Easter Sunday and the Earthship!

 Easter Sunday morning, we awakened to a beautiful sunrise on the farm.  We had no connectivity, there would be no church today, but prayers were offered.  We have so much gratitude.....as we have traveled around the country, we have been amazed at the friendliness and kindness of strangers.  The people we have met have been so diverse and welcoming and we have enjoyed many interesting conversations with strangers.  It has continually struck us that this world is so BIG- there are wide open grasslands, meadows, and tall mountains in the distance as we travel the roads.  Many times, there is just land as far as the eye can see to the horizon.  It astounds me to see hundreds of miles and not a sign of a single human being.  And our country is so beautiful.  There is so much natural beauty as we get outside and hike the hills, forests, beaches and countrysides. We are grateful.  But it is time to leave Sedona for other wonderful sites.

Today, we continue to head east and arrive in New Mexico.  We are able to find one more night through Hipcamp to stay on a farm just outside of Grants, New Mexico. In order to get to our “accommodations”, we must pass through a Zuni reservation.  The American Indians have suffered severe losses of family members through Covid and many are in strict lockdown.  So we are stopped at a border crossing along a local road and they politely inquire as to where we are going and for what purpose.  We answer their questions and are given a slip of paper.  We are told that we may not stop at any of the businesses along the way, nor get out of the car.  The paper will allow us to exit the area and we will give it to the person at the exit control point. Our directions take us about 40 miles out of the way, but I persist with the idea...” this will be such an interesting place, Bob”

We arrive about an hour before sunset and I am unsure as to how to describe this incredible place.  The owners of the land are a young couple- a woman, Eva who left a “normal” life in Florida and a young man, Arilio, who lived on a family ranch in Mexico. They met in Costa Rica and made a decision to live off the land.  They purchased about 100 acres here and are creating a self sustained living environment. They are about 1/2 through building an ‘earth ship’ for their mom on the property. The first picture is the rear of the house and the second picture shows the front of the house.

  This is a home built into the earth which utilizes all recyclable materials.  In Taos, New Mexico, there is a program that teaches how to build an earthship and Arilio’s brother attended a 6 week educational program and is helping to build it.  Eva is filming a documentary that she hopes will be shown when the home is completed. Presently, they are living in a small trailer and have made several outside spaces for relaxing! And have started to build their own home and this picture shows the tree trunks that will support their house.

Their design provides heat in the winter and coolness in the summer with no electricity. The earth walls are supported by tires that are filled with dirt and gravel and provide the insulation.  There are vents that will open and shut to control the inside temperature.  This living space will maintain a comfortable temperature year-round. The home will feature a glass lined wall along south facing exposure and will be botanical garden where they will grown fruits and vegetables with plants and trees. They have their own water through a well & cistern, and they are growing their own crops and animals for food. We took a tour around their property and observed their growing and cultivation practices. Did I mention that they have a “sweat

Hut”?

 

They have hens and roosters, ducks, a cat, 5 pugs, and a Great Dane (to ward off coyotes).  I gathered eggs from the coop for our meals. Oh, they have 2 pigs also!

This was an incredible experience that is hard to describe in words.  But they have motivated us to try to be better about recycling materials and we will return home with new ideas of improving our garden.  We are only the third visitors to their Hipcamp listing!