Exploring the Valley with a Local Guide

Exploring the Valley with a Local Guide

We decided to hire a local guide for one day to show us hidden gems. Early morning, our guide picked us up in a small SUV and drove us through brush roads, telling tales of local history, agriculture, and wildlife. She stopped at a mud bank where javelinas sometimes...
Garden Walks & Butterfly Dreams

Garden Walks & Butterfly Dreams

Butterflies have always fascinated me. So one morning I dedicated my time entirely to chasing them. I walked through the resort’s planted gardens, down to brush edges, near wildflowers, watching for wings. The nearby National Butterfly Center was a must. I spent hours...
Slow Morning, Big Lunch, Evening S’mores

Slow Morning, Big Lunch, Evening S’mores

I purposely slept late one morning — no alarm, no plans. When I wandered outside, the world was lazy: soft birdsong, humid air, pale sunshine. We made brunch: huevos con chorizo, warmed corn tortillas, and a fruit medley (mango, pineapple, strawberries). Late morning,...
Finding Hidden Trails & Secret Views

Finding Hidden Trails & Secret Views

On Day 6, I asked the resort staff for off-the-beaten-path suggestions. They told me of a lesser known trail in the adjacent state park that winds along drainage ditches and offers quiet birding corners seldom visited by casual walkers. I hiked that trail solo in...
Slow Sunday & Homemade Bread

Slow Sunday & Homemade Bread

We arrived just before a Sunday, and by our second Sunday, I felt settled enough to treat it like a “church-of-nature” day. Morning: coffee, walking trails, bird calls, silence. Midday, I decided to bake bread in our little RV oven. I made a simple no-knead loaf:...