Ever come across an incredible hotel that stops you mid-scroll and makes you think, Wow, wouldn鈥檛 it be something to stay there? Us, too鈥攁ll the time. Welcome to Friday Fantasy, where we highlight hotels, lodges, cabins, tents, campsites, and other places perched in perfect outdoor settings. Read on for the intel you need to book an upcoming adventure here. Or at least dream about it.

Why We Love KitFox

Set under the wide-open sky of northern New Mexico (just 20 minutes south of Santa Fe), between three ranges of the southern Rockies in the high-desert grasslands of the 10,000-acre Galisteo Basin Preserve, feels exquisitely remote and takes wild glamping to a new level. Owner Jenn Kolker grew up in New Mexico but moved away to work in fashion for several years before the magnetic pull of home called her back. With her local roots and sophisticated eye she鈥檚 created a safari-meets-the鈥揂merican West experience. Coyotes howling in the distance at night complete the vibe.

Two other elements set KitFox apart: it鈥檚 completely solar powered, and it partners with , a bespoke catering company that specializes in off-the-grid, farm-to-table dining. The best cup of coffee I ever tasted was here鈥攐rganic, locally roasted, and served by French press with a plunge that was timed to the second鈥攐n a frost-laced October morning while watching the sun rise over the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Soon to follow was the heartiest egg-and-veggie skillet breakfast I鈥檝e had the pleasure of eating.

国产吃瓜黑料 Intel near KitFox

A few hundred steps from the private tents is a covered communal deck for yoga and meditation. Also on property are three miles of hiking trails that loop through arroyos, wind-eroded rock formations, and rolling hills filled with cholla and prickly pear cactus, juniper, and pi帽on. An听archery range can be set up for special programming, with an instructor and equipment. Within the surrounding preserve there are 40 miles (and growing) of well-marked hiking, mountain-biking, and equestrian trails that roll over the hills. (Bring your own bike or rent one from Mellow Velo or New Mexico Bike N Sport in Santa Fe.) The ever-changing 360-degree view of the sky is an adventure in itself, whether that means watching a summer monsoon sweep in, following a bloodred moon across the heavens, or standing in awe of the glittering Milky Way.

Choice Tent

Ten bell-shaped canvas tents are spaced about 25 yards apart in two rows. All are the same size, roomy enough to include a queen or two twin beds. The remaining interior decor is sparse yet luxurious: a jute rug, a sheepskin throw, a bench for sitting, a purified-water dispenser, and phone-charging cords. A small deck outside has two lounge chairs鈥攊deal for spending an afternoon reading a book. One larger safari-style tent on a raised platform offers a king bed. Some tents are pet friendly, and all offer stellar sunrise views.

Eat and Drink

KitFox offers a weekend package that includes a Saturday camp-style dinner under the stars and a Sunday picnic-style breakfast with a choice of Iconoclast organic coffee from Iconik Coffee Roasters in Santa Fe or Teo.O.Graphy loose-leaf teas from Taos ($250 for two people). Meals are mostly plant based (and made with seasonal, locally sourced food, so the menu changes) and may include a rainbow-colored salad loaded with arugula, carrot, and purple daikon, chile-braised beef short rib that鈥檚 grilled outside, or a vegetarian option like seared trumpet mushrooms. Locally made sparkling beverages and herbal bitters are sold 脿 la carte in KitFox鈥檚 small general store and are perfect for mixing your own mocktails or cocktails.

When to Go

KitFox is open Fridays to Mondays from May through October, and there鈥檚 no bad month as long as you pack plenty of layers. The elevation here is around 6,000 feet, and temperatures can dip below freezing, especially in the fall. A lot of visitors plan their trip around the sky鈥攁 full moon, an eclipse, or a meteor shower. Local astronomers claim that October is a particularly clear month to view stars in these parts.

How to Get There

The closest major airport is 75 miles south, in Albuquerque. Or the smaller Santa Fe Regional Airport is 25 miles northwest. The rural town of Lamy is close by, but KitFox prefers not to publish specific directions to keep traffic and nonguests from wandering the property. Make a reservation and they鈥檒l send detailed driving instructions 48 hours prior to your stay.

Don鈥檛 Miss

Every summer at the in Santa Fe, folk artists from around the world gather to sell their one-of-a-kind wares; the four-day event draws everyone from Haitian metal sculptors to Peruvian retablo artists to Kazakh jewelers. (The Folk Art Market has already taken place this year, but look for 2024 dates soon.)

There鈥檚 also the , which will be held July 29 and 30 this year, showcasing beautiful work from local Hispanic artists, and the on August 19 and 20, an impressive gathering of Native artisans and performers. The Railyard is home to Santa Fe Farmers鈥� Market, one of the oldest, largest, and most successful growers鈥� markets in the country, every Tuesday and Saturday from 8 A.M. to 1 P.M.

Farther afield, roughly 50 miles northwest, is one of the most surreal sightseeing combinations: the peaceful canyons of , where the Ancestral Puebloans farmed corn and beans and lived in cliff dwellings thousands of years ago; nearby is the city of Los Alamos, home to the Bradbury Science Museum, which walks visitors through the history of the Manhattan Project. Exploring these two vastly different historical segments of what is now the United States will give you enough to noodle on for months.

Details

To Book:

Price: From $200 per night, not including meals

Check out This Gaia GPS Map of the Area: (Disclosure: Gaia GPS is owned by 国产吃瓜黑料 Inc., which also owns 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.)

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We get it鈥攕ummer gets all the festival glory. But the celebrations don鈥檛 quit just because the temperature听drops. Toss on a few extra layers, then head out to stuff your face with tacos and tequila, shred on Sedona鈥檚 famed slickrock trails, or relive the 鈥�90s with Eddie Vedder and friends on the California coast. All that matters is that you鈥檙e having a good time.

September

Ohana Festival

Dana Point, California; September 30 to October 2

Pack sunscreen and a towel, then head over to SoCal鈥檚 Doheny State Beach and let Eddie Vedder be your host for the听 (from $159), three days of oceanside music curated and headlined by the Pearl Jam front man. As you might expect, his tastes run a bit guitar-heavy: other performers include Stevie Nicks, P!nk, and Jack White. Between sets, wander over to the Storytellers Stage to hear inspirational talks from conservation-minded adventurers, artists, and athletes. Past speakers have included freediver Kimi Werner and pro surfer Greg Long. Admission is steep, but part of the proceeds benefits park-loving nonprofits, including the Doheny State Beach Foundation and the San Onofre Parks Foundation.

October

Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta

Albuquerque, New Mexico; October 1 to 9

Loosen up those neck and shoulder muscles, because you鈥檙e going to spend a lot of time gazing upward during the wondrous听 (from $15). Be sure to catch Mass Ascension daily at 7 a.m., when hundreds of colorful hot air balloons fill the morning sky. It鈥檚 equally magical when they鈥檙e illuminated at dusk. If your neck needs a break, hit the street fair鈥搒tyle concession area in search of green chile delights like chile-topped enchiladas and cheeseburgers, or watch the sawdust fly during daytime chainsaw carving demos.

Great American Beer Festival

Denver, Colorado; October 6 to 8

It鈥檚 all in the name, folks. When it launched in 1982, the听 (from $95) featured two dozen breweries; this year, at the festival’s 40th anniversary, attendees can sample more than 2000 suds. The paradox of choice is a bit head-spinning (or is that the alcohol?), but beerhounds in the know venture to the Heavy Medal booth to swig the festival鈥檚 blue ribbon brews. To ensure you remember to eat a little something between sips, take cues from event veterans, who drape pretzels, beef sticks, and even hamburger buns around their necks like so many carb-laden Flavor Flavs.

Bridge Day

Fayetteville, West Virginia; October 15

West Virginia鈥檚 New River Gorge is well regarded as one of the premier climbing areas in the country. To some, it鈥檚 an even better place to catch some air. For almost 40 years, adventurous types have flocked to its 876-foot-high namesake bridge (the longest of its kind in the Western Hemisphere) for听, a celebration of gravity鈥攐r the defiance thereof. While the free event is best known for showcasing BASE jumpers, others take the opportunity to rappel or cruise down zip lines. For spectators, the views can鈥檛 be beat.

