeous, and the next day, I had a lovely walk around the neighborhood before we hit the road.

I love that with Harvest Hosts, you can purchase nice things or experiences instead of paying for a campsite often super close to your neighbors. I also love that Harvest Hosts makes travel days fun – something neat to look forward to at day’s end. And finally, my favorite part about a Harvest Hosts membership is that you can stay for up to twenty four hours. So if you’re late risers like we are, or you have a long day of travel and want to rest after or explore the town, you can! The only condition is that you arrive during their business hours.

To put that into perspective, we had to arrive by 5 pm at our alpaca farm stay. That means we could have gone out to eat and enjoyed the town almost all day the next day if we wanted to. Isn’t that awesome?

Though this two night stint was a blast, I am really excited to take advantage of our membership later this summer when we are touring the Pacific Northwest. As long as you’re self-contained, why not enjoy a farm or a museum rather than a truck stop? I think it will also make for much more memorable experiences than a gas station or another Walmart parking lot.

I’m a big fan of Harvest Hosts. If you haven’t tried it out yet, please consider a membership. My links here are affiliate links, so you’ll contribute a bit toward our travels when you purchase through our link.

Have you tried Harvest Hosts?

_______________________________

Supporting Our Blog

We are so thankful for your support of our blog and our careers! You can help by doing any or all of the following:

Purchase one of Ross’ albums!
Become a patron of our work!
Make purchases via our Amazon website links. There is no additional cost to you, and a portion of the proceeds can support our travels. Begin your Amazon search here.
Make other purchases using our affiliate links. Capital One 360 is one everyone can take advantage of to save money! Signing up with Dosh is a great way for everyone with a smartphone to support us, and we also have options for aspiring virtual assistants as well as occasional and full-time RVers to save money.
Listen to, subscribe and review our theater comedy podcast, Finishing The Season!
Subscribe to our blog, as well as perhaps InSearchOfAScoop.com, and recommend our work to your friends and family.
Take music or theater lessons (group or private) from us, either in person or via Skype at TinyVillageMusic.com.

Rockhound State Park, Deming, NM

June 1, 2019June 1, 2019 | jamiefeinberg

One of the other fun state parks near Deming is Rockhound State Park. It’s one of the only places where you’re encouraged to find different types of rocks and keep them for your gem collection!

I did a thorough visit, hiking both trails and finding lots of desert flowers along the way. I also really enjoyed the exhibits at the Visitor’s Center.

It’s near Spring Canyon State Park, so a visit to both is definitely an option.

Here are some photos from my trip!

________________________________

Supporting Our Blog

We are so thankful for your support of our blog and our careers! You can help by doing any or all of the following:

Purchase one of Ross’ albums!
Become a patron of our work!
Make purchases via our Amazon website links. There is no additional cost to you, and a portion of the proceeds can support our travels. Begin your Amazon search here.
Make other purchases using our affiliate links. Capital One 360 is one everyone can take advantage of to save money! Signing up with Dosh is a great way for everyone with a smartphone to support us, and we also have options for aspiring virtual assistants as well as occasional and full-time RVers to save money.
Listen to, subscribe and review our theater comedy podcast, Finishing The Season!
Subscribe to our blog, as well as perhaps InSearchOfAScoop.com, and recommend our work to your friends and family.
Take music or theater lessons (group or private) from us, either in person or via Skype at TinyVillageMusic.com.

Spring Canyon State Park, New Mexico

May 17, 2019May 3, 2019 | jamiefeinberg

Spring Canyon State Park isn’t a place you stumble upon. To be fair, there are several signs for it in the Deming, New Mexico area, but you won’t, say, accidentally find yourself there. The closest place to it is Rockhound State Park, known for its interesting geology.

I haven’t been able to find a lot about the history of this park, but judging by the signage and the setup, I wonder if it used to either a) have a visitor’s center or b) allow tent campers. In any case, there isn’t much to it. Be aware it’s closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, and if you’ve got questions about it, visit the Rockhound visitor’s center and ask them.

But when you start following the the road to Spring Canyon, it’s a wild ride. Literally. The extremely steep ups and downs of the road felt like a roller coaster and the cell service disappeared…and I was treated to some of the best views I’ve seen in New Mexico. When I arrived and drove in, I got ready to hike.

Everything I had read made it sound like Lovers’ Leap was the best of the two trails – the other may actually not exist anymore. I’m not especially in shape, but I figured I could handle the trail, described as moderate with steep grades.

