Last spring break Kyle and I participated in an Alternative Spring Break with the ECM. We went to Abiquiu, New Mexico and stayed on Ghost Ranch. It was absolutely beautiful and filled with history {Georgia O' Keefe did her paintings there!} In our free time we hiked trails into canyons and small caves and we climbed mesas. It was so unbelievably beautiful. When we weren't hiking or climbing things we were cleaning up the ranch {raking leaves, shoveling snow, painting cabins for the summer, cleaning the dining hall}, visiting a mosque {pulling boulders out of the ground to help build a retaining wall and eating lunch in the mosque while learning more about Islam}, Clearing Asequias {traditional agricultural ditches in the village}, and exploring the local culture, art and food {really really yummy food!}
This year we are pretty sure we want to go back. It was an amazing travel experience and it was such a bargain! $300 for everything but meals along the way and souvenirs!
Here are some pictures!
Beautiful Ghost Ranch
Chimney Rock
At the flat part of the mesa right across from Chimney Rock!
Everyone!
Around the Ranch
A Beautiful Mesa!
Hiking to Box Canyon
Frozen water in Box Canyon
It was huge! :)
Blizzard on the way back! So beautiful!
Covered in Snow!
Beautiful!
Boulder removal to build a retaining wall at the mosque
The Morada.
A Beautiful and Lucky Shot.
The most delicious lunch!
Prickly Pear Frozen Lemonade. Delicious.
Ready to go back! {Here's To Hoping!}
Alex
How did you get hooked up with this volunteer trip? Are there age restrictions? Thinking this is something I'd like to do with my daughter when she gets older - I want her to travel but also do enriching activities while helping others. This looks like it had a lot of work / free time balance! :)
ReplyDeleteI've hopped over to your blog and left you some links! We did ours through a liberal ministry group on our campus. One of the coordinators for the group lived in my hall, so we decided to go with her. It wasn't religious in any one sense... but it was very upifting. We really enjoyed getting to know the group we were with, exploring a new area and helping out the local groups. :) I've heard that volunteer trips can be a great way to see the world. They are typically very cheap and you often get lodging for the work that you do. I hope the links help. Thank you for stopping by my blog! :) -Alexandra
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