Warren Miller’s Daymaker Film Tour

Salt Lake City, Utah; October 28

Get ready to kick off the winter season with 73rd annual ski and snowboard film Daymaker. Take a journey from British Columbia to Greece鈥檚 Olympus Range, Alaska, and beyond. Come for the ski season stoke and leave with swag, signed posters from the athletes, including Marcus Caston, Mckenna Peterson, Cam Fitzpatrick, Lexi duPont, Connery Lundin, and more. Even better, 国产吃瓜黑料 Plus members get early access, first dibs at the best seats, and a custom tour poster. Can’t make it to Salt Lake City? Check out to find a screening near you.

November

BLK Out Retreat + Boulderfest

Chattanooga, Tennessee; November 4 to 6

On the heels of successful events like , Black Girls Boulder is launching their inaugural , which celebrates Black excellence in rock climbing. Admission to the retreat (from $49) includes lodging at the Crash Pad, a welcome night food truck ticket, gift bag, festival weekend pass, raffle ticket, transportation (within Chattanooga) or free parking, and a guided bouldering workshop.

Roam Bike Fest

Sedona, Arizona; November 4 to 6

Ladies, non-binary, and genderqueer femme cyclists, this one鈥檚 for you. Bring your own wheels or demo some of the raddest mountain bikes on the market during dozens of group rides on Sedona鈥檚 iconic sandstone slickrock. When you鈥檙e done living out your singletrack dreams, head back to听鈥檚 event headquarters at the for yoga, film screenings, workshops, dance parties, and a SHRED talks panel. Happy hour drinks (boozy and non-alcoholic) are optional; stoke is not.

Arizona Taco Festival

Scottsdale, Arizona; November 12 to 13

Taco enthusiasts, rejoice: heaven awaits at the听 (from $15), where nearly 50 restaurateurs will vie for your affection by slinging little bundles of tortilla-swaddled joy for three bucks each. You want hot sauce with that? There are 100 varieties on hand. Same goes for tequila. Oh, and there鈥檚 a lucha libre wrestling arena, a beauty pageant for chihuahuas, and, obviously, a taco-eating contest. Feeling brave? See if you have what it takes to out-sweat fellow capsaicin lovers in a pepper-eating showdown.

The post The Most Fun Outdoor Fall Festivals in the U.S. appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

It was a typical beautiful spring afternoon at the in Albuquerque, warm and dry under vibrant blue New Mexico skies. The brewery, which is located in an old warehouse near Interstate 40, is in an industrial part of the city being revitalized with new businesses.

国产吃瓜黑料, among tables filled with patrons, sat Bow & Arrow founder, president, and CEO Shyla Sheppard, a member of the Three Affiliated Tribes (Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara), and cofounder and creative director Missy Begay, who is Din茅 and a member of the Navajo Nation. Shyla was wearing jeans and a gray BOW & ARROW BREWING T-shirt, and Missy was in green medical scrubs鈥攕he had just come from her other job as an internist working in the field of sleep medicine.

Until now, I had known Shyla and Missy only virtually. We were participants in a 2020 online panel about food traditions in the Southwest, me as a chef focusing on Native American food, a culinary anthropologist, and the founder of Santa Fe鈥揵ased 鈥攁 catering company specializing in the revitalization of ancestral Native American food鈥攁nd them as brewery owners bringing local ingredients and Native traditions to craft beer. Earlier this year, I provided Shyla and Missy with a red chile blue-and-white-corn posole recipe to complement their Bow & Arrow Denim Tux Blue Corn American Pilsner for an upcoming cookbook they鈥檇 been invited to participate in. It was the first time I had sampled one of their pilsners, and I was struck by how crisp, light, and refreshing it was.

Missy and Shyla met in 2000 at Stanford University, where they both earned undergraduate degrees, Shyla in economics and Missy in psychology. Missy, who spent part of her childhood in Albuquerque and attended medical school at the University of New Mexico, introduced Shyla to the Southwest. 鈥淥nce I showed her the smells and the blossoms, she was hooked,鈥� Missy said. 鈥淭here is a sweetness to the land here, and all of this is sacred. We hope, as Native American women brewery owners, that people understand the story we have to tell.鈥�

We walked into the brewery鈥攁 cavernous 10,000-square-foot space currently holding about 70 large oak barrels full of beer鈥攖o an upstairs meeting area that prior to COVID-19 had been used for private events. Shyla selected a couple of Bow & Arrow beers for us to sample鈥攖he Strange Country Dark Sour Ale and Desert Revival Blackberry Golden Sour Ale鈥攚hile we talked about their journey to brewing.

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Dear Sundog: I love the desert. From my own muggy home, I try to make it to the Southwest every year: Tucson, Santa Fe, Joshua Tree, St. George. I鈥檓 considering moving there. But is it wrong to move to a place that doesn鈥檛 seem to have enough water to support the people already living there? 鈥�Dry Curious

Dear Dry:听First we must consider that all desert towns are not equal. Many have managed to restrict their water use and growth to some semblance of balance with nature, while others鈥� and 鈥攃ontinue to expand, even as their current water supply dries up.

While of course water delivery to millions of people is complicated, in this region, the ecological culprit is obvious: grass.

Sundog loves to run his toes through verdant lawn as much as the next guy.听But the modern American lawn鈥攖he half-acre of Kentucky bluegrass sprinkled daily, mowed weekly, petro-fertilized seasonally鈥攈as no place in the desert, even as it鈥檚 become emblematic of a sort of golfy affluence in Sedona and St. George. The EPA says that in the Southwest, 60 percent of household water use irrigates the outdoors. Put another way, for every four gallons used for cooking, washing, and bathing, another six go for preparing the croquet course. Yet another way: a year鈥檚 water supply with a lawn would鈥攚ithout a lawn鈥攍ast two and a half years.

Lawns are a European import, brought to the arid American desert first by settlers from places like the Scottish Highlands and southern Germany, where grass just naturally occurs, and second by the wave of 20th-century snowbirds from places like Virginia and Michigan where, also, grass just grows. Why must the white man turn Scottsdale into Scotland, even as it quickens the decline of his desert colony?

In , Jared Diamond relates a story about the first Europeans to occupy North America: the Vikings, who settled what is now Greenland, four centuries before Columbus arrived on the continent. They planted their European crops and brought cows, which didn鈥檛 fare well in the new terrain. In the harsh winters, food was scarce. The settlers observed the Inuit hunting seals and then heating their homes by burning blubber, eating the meat鈥攕urviving. But the Norse considered this slimy meat beneath their dignity and considered the Inuit to be wretches. They refused to consume it. As a result, they starved and fled back across the sea, ending their four-century stay in the Americas.

Mightn鈥檛 we say the same, Dry Curious, about the maladaptive desert grass farmers? They see the water bills. They witness the ongoing drought. They know that the artificial lifelines from Lake Powell and Lake Mead, which have existed for just a geological blink of an eye, are filling with silt and approaching dead pool. And still they sprinkle.

Even as the vast majority of these settlers were born right here in the USA, Sundog speculates that their attachment to turf is some sort of emotional inheritance from the Motherland of moors and meadows. Their colonies here are predicated on the notion that their forefathers discovered an unpeopled dry wilderness, which they irrigated into their own slice of Eden.

But it鈥檚 not true. Indigenous people built complex, irrigated, agricultural civilizations along the Salt River and the Rio Grande and the Colorado River that sustained them thousands of years longer than our current one. If you visit a reservation or a town settled by the Spanish before the Anglos arrived鈥攖hink Santa Fe or Old Town Albuquerque or Barrio Viejo in Tucson鈥攜ou won鈥檛 find many lawns. You鈥檒l see cactus and pi帽ons and junipers and native shrubs and rock work and sometimes just plain dirt: a kind of xeriscaping that predates the word xeriscaping.