As you can see, I was rewarded for my efforts with gorgeous views. I had to take frequent breaks and watch my footing extremely carefully, but I’d absolutely do it again. The trail gets hot but there’s a really nice mix of trees where you can seek shade along the path.

I highly recommend bringing plenty of water and snacks on the trail, of course, and I’d also recommend visiting for a picnic. There are lots of picnic tables with charcoal grills and the views are really fantastic.

I highly recommend a visit. And if you need a nearby campground, consider Rockhound State Park, especially if you can skip great internet or cell service. It’s got two great trails of its own and a nice setup.

Temperatures are warming up here, hitting the 80’s most days. It’s a little warm but the nights are cooler and we’re really enjoying it.

Thanks for reading!

________________________________

Supporting Our Blog

We are so thankful for your support of our blog and our careers! You can help by doing any or all of the following:

Purchase one of Ross’ albums!
Become a patron of our work!
Make purchases via our Amazon website links. There is no additional cost to you, and a portion of the proceeds can support our travels. Begin your Amazon search here.
Make other purchases using our affiliate links. Capital One 360 is one everyone can take advantage of to save money! Signing up with Dosh is a great way for everyone with a smartphone to support us, and we also have options for aspiring virtual assistants as well as occasional and full-time RVers to save money.
Listen to, subscribe and review our theater comedy podcast, Finishing The Season!
Subscribe to our blog, as well as perhaps InSearchOfAScoop.com, and recommend our work to your friends and family.
Take music or theater lessons (group or private) from us, either in person or via Skype at TinyVillageMusic.com.

Deming Mimbres Museum and Customs House

May 10, 2019May 2, 2019 | jamiefeinberg

Deming, New Mexico doesn’t have much. But let me tell you about one of the highlights.

Deming’s got a cute downtown, with a lot of vacant buildings, and it’s got an assortment of fast food options. It’s simplicity has made it a perfect place for us to hunker down and work. It’s also got a fabulous supermarket, Peppers, a rail trail and several parks, and it’s within a 35 minute drive of four great state parks.

But I’d be remiss if I didn’t direct you to the Mimbres Museum. Named for an ancient community known for their specific style of pottery, the museum is free to visit (donations welcome) and can easily take you 3-4 hours to explore in full. Seriously!

It’s got everything from dolls to pottery, pianos to coaches and much, much more. Here are some of the fun things I saw during my visit!

If you decide to visit, you’ll need to be able to walk in – they didn’t appear to be fully accessible. I also recommend visiting the Customs House across the street if it’s open during your visit. You’ll get a guided tour. But if you’re short on time, focus on the museum.

There’s also a really nice veterans’ memorial park next door that’s worth a stop.

I really was blown away with the depth of the collections in this museum. If you enjoy history or even just like collecting things, I bet you’ll find a lot to get excited about here.

Thanks for reading, and have a great week! Oh, and if you haven’t seen it yet, Ross and I entered the Tiny Desk concert series. Enjoy the video if you like, and thanks!

__________________________________

Supporting Our Blog

We are so thankful for your support of our blog and our careers! You can help by doing any or all of the following:

Purchase one of Ross’ albums!
Become a patron of our work!
Make purchases via our Amazon website links. There is no additional cost to you, and a portion of the proceeds can support our travels. Begin your Amazon search here.
Make other purchases using our affiliate links. Capital One 360 is one everyone can take advantage of to save money! Signing up with Dosh is a great way for everyone with a smartphone to support us, and we also have options for aspiring virtual assistants as well as occasional and full-time RVers to save money.
Listen to, subscribe and review our theater comedy podcast, Finishing The Season!
Subscribe to our blog, as well as perhaps InSearchOfAScoop.com, and recommend our work to your friends and family.
Take music or theater lessons (group or private) from us, either in person or via Skype at TinyVillageMusic.com.

Visiting City of Rocks State Park

April 5, 2019April 4, 2019 | jamiefeinberg

I recently had the opportunity to visit City of Rocks State Park, a park and campground I’d heard about from several bloggers in the past. It’s in between Silver City and Deming, New Mexico, and as we were staying in Deming, it was an easy drive of about a half hour to the park. I found it to be a small, but gorgeous, park, with a botanical garden, hiking and incredible large rock formations that you can camp next to, climb and photograph.

