10/3/22 (Monday)

Drove from Fort Garland, CO to Taos, NM this morning. The scenery is incredible over here! The aspens are starting to turn colors (though admittedly--perhaps a bit of a bias here--not quite as vibrant as the New England colors).

I was ahead of schedule heading towards the Earthship campus for day one of class, so I pulled over after I passed the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge, and I am so glad I did! Didn't really have time to check out the locals peddling their fares in the parking lot, but I did have time to allow my eyes to feast on the natural beauty all around me--incredible!

Once I arrived at the Earthship parking lot, two things struck me immediately--the amazingly unique architecture of the buildings on campus and the super muddy slip-and-slide of a parking lot. I thought the 4Runner was going to get stuck, even with four-wheel drive. Luckily I broke free and parked it for the foreseeable future. I looked around and saw some other people milling about the parking lot--presumably students. I followed them into a green building that looked like it was straight from another planet.

It was basically day one orientation, though Michael Reynold's (the founder of Earthship Biotecture) wife made us a delicious lunch of spanakopita and salad, followed by a pumpkin-y dessert, which was both delicious and much appreciated!

After orientation, they gave us a tour of where we'd be staying. My roommate and I are in one of the simple survival earthships. As the name suggests, these things are one step above glamping. That said, I feel I will develop a pretty good feel for what I will do differently should I pursue the construction of my own earthship in New Hampshire (at the moment, still torn between an earthship and a tiny house). I feel I'll have a better sense by the end of my month here. So far, the tarantulas in the hall and the worms making their way up my sink drain are not helping the cause...