Long before the advent of gringo water projects, these places were habitable due to natural factors: Santa Fe had a cool high elevation and a snow-fed river, Tucson had the lush summer monsoons and the perennial Santa Cruz River, Albuquerque had fertile soil along the Rio Grande. To be sure, Native people don鈥檛 dislike greenery; most of the green parts of the desert were taken from them, along with the water rights. And I should also clarify that modern Americans of all skin tones love themselves a moist lawn: it鈥檚 not just a white thing. The point is that the people who have inhabited the desert for centuries are still inhabiting it, and showing others how it can be done.

But for today鈥檚 turf warriors to acknowledge all of that would be to question the short-sighted premise of the American petro-state, an experiment that has lasted less than a century. And so instead of ripping up that sod and planting it with native shrubs and grasses, they clench that garden hose more tightly with their sunburned fists.

To continue the Collapse analogy: Anglos can see Natives eating the fish (conserving water) and have the capacity to eat fish themselves (to stop watering lawns), but they would rather go extinct than give up their lush leas that they once saw Mel Gibson charge across in Braveheart.听

The next factor to consider in moving to the desert is your capacity for being hot. Along with cheap water, the modern Southwest was built with cheap electricity to run air conditioners. And it鈥檚 only getting hotter. A reports that six counties in Arizona鈥攊ncluding Maricopa, home to 4.5 million people in and around Phoenix鈥攁re in danger of becoming uninhabitable in the next 30 years as the planet warms. Does that mean that people will flee? Of course not. They will just use more oil and electricity to cool their homes and cars. Let鈥檚 face it: there wasn鈥檛 some recent past where Phoenix was a sustainable oasis. Its听century-long boom has been dependent on electricity produced by burning coal on Navajo land and a major nuclear power plant, as well as cheap gasoline for driving five miles to get a cup of coffee.

Sundog dreams of a future where all desert dwellers inhabit homes with foot-thick walls made of natural materials like straw bales and adobe, where they run swamp coolers from solar panels on the roof, and capture rainwater in barrels and irrigate native plants with drip lines. While that future听has arrived here and there, the vast majority of desert homes are poorly insulated mash-ups of drywall and fiberglass and pine sticks that dump precious water onto a square of sod and burn hot coal to blow cold air at the eternal sun. Warming the planet in order to chill our homes is madness.

In general, yes, it鈥檚 ethical to move to the desert, provided that you鈥檙e not intent on growing a green lawn and that you can听hack the 100-degree summers without cooling your home to 72. Remember that you鈥檒l be moving to Indian Country; be an ally to tribes defending their land and water and sovereignty. Avoid Phoenix and Las Vegas and St. George, which have placed themselves on a one-way path to drought catastrophe. In the desert, small is beautiful, and there are still plenty of shaded creeks flowing through the canyons, providing life for small bands of humans, where you can build the future as you want it. Sundog won鈥檛 tell you where they are, but if you look hard enough you might yet find one.

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For a decade, Forrest Fenn had lived as creator, promoter, steward, and defender of perhaps the most extraordinary treasure hunt America had ever known. He lived to see its conclusion. And then, barely three months after the hunt he had brought into the world had ended, Fenn was gone.

On the morning of September 7, 2020, Fenn was found unconscious in his study, having fallen, according to the police report. He was taken to Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center, then released to the care of his family, who returned him to his home. There , never having regained consciousness. The first responders who arrived on the scene that morning were initially responding to a cardiac-arrest call, indicating Fenn may have had a heart attack that precipitated his fall.

His funeral arrangements were private, and searchers were kept at arm鈥檚 length. The family did eventually post a message on Fenn鈥檚 website, thanking the search community: 鈥淭o the many searchers who joined us in the thrill of the chase over the last decade, your stories, emails, and tales of the hunt sparked joy in his life and we are forever grateful for your enthusiasm.鈥澨�

The author Doug Preston hadn鈥檛 been able to be there for Fenn鈥檚 90th听birthday in late August鈥攄ue to COVID-19, the Fenn family held a car parade for friends to drive by and say hello鈥攂ut Preston had called soon after听and found his friend well.

鈥淲hatever happened to him happened to him pretty quickly. I spoke to him ten days after his birthday, maybe a week,鈥� Preston said. 鈥淗e sounded great. He didn鈥檛 sound like he was in any kind of decline at all. Now, there may have been something going on that I didn鈥檛 know about. But his mind was there. He was cheerful. His vigor was still there, in terms of his intellectual capabilities. I did not notice any decline.鈥�

Preston said he could sense a sadness in his friend鈥攁 melancholy that the treasure hunt that had defined the final stage of his life had ended.

鈥淗e just seemed disappointed that the treasure had been found. A little bit disappointed.鈥�

After Fenn鈥檚 death, an outpouring of sadness, grief, and love came from the searcher community, with tributes to Fenn on all the prominent blogs and message boards. Many searchers told stories of their interactions with Fenn, or of what the hunt had meant to them, or just publicly thanked Fenn for what he had brought into their lives.

The hunt was over, and now its architect was gone. The anonymous finder was nowhere to be found, and while that left many鈥攎yself included鈥攚ith countless questions, I thought perhaps this might bring the story of this treasure hunt to a close, at last.

I should have known better.

On September 23, just over two weeks after Fenn died, on the website Medium, a self-publishing platform that allows users to distribute essays and other written works anonymously if they choose. Titled 鈥淎 Remembrance of Forrest Fenn,鈥� it was written by The Finder,听who described himself thusly: 鈥淭he author is the finder and owner of the Forrest Fenn treasure.鈥�

In 3,000 well-crafted words, the finder penned an ode to Fenn, who听he described as his friend.

鈥淚 am the person who found Forrest鈥檚 famed treasure,鈥� he wrote. 鈥淭he moment it happened was not the triumphant Hollywood ending some surely envisioned; it just felt like I had just survived something and was fortunate to come out the other end.鈥�

In his essay, the finder revealed a great deal about the circumstances under which he had found the treasure鈥攂ut crucially, he would not divulge exactly where he had located it, and said he did not plan to. He was also careful not to let any details about his own identity slip, indicating only that he was a millennial and had student loans to pay off. Beyond that, he was an enigma.

After finishing the essay, I no longer had any doubt that there was a finder.

Much else, though, remained unresolved. The finder had teased so many things in his essay, left me and everyone else wanting more. He鈥檇 said he鈥檇 answer more questions at some point, but I didn鈥檛 particularly want to wait, or leave what he answered up to him alone.

So I contacted him.

Medium doesn鈥檛 generally allow readers to contact the author of a piece directly, which is one reason it鈥檚 good for anonymous posting. It does allow users to post public comments on a piece, and more than 100 people quickly had, most of them supportive, some of them skeptical, a few of them angry and aggressive. But I wasn鈥檛 going to just post my email in the comments where anyone could read it; that left me no guarantee that the person I might end up in contact with would be the finder.

I had one trick up my sleeve, though. There鈥檚 a little-known way to send a direct message to the author of a Medium piece: You have to flag a section of text, indicating that it contains an error or a typo. That notifies the author of the piece that something needs to be corrected in his or her work. The system doesn鈥檛 give you a lot of space, just enough to describe the problem. So I flagged a section of the essay, barely squeezed in who I was and how to contact me via email, and hoped for the best. I had no guarantee that the finder would look at the message, or that he would understand exactly why he should get in touch. But it was worth a shot.

Less than a day later, an email popped into my inbox. It was from an address whose name referred to Fenn鈥檚 treasure. The finder had replied.

He鈥檇 heard of my project, he said, and he might be willing to talk to me. But he insisted that we鈥檇 have to keep things off the record for now. And so began a month of back-and-forth correspondence, sometimes several emails a day, culminating in my revealing his identity to the world in an 国产吃瓜黑料 article in early December 2020, identifying him as Jack Stuef, a 32-year-old medical student from Michigan.