During my visit, I lucked into watching a hawk feed its family. Absolutely an incredible sight. I was also pleasantly surprised to have a pretty excellent cell signal (3 bars on T-Mobile, good enough for high-quality streaming on my phone). There are two campground areas – one area is with the rocks, boondocking, and the other area offers hookups. To be perfectly honest, I felt the area with hookups wasn’t too appealing. Sites are very close together and don’t have much privacy. But if you’re able to boondock for a few nights, I highly recommend it here. Due to the height of the rocks, the sites offer a ton of privacy and space, with incredible views and a truly unique experience camped among the rock formations.

New Mexico’s state parks are an incredible and affordable resource. A day pass is only $5/car and will get you into multiple parks in a day, which is especially helpful in this area if you just want to drive through them or make quick visits. But an annual pass (day use) is only $40, making it extremely affordable.

An annual pass for camping is also a steal, if you’ll be using it for say, three months, but if not, camping rates at the state parks are only $8-$14/night, so it’s definitely a great deal.

I’m very thankful I finally had the chance to visit City of Rocks. It’s an other-worldly experience that I highly recommend.

Next up for us: we are hard at work on our online ukulele course and are about to release a new album of ambient music for yoga and meditation. Lots of great stuff.

Thanks for stopping by, and have a wonderful day!

__________________________________

Supporting Our Blog

We are so thankful for your support of our blog and our careers! You can help by doing any or all of the following:

Purchase one of Ross’ albums!
Become a patron of our work!
Make purchases via our Amazon website links. There is no additional cost to you, and a portion of the proceeds can support our travels. Begin your Amazon search here.
Make other purchases using our affiliate links. Signing up with Dosh is a great way for everyone with a smartphone to support us, and we also have options for aspiring virtual assistants as well as occasional and full-time RVers to save money.
Listen to, subscribe and review our theater comedy podcast, Finishing The Season!
Subscribe to our blog, as well as perhaps InSearchOfAScoop.com, and recommend our work to your friends and family.
Take music or theater lessons (group or private) from us, either in person or via Skype at TinyVillageMusic.com.

Visiting the New Mexico Museum of Space History

March 8, 2019February 24, 2019 | jamiefeinberg

The New Mexico Museum of Space History is a must stop for those with an interest in space or history or both. It’s an interactive museum you’ll enjoy whether you’re six or sixty. Don’t miss it!

Ross and I recently spent a month living outside of Alamogordo, and my number one to-do while there was a visit to this museum. Ross was a little more on the fence, but since we both loved visiting the John C. Stennis Space Center and it had been two years, I convinced him and we headed there.

The first thing you’ll notice when you pull in is that everything is built into the hills, on a hill. It’s really pretty. Second, you’ll notice a planetarium (which we didn’t see). And third, you’ll notice the distinctive building housing offices and the Space Museum. Outside are several exhibits, so even if you don’t pay to go inside, it would be a fun stop…at least if you enjoy taking your photo next to giant spacecraft like I do.

Once you’ve gotten your fill of photo ops, head inside. Admission is $8 for adults, and I thought that was pretty cheap for what you get. You can also purchase a joint ticket if you’ll be watching a Planetarium movie while you are there.

Once we paid for our tickets, we took the elevator to the top floor. I loved the layout of this museum. It’s built with sort of a forced perspective, where you walk around the top floor and then walk down the ramp, through part of the Hall of Fame, until you reach the next floor. Then you repeat that process several times. I found it to be really effective, and it meant I was much more interested in reading about the Hall of Fame members than I would have been if we’d tried to take it in all at the same time.

There are lots of incredible exhibits, where you’ll learn the history of the space program and the era, see what space craft looked like, learn the science, experience art about the space race and much more. There are some spots where the museum is a little lacking in polish currently, but it’s made up for by the number of interactive exhibits, which allow you to train to pilot a space ship or feel the wind and ground when a spaceship takes off, or learn about Star Trek and its place in our cultural history.

It’s easy to spend several hours here. I’d recommend at least three or four. And be sure to check the schedule of the Planetarium too if that interests you.

There’s a beautiful nature trail, a memorial and other outside exhibits worth a stop before departure too.

If you’re considering a visit, a highly recommend it. It’s an awesome deal. And if you need a place to grab a bite or a coffee (and gelato if it’s in stock), I recommend Plateau Espresso nearby.

Thanks for stopping by! If you enjoyed this, you might also enjoy A Long Day in Longmont, CO.

