When she asked me about the trip, I couldn't even spell Albuquerque. The only things I knew about New Mexico came from a couple of books I'd read that were set in Taos. While I'd never been overwhelmed by the urge to travel there before, I was intriqued by Kristin's suggestion. It was someplace I'd never been before, and she was offering to show me her own perspective on it. Naturally, I was very interested in meeting her family and in seeing the places where she'd grown up.

I joined Kristin in the middle of her visit with her parents, and we spent about a week traveling in northern New Mexico. Suffice it to say that I had a terrific time, and fell a little bit in love with the area. I'd never seen scenery of this magnitude anywhere else in the United States. The contrast between the mountains and the plains was enough in itself. When combined with the high altitude, which brought the clouds closer to the ground and gave the sky a clear, vivid blue like nothing I'd seen before, it instilled the entire trip with a magical feeling.

Of course, the "official" purpose of the trip was to meet Kristin's family and friends. I was understandably a little nervous on the flight to Albuquerque. Kristin's stories about her family had given me confidence that I'd be welcomed and well-liked, but I nevertheless felt some internal pressure to make a good impression.

Happily, I found Kristin's family very welcoming, and we had a terrific time! We spent a few days in Albuquerque with Kristin's parents and her sister Jody, then drove to Farmington to visit her friends Megan and Steve, who we toured Mesa Verde National Park with. I wanted to see Taos in person, so Kristin and I spent a couple of days there as well before returning to Albuquerque.