Having written the 国产吃瓜黑料 article, my inbox was suddenly flooded with searchers claiming this or that about Stuef or that his solve was fraudulent, and asking me to prove it or use my knowledge to validate their own competing solves. I still had no idea where the treasure was, and I truly didn鈥檛 want to know, but that didn鈥檛 stop searchers from claiming that I was somehow involved in some of these conspiracies. I know we live in a post-truth world now, but even as conspiracies around the 2020 election dominated life outside the hunt, the level of disbelief I encountered within the chase still shocked me. Should I have been so surprised? Conspiracy theories have plagued this hunt from the start. I鈥檇 fallen for them myself.

Still, even if there were some details I couldn鈥檛 quite square, I remained sure that Stuef was the finder, and that no grand conspiracy was at play here. How could I be so certain? Part of it was confidence in the facts we all did know. Part of it was, as had said in his fateful, final sermon, understanding that at a certain point听鈥渨e have to trust.鈥� And part of it was that I had experienced something the other searchers had not. A few months earlier, I had flown to Santa Fe one last time听and opened Forrest Fenn鈥檚 treasure chest myself.

I tightened my mask as I stepped off the plane, out onto the tarmac at Santa Fe Regional Airport听and into the cool听air. This trip had come together quickly, out of nowhere, really. One day, back when I still didn鈥檛 know who the finder was, he鈥檇 sent me a particularly unexpected email, offering something I hadn鈥檛 really asked for听but had absolutely craved.

鈥淗ey,鈥� it read. 鈥淒o you want to come see the treasure?鈥�

I pounced on the offer and got to Santa Fe as fast as I could, thrilled at the chance to be so close to something I鈥檇 dreamt about for so long.

As I left my hotel the morning after flying in and made my way toward the finder鈥檚 lawyer鈥檚 offices, the streets of Santa Fe were barren, devoid of the traffic that normally choked Cerrillos Road. It was October, usually one of the busiest times of the year in Santa Fe. In normal years, October brings , featuring hundreds of hot-air balloons and a carnival atmosphere, and enthusiasts come from around the world to experience it. My trips to see Fenn and the other searchers in 2017 and 2018 had overlapped with the festival, and so I can attest both that it鈥檚 great, and that it jams Albuquerque and Santa Fe with tourists.

Not this year, I thought as I cruised down the near empty road, my face mask sitting on the console between the two front seats. But it wasn鈥檛 just the pandemic that made Santa Fe feel strangely empty. For me, Fenn鈥檚 absence loomed larger than the lack of tourists听or people driving to work.

This was the first time since learning of this hunt that I had come to Santa Fe for a reason other than to see Fenn; I still had much I wanted to ask him, and now I鈥檇 never get the chance. It was impossible not to think of him as I drove along, passing a restaurant in the Santa Fe Railyard where we鈥檇 had lunch, going by the turnoff to get to his gallery. The reality was that I couldn鈥檛 imagine Santa Fe without him. For better or worse, he and the city he called home had become synonymous in my mind.

It had been a month now since his death. His wife, Peggy, had herself passed the week before I arrived, living just four weeks beyond her husband. Peggy and Forrest Fenn had been married almost 67听years.

How would Fenn be remembered? He had been so concerned that his father had left no mark, that Marvin Fenn had no imprint on history until his son brought him back via his words and books. Forrest Fenn clearly would not suffer that same fate. His treasure hunt had made a greater impact than Fenn could have ever imagined. Still, his passing so soon after the end of the hunt鈥攁 hunt that I believe he鈥檇 hoped would outlive him鈥攄id end the story of Fenn鈥檚 life in the eyes of the outside world. His chapter in history was interesting, compelling, complicated, flawed. A moment in time, an amazing tale. But now over. Fenn had wanted to live on through his treasure hunt, through his chest. With the chest found, I don鈥檛 know if he鈥檒l truly do that.

The chest. Now that I was mere minutes away from actually holding it in my hands, I was brimming with anticipation, feeling that little tremble that comes from adrenaline coursing through my body. Was just seeing it as good as finding the treasure? Well, no, you鈥檙e a couple million dollars poorer, but in some ways, I don鈥檛 know, maybe it was better. A chance to experience and understand this treasure, without the burden of having to own it. At least that鈥檚 what I was telling myself.

What did I really know about it? It was small, deceptively so. Prominent searcher Cynthia Meachum had built a replica and placed it out in the wilderness to underscore how near impossible it would be to identify the chest at distance if you didn鈥檛 know precisely where it was. It was ten by ten by five inches, and that鈥檚 just not very big. And it was heavy. The chest itself weighed 20听pounds, the contents weighed 22听pounds, and Fenn had needed his famed two trips to get it all to his spot.

There had been a few attempts at chronicling what was in it鈥攕ome of the best work done by Cynthia鈥檚 pal Matt DeMoss. DeMoss鈥檚 efforts had been aided by the release of both sets of conference-room pictures, which I now understood had been taken at the finder鈥檚 lawyer鈥檚 office, the one I was about to visit. Nobody except for Fenn and the finder, however, had been able to really go through the chest, pull everything out, and document the contents鈥攗ntil now. The actual chest, I knew, was the bronze Romanesque lockbox, dating from roughly 1150, with carvings along its sides and top depicting the Castle of Love,听 where maidens sit atop the castle, and knights at the base try to scale it and reach them. It was not locked, but it did include a key, and it was latched with a gargoyle of some sort. There was some type of wood, perhaps oak, serving as a lining.

Based on what he believed to be in the chest, DeMoss had compared each item to similar examples currently on sale听and guessed the low-end sale value of all the items inside at $555,487, with the high-end sale value at $1,327,450. Even if we split the difference, chances are it would sell for more than that, because these items are part of the Fenn Treasure, a factor DeMoss said he did not incorporate into his analysis.

Included in his estimates were the 265 gold coins of varying types, the gold nuggets and dust, the golden frogs, the golden mirrors, the gold nose rings, the gold necklace鈥攇old, gold, gold. There was the ancient Tairona/Sinu necklace, the Chinese carved jade faces, the turquoise bracelet that Fenn had wanted to buy back, and Fenn鈥檚 20,000-word听autobiography, in addition to a few other, smaller items of note. Then there were the 鈥渆meralds, rubies, diamonds鈥� that were often mentioned as being in the chest. Were those merely included in what was perhaps the chest鈥檚 most impressive single item, the golden dragon bracelet, which itself contained hundreds of precious stones? Or were there additional jewels to be found beyond that? Nobody knew, except for Fenn, the finder, and whoever had been there when the chest was examined. There could still be curiosities waiting, surprises to be found, answers to be had. Now I was going to be privy to them.

I鈥檇 agreed to a few conditions when the finder had offered to let me view the chest. First, we鈥檇 agreed that I would pay his attorneys鈥� hourly rates for their time, such that my seeing the chest wouldn鈥檛 actually cost the finder money鈥攑retty standard journalistic practice. He鈥檇 also stipulated that he didn鈥檛 want me to identify his attorneys鈥攖here were three representing him, two men and a woman鈥攊n any meaningful way, so that they couldn鈥檛 be tracked down by overaggressive searchers. I agreed. And then one more: the finder wanted to make sure I didn鈥檛 open the vial containing Fenn鈥檚 autobiography, which remained sealed, and that if I could read any of what was inside through the glass, I wouldn鈥檛 relay any of that information. I agreed to that听as well.

The conditions weren鈥檛 onerous, and I was eager to make this happen. As far as I knew, examining the chest was not a privilege that had been extended to anyone else鈥攁nd in that, it was not lost on me that I was getting to do something that others might not like. I hadn鈥檛 searched for a few years now, and even if it hadn鈥檛 been found, I hadn鈥檛 planned on searching again. But still, there were people far more deserving than I who would have killed to see what I was about to see. Even if the finder managed to give the chest some sort of public exhibition at some point, I assumed no one would get to go through it, touch it, experience it the way I was about to. As I parked the car, I could feel a certain weight to what I was about to do, a responsibility to do it all right, whatever that meant. That, and maybe a few pangs of guilt, for getting to enjoy what other, better searchers couldn鈥檛.