_________________________________________

Supporting Our Blog

We are so thankful for your support of our blog and our careers! You can help by doing any or all of the following:

Purchase one of Ross’ albums!
Become a patron of our work!
Make purchases via our Amazon website links. There is no additional cost to you, and a portion of the proceeds can support our travels. Begin your Amazon search here.
Make other purchases using our affiliate links. Signing up with Dosh is a great way for everyone with a smartphone to support us, and we also have options for aspiring virtual assistants as well as occasional and full-time RVers to save money.
Listen to, subscribe and review our theater comedy podcast, Finishing The Season!
Subscribe to our blog, as well as perhaps InSearchOfAScoop.com, and recommend our work to your friends and family.
Take music or theater lessons (group or private) from us, either in person or via Skype at TinyVillageMusic.com.

How To Spend A Day In Albuquerque, New Mexico

Hot air balloons I Ross and Jamie Adventure

March 1, 2019February 17, 2019 | Ross Boyd

Albuquerque, New Mexico is a wonderful city, full of art, great food, and convenient transportation options including an airport, train station and bus system. It’s well worth a visit by RV, but choosing where to go and what to do during your stay can be overwhelming.

Here’s your guide to where to go and what to do in Albuquerque, New Mexico. I hope you enjoy it!

Photo courtesy of Pixabay

____________________________________

Supporting Our Blog

We are so thankful for your support of our blog and our careers! You can help by doing any or all of the following:

Purchase one of Ross’ albums!
Become a patron of our work!
Make purchases via our Amazon website links. There is no additional cost to you, and a portion of the proceeds can support our travels. Begin your Amazon search here.
Make other purchases using our affiliate links. Signing up with Dosh is a great way for everyone with a smartphone to support us, and we also have options for aspiring virtual assistants as well as occasional and full-time RVers to save money.
Listen to, subscribe and review our theater comedy podcast, Finishing The Season!
Subscribe to our blog, as well as perhaps InSearchOfAScoop.com, and recommend our work to your friends and family.
Take music or theater lessons (group or private) from us, either in person or via Skype at TinyVillageMusic.com.

Practicing Patience

February 1, 2019January 20, 2019 | jamiefeinberg

Patience isn’t fun. Patience isn’t sexy. But patience is definitely important. It’s a really useful skill. And I think it makes you a better person – perhaps a more grateful one – if you practice it consistently.

There’s certainly something to be said for getting stuff done, but when things aren’t within your control, patience can make the difference between enjoying life and being anxious while you await what’s next.

We are in a period of patience right now. We are working our butts off hustling. Trying to get more music students. Finding folks interested in our online ukulele course when it’s ready. Continuing our work for existing virtual assistant and podcast clients while trying to find more of them. Continuing our creative projects, like our podcast. Growing our creative projects and, when inspiration hits, occasionally starting new ones.

We are tracking our progress, so we can celebrate milestones along the way. But this is the tough slog, if we let it be that.

But how can it be a tough slog, right? We’ve got gorgeous weather, plenty of Mexican food, friends and family and new places to explore. And we’ve got some resources to lean on, at least for a couple of months, while we keep building our businesses.

So I call upon patience for the long haul and enjoyment in the moment. As much as possible. Our lives are truly wonderful, and we look forward to continued growth and momentum. Patience.

____________________________________

Supporting Our Blog

We are so thankful for your support of our blog and our careers! You can help by doing any or all of the following:

Purchase one of Ross’ albums!
Become a patron of our work!
Make purchases via our Amazon website links. There is no additional cost to you, and a portion of the proceeds can support our travels. Begin your Amazon search here.
Make other purchases using our affiliate links. Signing up with Dosh is a great way for everyone with a smartphone to support us, and we also have options for aspiring virtual assistants as well as occasional and full-time RVers to save money.
Listen to, subscribe and review our theater comedy podcast, Finishing The Season!
Subscribe to our blog, as well as perhaps InSearchOfAScoop.com, and recommend our work to your friends and family.
Take music or theater lessons (group or private) from us, either in person or via Skype at TinyVillageMusic.com.

M	T	W	T	F	S	S
			1	2	3	4
5	6	7	8	9	10	11
12	13	14	15	16	17	18
19	20	21	22	23	24	25
26	27	28	29	30

Crafting The Life You Want: A Practice in Living

Ross and Jamie Adventure – Coaching and Creating

new mexico

Making the Most of Santa Fe, New Mexico

Why Harvest Hosts Is The Best

Rockhound State Park, Deming, NM

Spring Canyon State Park, New Mexico

Deming Mimbres Museum and Customs House

Visiting City of Rocks State Park

Visiting the New Mexico Museum of Space History

How To Spend A Day In Albuquerque, New Mexico

Practicing Patience