El Bosque Farm: Life in the Land of Enchantment

After seven months on the adventure road, we took a pause for the past few weeks in the beautiful Embudo Valley, New Mexico, at the El Bosque garlic farm.

Noted author and off-grid farmer Stanley Crawford (A Garlic Testament) and his wife Rose Mary hosted Free Range Quest in one of their guest houses, where we have been once again able to arise to the sweet clucking and cooing from the adjoining chicken coop as we get our work done.

Please check out Stanley Crawford’s work and visit Dixon, NM if you ever get a chance. The Embudo Valley is also home to the Vivac and Chiripada wineries, Blue Heron microbrewery and the Dixon co-op. We met up with fellow travelers Gone With the Wynns for a fabulous wine, chocolate and cheese tasting at Vivac Winery, which we highly recommend to anyone cruising through the area — Who knew such amazing vino was being produced out here in the desert?

We spent much of our time here writing our forthcoming book from the stone tower that looks out upon the mountains of Taos. We also tested the viability of some seeds we are pretty excited about by sprouting them in our makeshift dashboard greenhouse. A great success for the farm that is waiting for us out there somewhere.

We were inspired as we witnessed the first green shoots of garlic peek their way out of the thawing earth. The weather here went from snowing to about 70 degrees in two days. The farm hands peeled up the walls of the hoop house in the last couple sunny, warm afternoons to reveal green leaves of lettuce, kale and spinach.

There was no phone service in our solar-powered little house and we counted this, traffic, television and crowds among the things we didn’t miss.

Our pups were also able to roam freely with the farm dogs and many neighbor friends.

As many of you know, we are leaving with one less traveler since Loopie’s passing last week. Her spirit is free now and we know she’ll be keeping an eye out for us.

So, though we’ll be moving through thick grief, it’s time to get back to the road… We still have a lot of work to finish up.

Thank you to the Crawford family and everyone we met on the farm.

For more photos and updates from the road, please join us on Twitter and Facebook

-David & Kristina-

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For Our Loopie:

Dear friends,

Our beautiful Loopie has left us.

Loopie Scappoose Shasta Chewbacca Von Kroug lived here nearly 14 years and loved dumpster diving, eating full loaves of bread off the kitchen counter, and rubbing her butt on people. She was brave and protective; her only fears were fireworks and slugs. If you ever met her, she loved you. Loop got to swim and chase rabbits, living any dog’s dream of adventure from coast to coast. She’s going sweet and sleepy all the way back home to her favorite place, the river.

Rest in peace forever, sweet little bat —