I parked near the offices, put on my mask, and walked along the sunny, empty streets toward the front door. There were COVID-related signs posted about not entering without an appointment. I was pretty sure I had one of those鈥攖hough even at that late moment, there was still the tiniest sliver of doubt in my mind. At the time, I still didn鈥檛 know who the finder really was, and hence had flown out here on a tiny plane on the offer of someone whose name I didn鈥檛 know, based on a cold-call email and little more than that. I was pretty sure, as close to certain as I could be, that this was the finder and that everything was legit, but until I was actually opening that chest myself, nothing was truly guaranteed.

So it was heartening when I swung open the large, heavy door, went into what seemed to be an impressive professional suite of law offices, gave my name at the front desk, and waited only moments before the finder鈥檚 attorney came out and introduced herself.

鈥淲e鈥檒l just go right in here,鈥� she said, pointing to a set of doors leading into a conference room, 鈥渁nd then we鈥檒l bring the chest right in.鈥�

That simple, huh?

I pushed open the doors and entered a reasonably sized room with an oblong wooden conference table covered by glass. It was instantly familiar from the two sets of pictures posted to validate the find.

鈥淚s this where you showed Fenn the chest?鈥� I asked.

鈥淚t is,鈥� she replied. 鈥淗e sat right there.鈥� She indicated听a chair at one end of the table. 鈥淵ou can sit right where he sat if you want.鈥�

I wasn鈥檛 sure if that was a little too fanboyish. But it seemed like a good place to sit anyway, so I threw my backpack down near where she鈥檇 gestured. This was perhaps the only time on the hunt when I was absolutely, definitely, unquestionably following in Fenn鈥檚 footsteps, instead of puttering around in the wilderness two states away from where he鈥檇 left his treasure. Here听I was really and truly doing just what he had done, only a few months before, when he鈥檇 gone through this chest for the first time in a decade.

From the moment I鈥檇 entered this chase, the chest had been the goal. In some ways, it was a MacGuffin, like the Maltese Falcon听or the Death Star plans鈥攊t was what this chase was about, yes, but it wasn鈥檛 really what this chase was about, y鈥檏now? Still, it mattered. Up until this moment, the chest had been purely theoretical to me. I鈥檇 never expected to find it, so I wasn鈥檛 one of those searchers who had already spent the money in it ten times over. For me听it was more about figuring out the clues, getting the answer.

Yet now that I was going to be laying eyes on it, touching it, it moved from the realm of the theoretical to the actual in a hurry.

That understanding fundamentally altered my entire view of the chase. It meant that despite whatever else he鈥檇 done, Fenn had been telling the truth about this box and what was in it: that he had hidden it somewhere out there, and the finder really and truly had obtained it听and was now letting me see and touch it. That most basic set of facts was real, and that gave me a sense of certainty about this chase, of a kind I had never really had until now. Did that improve Fenn鈥檚 standing a bit in my mind? It was a complicated question. To this point, I鈥檇 managed somewhat to separate the man from the hunt, even though it was hard to do. And knowing that he was telling the truth did mean something for the man, somewhat. It didn鈥檛 mean he was without failings, his chase without its problems. But he had done this, just the way he鈥檇 said he had. And that, in my mind, counted for something.

I started to ask if they needed me to sign anything before we began, as I stretched on the latex gloves that I鈥檇 brought for the examination. Then, just like that, the conference-room door opened and a man walked in bearing a bronze box, ten by ten by five, worn and weathered and perfect. He hurried quickly over to my side of the table as I, in true surprise, stammered something out about not expecting it all to be quite so easy.

He chuckled in reply as he walked up and casually handed me Forrest Fenn鈥檚 treasure chest.

Excerpted from ,听by Daniel Barbarisi. Copyright 漏 2021 by Daniel Barbarisi. Excerpted by permission of Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Penguin Random House LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

The post I Got to See Forrest Fenn鈥檚 Treasure with My Own Eyes appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

Until recently, most of my adventures have been human powered. Backpacking through the Grand Canyon was one of my all-time favorite trips. I like rising at 4 A.M. so I can skin up the local hill and ski a lap before work, and I need a multi-hour bike ride each weekend听or I go crazy.

But听I鈥檝e also discovered the power of an engine. I currently have a 2003 Toyota Sequoia that I听turned into an overland rig, and it鈥檚 helped me access some of the most remote and beautiful spots in the western United States. More importantly, it鈥檚听allowed my partner and I to bring our kids along for the ride.

My new favorite adventuremobile, however, is a . For the past several weeks, my family and I have been using a , and it is simply听the most thrilling piece of equipment I鈥檝e ever tested. I鈥檝e skied knee-deep powder in Europe, and this is still more fun by a factor of two.

Case in point:听Last weekend听I loaded my family into the听X3 four-seater and set off to explore the backcountry dirt roads just south of Albuquerque, New Mexico, where we live. As I mashed the pedal, the engine kicked us back in our seats. And that听engine was loud鈥攂ut our screams of excitement easily drowned it out. Stunned by the speed and smoothness of the ride, no one wanted to stop.

We tackled several steep, sandy, technical trails that would have pushed a built-out Jeep to the limit, if not flat-out stumped it. The X3, on the other hand, floated right up and danced听over off-camber sections that would have scared me half to death in any other vehicle. At the top of the hill, my partner looked at me with a huge smile and said, 鈥淲e have to take this thing on some trips!鈥澨�

The sense that you can go nearly anywhere听safely and quickly听is what makes the X3 such a fun vehicle. My family has听traveled a lot, and we鈥檝e used our Sequoia to access some pretty remote places. But the insane speed and chart-topping off-road capability of the X3 has听opened up entirely new sections of the world for us to explore.

Why Is the X3 So Badass?

The X3鈥檚 capability is the product of听a few key factors. Suspension is, by far, the most important. The X3 version听I鈥檓 testing has a suspension setup that allows for a whopping 22 inches of fine-tuned up-and-down travel on every wheel鈥攖hat鈥檚 nearly double the amount of travel my colleague Wes Siler has on his upgraded Toyota Land Cruiser, what听he calls one of the most capable overland builds he鈥檚 ever seen.听(This听comparison is not apples to apples; it just gives you a sense of what you鈥檙e working with.)听

All that travel lets the X3 crawl over giant rocks and听off-camber spots while still feeling completely planted. The suspension can chew up hundreds of miles of rutted roads without leaving you feeling like you鈥檝e just exited a washing machine.听

Adding to the X3鈥檚 off-road chops is a wide听72-inch stance, which keeps it听stable while cornering. It comes听standard with 30-inch off-road tires, which can easily be sized up for even more traction. Front and rear lockers create incredible traction, and down below, skid plates run the entire length of the听bottom to keep the X3鈥檚 drivetrain safe should you ever bash against a rock.

It鈥檚 got a 195-horsepower,听turbocharged engine that can听rocket the 1,877-pound vehicle anywhere you want to go. Thanks to fine tuning in the suspension, all that power doesn鈥檛 become overwhelming when you鈥檙e turning or driving fast. An open cockpit with no windshield or windows听makes the speed absolutely exhilarating.

Is a听Side-by-Side for You?

