Healing Trip
I’m on the road, sitting in a hotel in Albuquerque, New Mexico, waiting for the sun to rise. It’s the first leg of our pilgrimage to Red River, where we commune with friends and listen to music. We added this stop because a musician friend of ours has moved back home to care for her ailing mother, and we miss her and wanted to show our support. She joined us for a late dinner and later today will show us around the old town before taking us up a mountain to have a drink and watch the sun set.
By lucky chance my brother-in-law also lives here. But, by an unlucky chance he and his family fell ill with a virus, so we’ll have to visit another time. Judging from my first impressions, even in the dark, I know I’ll be back because it’s a town surrounded by mountains on the banks of the Rio Grande and has a nice history to explore. And I really want to spend time with my brother-in-law. He’s ex-Air Force, a woodworker, and a lover of music. He’s a nice fellow, and he, too, plays guitar.
The first leg of this trip is always a grind, 12-13 hours, because we usually go to Santa Fe. From there all the legs are short and involve trips to friends and places we want to see along the way. I’m a late addition to this group of intrepid travelers. They’ve been doing this for at least fifteen years, although I’ve not compiled a concise history. They invited me in 2021 because they thought it would be a good antidote to the misery of losing my wife in 2020. They were right, and I bless them for their generosity with their time, treasure, and the healing power of music.