When I asked my friend Walt Wagner,听who owns a nationally known ,听why he鈥檚 a fan of the X3 (he owns the two-seater version), he promptly answered:听鈥淭hose things are made to be insanely capable right off the lot. They can also be driven hard all the time, and you don鈥檛 have to worry about abusing it.鈥�

Wagner听owns a听, which he鈥檚 driven on the country鈥檚 hardest trails. But he still purchased an X3 because it created a different experience for him and his family (the two-seater can be modified to have a third, smaller child seat听between the two main seats.)听Instead of taking his truck鈥攚hich is also his daily driver鈥攐ut on rough trails, it鈥檚听easier to just load up the X3 on a trailer. His truck remains his听primary adventure vehicle for large, multi-day camping trips, but the X3 is more convenient,听and frankly more fun, on his half- or full-day excursions.听

Wagner鈥檚听situation is the best-case scenario, because he has both an overlanding truck and an X3. Since I鈥檝e been testing the side-by-side, friends have asked whether I鈥檇 recommend one instead of an overlanding build. The answer is tricky. For my family and I,听the听Sequoia overland build is still the better choice听right now, because it鈥檚 set up for camping, which we all really enjoy. That said, I鈥檝e already started saving for an X3 because I, too, would rather run day trips or tackle rough trails with one, and my kids have a blast听in the open cockpit. Additionally, Wagner听plans to start outfitting X3鈥檚 and other side-by-sides听for longer camping trips sometime soon. For someone who鈥檚 not ready to dive headfirst into overlanding but still wants to see the backcountry, tackle technical trails, and feel the exhilaration of a powerful engine and fine-tuned suspension, the X3 is the听easy pick.

This line of thinking is also true when it comes to cost. The X3 I鈥檓 testing costs听an eye-watering $30,400, which is what you听could easily听pay for a new car. The least expensive version听of the X3 costs听$19,000, which is also a serious chunk of change (for the lower price point, you get a two-seater with less suspension travel, smaller tires, and a narrower stance). But compare those prices to what you鈥檇 have to spend to buy a Tacoma or Jeep, and then the upgrades it鈥檇 require听in an attempt to make it听as fast or capable as an X3,听and the benefits become clear鈥攅ven after factoring听in the cost of the trailer you need to haul the X3. Wagner听says any build that comes close would cost two, three, or even four times more. When you consider that an X3 is perfect for a family (you can squeeze four kids and two adults into the four-seater with a quick ),听the听price makes even more sense.听

Finally, there are those听who will balk at the noise and the gas. I hear you. Engineless adventuring will continue to be important to me, too. But before you write off the X3, ponder听this:听It usually averages听12 to 16 miles per gallon, depending on how much you like to step on the gas. With just a little more than ten听gallons in the tank, you can see 100 miles of backcountry and still have enough gas to tow the vehicle to local trails.听For a day of skiing, I easily burn 12 to 15 gallons of gas getting听my family听to and from the ski area (not to mention the energy used to turn the lifts we all听use). If I want to haul the X3 to Moab, Utah, or up to Colorado to run the state鈥檚 famous 12,000- and 13,000-foot passes, I鈥檒l burn extra gas pulling the vehicle up there. But I鈥檒l then save fuel by using the X3 once I鈥檓 on the trails, as opposed to using my Sequoia.

To be clear,听the X3 is not quiet. But I don鈥檛 want to drive the X3 where people are camping, because those areas are typically pretty boring for driving a vehicle like this.听Thankfully, many of the land-management agencies throughout the United States have done a great job of creating trails for off-road rigs听that are scenic, challenging, and well-placed in the outdoor ecosystem. Here in Albuquerque, we鈥檙e lucky to have hundreds of miles of trails that offer incredible views and puckering terrain and are located far enough from any populated hiking and biking trails听that I don鈥檛 have to worry about disturbing other people.听

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A friend of mine who owns a bike shop here in Albuquerque, New Mexico, says his business is听booming. He鈥檚 put important safety precautions in place to keep everyone healthy听but has been flooded with questions and customers. That鈥檚 because people are realizing that their old bike, which more than likely听gathered dust in the garage, is one of the best ways to听get outside responsibly听and enjoy听some fresh air during the pandemic. Others who鈥檝e never owned one might听want to finally give pedaling a try. To help those of you who are either returning to a bike or getting on for the first time, here鈥檚 a list of some essential gear that will make your ride safer听and more comfortable.

Kali Protectives Therapy Helmet ($100)

Cheap helmets will protect your head, but they鈥檙e often uncomfortable, hot, and hard to adjust. That鈥檚 why I suggest , which isn鈥檛 stupid expensive and听comes with features that make it much easier to wear. It鈥檚 one of the comfiest听helmets I鈥檝e ever used, thanks to a deep head cup and a micro-adjuster on the rear headband that provides听a precise fit. Tons of vents dump heat on hot days, and the chin strap stays in place and never rubs. Kali also uses听a low-density layer of foam听that helps cut down on the impact your head is subject to in听crashes.

Bontrager Ion Elite R Front Bike Light ($100)

You should always ride with lights on鈥攅ven during the day (it鈥檚 been proven that daytime lights can prevent cars from running into you). I like the 听because it costs听just a Benjamin听and beams听1,000 lumens, or enough light to help drivers听see you from over a mile away, even at听high noon. At night听it鈥檚 bright enough to听light up the street or a bike path so you can cruise at听full speed. Mounting it to your handlebars is a cinch with its robust, easy-to-adjust clip. Match the Elite R with Bontrager鈥檚 rear light, which can also be seen from the same听distance during the day.听

Velocio Men鈥檚 Foundation Bib Shorts ($129)

You might think bib shorts are overkill for a short ride or a work commute. They鈥檙e not.听I wear bib shorts if I鈥檓 on a bike for longer than ten听minutes. Why? Because the padded chamois makes sitting听on your saddle twice as comfortable, and the sleek fit听cuts down on听chafing. This pair is听more expensive than some other options, but I think Velocio makes the best in the business, thanks to a precise fit and high-quality materials that breathe well. If you don鈥檛 want to look like a Tour de France cyclist on your ride, slip on a pair of overshorts (see听below).

Chrome Union Short 2.0 ($110)

I鈥檒l admit it: I鈥檓 vain when I鈥檓 on听my bike. I don鈥檛 want to look like someone who鈥檚 out to win a European race. And if I want to stop for听a to-go coffee, I don鈥檛 want听to walk around in just bike bibs. That鈥檚 why I always wear the 听over them. Made from durable, four-way-stretch nylon and spandex鈥攁nd sewn with a gusseted crotch鈥攖hey move well and never slow me down. They also come with many useful features, including听a zippered phone pocket, a rear one big enough to carry a mini U-lock, and a reflective hit on the back hip that helps drivers听see me at night. Paying more than $100 for a pair of shorts may seem听ridiculous, but they鈥檙e great off the bike, too,听so听the value is there.听

Hiplok DX Wearable Keyed U-Lock ($90)

U-locks are听the safest way to protect your bike. I鈥檓 a fan of 听because the bar is made of a 14-millimeter听hardened steel that will ward off all but the most determined听thieves. (If someone does decide听to hack through it, they鈥檒l need serious time to finish the job.)听At about six inches long, the locking bar is easy to get around your frame and the fattest bike rack. The keys it comes with are easy to use and don鈥檛 require any jiggling or finesse. If you don鈥檛 ride with a backpack, the DX comes with a sturdy plastic clip that slides through your belt and allows you to confidently听carry the lock on the back of your shorts.听

Patagonia Men鈥檚 Capilene Cool Trail Bike Henley ($55)

You can bike in any shirt, but 听will feel the best,听I promise. That鈥檚 the work of Patagonia鈥檚 Capilene material, a recycled polyester that wicks sweat quickly to keep you drier and less stinky. (The textile treatment that fights odor听also allows you to use the shirt a couple times in a row without washing.) Patagonia designed this Henley for riding a听bike, with a longer听hem that covers your back and butt when you鈥檙e bent over the handlebars.

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I can鈥檛 tell you how often I鈥檝e peered into the recycling bin with a questionable item in hand, likely made from a complicated blend of materials that left me hesitant yet hopeful, and then dropped it in with a shrug. This is called 鈥渨ishcycling,鈥� and it refers to the act of wrongly putting a material into curbside bins with the hope that it will be recycled. My go-to attitude was: Let them figure it out. That鈥檚 their job. But in these days of awakening one鈥檚 self to better habits and spreading the light, wherever we find it, a nagging discomfort lurked.

So I began to investigate. What actually happens to this stuff?听And what could I do to maximize my positive contribution? What I found amid the tangles of a sometimes complicated industry was simple in essence. It isn鈥檛 their job. It鈥檚 mine, and it鈥檚 yours. The onus to understand and ease the processes we take part in is ours. For the outdoor gearheads among us, we can start with the packaging our toys come in.

First, recycling in the U.S. is not totally broken, as has been claimed听. The good news is that while it is ailing, it鈥檚 not wrecked. China, once the dumping ground for nearly half of the world鈥檚 recycling waste, threw a wrench in the industry鈥檚 spokes when its 鈥淣ational Sword鈥� policy banned imports of most plastics and other recyclable materials two years ago. But that decision ultimately spurred domestic innovation and funding toward听initiatives like refurbished paper mills and plastics-recovery facilities. Recycling is an evolving industry, and we must learn how to evolve our behavior alongside it.

I decided to see what work was required on my end and what happened to materials after they left my bin. To do this, I chose an ordinary gear purchase and then tracked its discarded packaging through the recycling process from my house in Santa Fe. I opted for a tent from the North Face. The journey that follows reflects the most common path through the system, though its details differ from region to region. It鈥檚 a simplified picture of a system听driven both听by technological and economic complexity.

My tent arrives simply, with minimal packaging:听one large cardboard box, a flat piece of corrugated cardboard liner inside, and soft plastic encasing the tent itself, called case wrap. Inside the wrap, the only other disposable materials are the tag and a one-page instruction manual made of mixed paper. Their journey? To be reborn into new material without getting lost to the landfill along the way.

I check (done easily via a Google search) for specifics on which materials the facilities accept. Then I prepare them the best I can by discarding any attached materials that either can鈥檛 be recycled or would complicate the process. Removing the tape and labels from the cardboard box isn鈥檛 necessary鈥攖he tape will eventually separate at the paper mill during pulping and be skimmed off鈥攂ut doing so puts less waste burden on the facilities, so I do it and throw them away. I cut and flatten the cardboard box and put it in my recycling bin with my other recyclable items, since Santa Fe has one mixed, single-stream bin for its approved materials, which excludes glass and organics (Santa Fe residents have to transport glass to recycling centers themselves because of the cost of transport). The other panel of cardboard and the mixed paper go in the bin as is. I move the bin to the end of my driveway as usual, ready for pickup. Santa Fe accepts all plastic containers, though most areas only take number-one听and number-two听plastics. (Check the bottom of the object for the plastic type, and cross-reference that with what your municipality accepts. Number-one plastic听is thin and clear, as found in disposable water bottles, while number two听is thicker, like detergent containers and milk jugs.) Soft, flexible plastics like case wrap should never go in curbside bins, for reasons we鈥檒l come back to, so I leave it out.

My local trash service also collects my recycling. Cardboard and paper tumble into a different segment of the truck than glass and aluminum. Because Santa Fe operates on a 鈥渉ub and spoke鈥� system, in which smaller municipalities funnel materials to a central hub, the cardboard and paper rumble across town to the Buckman Road Recycling and听Transfer Station. Here听they鈥檙e loaded onto bigger trucks alongside plastics and transferred to Albuquerque鈥檚 materials-recovery facility (MRF), Friedman Recycling.

Friedman, a single-stream facility that moves 30 tons of material per hour, sorts everything by size and material robotically, like many modern MRFs. The truck dumps the cardboard and paper onto the tipping floor, from which a loader operator pushes them into the metering bin. The bin feeds them into a conveyer, carried at speed to the presort station, where human hands give a first quick pass to extract problematic objects, like plastic bags, PVC, and greasy pizza boxes. Both cardboard and paper make it through, still together and surrounded by assorted plastics and newspaper. Even a few covert plastic bags sneak in unseen. Too late to worry about that now, though it will cause problems later. Onward.

The pieces carry on to the first disc screen, a vertically rotating maw of formidable teeth spaced ten听inches apart. Cardboard surfs over the screen, and paper, with a final听breezy wave, falls to a separate debris roll screen鈥攁 gauntlet of horizontal rollers that further sort materials by size. Plastics ride along beside the paper. A single plastic bag wraps lazily around the roll screen鈥檚 rotating steel arms, but paper bounces over the two-inch gaps, shot with air puffs. Glass breaks all around it and slips through the gaps along with other smaller, heavier items. Every passing second leaves paper increasingly alone with its compatriots.

The paper then approaches yet another sorter screen with plastic containers. The screen鈥檚 angled, gnashing discs grab newspaper and fling it upward and away. Paper and the last of the plastic containers bopping around it fall through the screen and onto another conveyer. Cardboard and paper now sit in their respective holding containers to wait for the fibers baler. They are exactly where they need to be. Each material is fed into the baler separately, which compacts and wraps them into 1,500-pound bales that are loaded into trailers that will truck them to the nearest paper mill.

Now the whirring sound of the sorters鈥� spinning maws ceases. The MRF shuts down for two hours while workers tie into harnesses to climb along the discs and hand-cut each of the plastic bags that wishcyclers like my former self sent into the facility where they gunk up the process. The workers toss them unceremoniously. It costs the facility more money to transport the bags to the landfill along with other nonrecyclables, rendering听the process more expensive and laborious. It鈥檚 up to us to form better habits so our communities can afford to implement ever more efficient recycling programs.

Meanwhile, the case wrap has another, better fate in store. Its kind are too often dismissed as trash听or else doomed to burden MRFs by the nation鈥檚 misguided wishcyclers. But I鈥檇 checked that it would be accepted, along with other plastic bags, at several grocery store听 around town. While traditional MRFs can鈥檛 handle flexible plastic,听. Designating a plastic grocery bag, for example, as听 is a function of consumer behavior and market demands. If you use a bag once and toss it, as most of us do, it鈥檚 single use. While plastic bags are reusable, case wrap is less so. I take mine to a bin at Sprouts and bid it farewell. A recycler picks it up and ships it to a closed-loop facility鈥攚here materials are recycled back into the same product鈥攄esigned to handle plastic retail bags and other film plastics.

The case wrap is trucked to such a facility鈥檚 loading dock, and soon it scoots down a conveyor belt where workers remove contaminants by hand. Down the line, it鈥檚 jostled through float tanks and magnets, where some of its neighbors, including a stray bowling ball, are plucked out as waste and separated. It鈥檚 chopped to smaller sizes and sent through a series of extrusion processes that will melt and scrub it of grime.

The plastic formerly known as case wrap is now in the form of goop encased in tubes. It hardens with cool, recirculated water and is chopped into small pellets. Because this is a closed-loop system, it will become another plastic bag鈥攐r parts of many鈥攊n the manufacturing plant next door. There听it鈥檚 dumped into a heated vat that melts the pellets back into a liquid state, then siphoned up a tube where it solidifies, stretches flat, and winds onto a large spool of sheeting to be cut into recycled bags.

Before long, the former case wrap, which once held a tent, will carry broccoli, bulk cashews, and a jar of local green chile mustard, because someone forgot their cloth bag. The cardboard听was pulped into sheets of fiber, sold to a manufacturer, and eventually remade as a cereal box. Paper, it transpired, was also pulped and has been reincarnated as a paper-towel tube.

For materials that make it through the system even once (), this is too often the end of life. An individual material that鈥檚 recycled two or three times is remarkable, but plastics can generally go through the system ten听times before losing some of their properties, and cardboard can cycle around five or six times, as long as we consumers do our part. Unfortunately, that鈥檚 rare.

As gearheads, our responsibilities are听clear:听Buy only what you need, and use it well. Seek products from companies that opt for minimal, recyclable packaging. Let them know what you think, because you鈥檙e powerful. Reuse what you can as often as possible, and when you鈥檝e given it a good life, don鈥檛 merely wish it well. Recycle intelligently.

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It was March 2018, and I鈥檇 just moved to New Mexico from the frigid climes of Minnesota. I relocated for a job at 国产吃瓜黑料, my long-term relationship had just ended, and I was searching for something to tell me that I hadn鈥檛 just ripped my life up by the roots for nothing. So when a new colleague asked me to go bouldering one weekend, I was stoked. I had been climbing indoors for years, but this was an opportunity to test my outdoor skills and learn about my new home.

We drove out early one Saturday morning. Roy听is a 2.5-hour drive northeast听of听Santa Fe, and the farther we got from town, the louder the whispers of doubt became in my mind. Signs of civilization were quickly replaced by swaths of dried-up grassland dotted with free-range cattle. I started to seriously question the verity of my new friend鈥檚 testament to world-class bouldering in New Mexico. Sure, 听Roy, declaring it 鈥淎merica鈥檚 Next Great Bouldering Destination,鈥� but was it really all the author had made it out to be? We turned off Interstate 25 and into a little village called , population听291. There wasn鈥檛 much鈥攕mall houses, two gas stations, and a public school. Thirty-four miles down a two-lane road later, we arrived in听Roy.

Roy is even smaller than Wagon Mound, with 234 residents nestled in homes down the back alleys off a run-down main street. An iconic orange-and-white-striped water tower looms over the primary drag, which is scattered with small semi-abandoned shops and hotels. At first听it鈥檚 easy to feel that this farming town peaked 40 years ago. But beyond the main street, there鈥檚 a whole new community unfolding in听Roy, one drawn to the area鈥檚 dozens of canyons packed with top-notch听bouldering routes.

The sheer volume and density of high-quality climbs in Roy make听it different听from听anywhere else I鈥檝e been in the United States. Unlike big climbing destinations, like Red Rock near Las Vegas, Roy鈥檚 remoteness adds a sense of raw adventure that reminds me of running around in the woods as a kid鈥攍ike somehow you鈥檙e the only one in on this magical secret. Giant, high-ball boulders are piled up at the bottom of streambeds, just asking to be cleaned and ascended. A 30-mile听cliff band borders the canyons, with听over 1,800 documented routes ready and waiting inside their walls. After that first trip in 2018,听I would spend every weekend the following season exploring the area鈥檚 endless trails with a new group of friends.

Although smaller groups explored Roy in the 1990s,听the area听was largely uncovered in 2003 by archaeologist and climber William Penner, who was conducting a survey for the U.S. Forest Service. He, along with fellow early developer Tom Ellis, kept their secret mostly under wraps for the next decade, occasionally taking out small groups of friends. In 2011, word broke听when a听photo of听Roy听circulated online among the Colorado climbing community.听In that same year,听pro climber听Jason Kehl听made a trip听to the area, and Paul Robinson followed in 2013. Traffic from both local and out-of-state climbers has steadily increased ever since, bringing a slew of environmental听issues. 鈥淔or somewhere so remote and quiet, it was a sudden change of gears,鈥� says Owen Summerscales,听author of the New Mexico Bouldering guidebook. According to a recent Santa Fe听New Mexican , 80 percent of the state鈥檚 thousands of听bouldering routes were undocumented before the book was published in 2016, and that听guide听was the first to include Roy, giving听climbers a window into a treasured area previously passed on via word of mouth, while attempting to educate new visitors on how vulnerable it is.

Roy is more susceptible to impact than other major climbing destinations, due to a lack of developed trails or roads, waste management, and restroom amenities.听Currently, there are only two established听campgrounds:听Mills Canyon, which is difficult to reach and far away from climbing areas, and Mills Canyon Rim, a site that has two pit toilets and six official campsites. The sudden influx of climbers caught townies and Forest Service land managers听off guard, not because they didn鈥檛 want people coming to Roy, but because they, like me, didn鈥檛 trust the clamors of world-class climbing in the otherwise barren landscape. 鈥淲ith the advent of social media, the release of the guidebook, and other publications talking about it, it鈥檚 been like the mining boom,鈥� says Michael Atkinson, a district ranger for the Forest Service who covers Cibola National Forest and the Kiowa and Rita Blanca National Grasslands, where Roy is located. 鈥淎s soon as people heard there was gold, everyone with a shovel went out there.鈥�

The guidebook has since sold out, and Summerscales has no immediate plans to print more. , Summerscales听wrote, 鈥淚 am very aware that the book brought Roy in particular to the masses, and some weight is on my shoulders. I do not want to publish any more updates for Roy climbing until we can be sure that there is the infrastructure to cope with the crowds that another guidebook update would bring.鈥�

This season听is arguably the most important one for Roy yet. With its inclusion in this year鈥檚听听documentary film The High Road, which debuted in October, there鈥檚 more interest in the area听than ever before. As someone who cares about Roy听but also plans to continue climbing there, I鈥檝e learned to treat it like my home crag. A lot of impact听can be mitigated when听visitors follow听all Leave No Trace , including cleaning any tick marks before leaving a climb, packing out all trash and human waste, keeping noise pollution to a minimum, and respecting the locals. 鈥淲e鈥檙e here, and we visit the canyon because we have an attachment and a love for it,鈥� Atkinson says. 鈥淲e feel that we share that with all recreational users. Like anyone who visits something you love, we hope they will respect it.鈥�

Area developers say that less than 15 percent of the climbing in Roy has been documented in the guidebook, and new routes are being developed every season. Anyone who climbs here听understands the magnitude of the resource. 鈥淸Roy] isn鈥檛 going anywhere, it鈥檚 just getting better and better,鈥� Summerscales says. 鈥淭here really is no question about it being one of the best bouldering areas in the United States.鈥�

Know Before You Go

Respect local ranchers and hunters. Be sure to close all gates you pass through, and not to disturb any cattle you encounter. This area is popular for hunting turkey and pronghorn, but you shouldn鈥檛 run into many hunters, as they usually venture closer to the Canadian River, west of听the climbing areas.

Prepare to be completely self-sufficient. Pack in all water and food, and pack out your waste. Chances are听you won鈥檛 have cell service, so let people know where you鈥檙e going and when you鈥檒l be back.

Download the Vertical-Life app. Since the guidebook to the area is no longer available for purchase and the trails and routes are unmarked, the closest you will get to successfully navigating the area is by using the 听($5 per month), which offers beta on route locations and grades.听It鈥檚 best to create a plan before heading out for the day, since the climbing areas are spread out.

Use a high-clearance听four-wheel-drive vehicle. Most of the roads are rough and rocky. If the ones leading to the trails are wet, park at Mills Canyon Rim Campground and hike to the First Streambed area instead. Driving on these roads after rainfall will deteriorate听their conditions and make it harder for people to travel after you.

Treat Roy like a backcountry experience. 鈥淚n Harding County, where Roy is located, emergency-response teams听are manned by volunteers. An hour-plus response time isn鈥檛听out of the ordinary,鈥� Atkinson says. 鈥淚njuries should be thought of in the same respect as people who go out in the wilderness.鈥�

When to Visit

The prime season to visit Roy is winter.听Summer is too hot to navigate the canyons safely, not to mention they鈥檙e rife with rattlesnakes. Spring and fall weather can be unpredictable, so it鈥檚 hard to gauge conditions if you鈥檙e coming from out of state. Peak season runs from November to March or April. But to avoid crowds, head there early, at the start of October, when temperatures become more moderate and the risk of rattlesnake encounters decreases. Average conditions vary year to year, but you can expect winter highs around 50 degrees and lows of 20 degrees.

Make sure to check the weather forecast before you go. For the colder winter months, you鈥檒l need听appropriate听gear to sleep comfortably throughout the night. And be sure to pack plenty of layers so you鈥檒l be warm in the morning听and cool听in the afternoon once the canyons heat up.

How to Get There

Santa Fe is the closest airport, but it has limited regional flights. If you鈥檙e traveling from out of state, the easiest thing to do is fly into听Albuquerque International Sunport and drive north on I-25 for three and a half hours until you reach the Wagon Mound exit. Alternatively, from听Denver, travel south on I-25 for about five hours and exit at Springer.

From the village of Roy, head north on New Mexico Highway 39 for about ten miles until you reach a sign for Mills Canyon Rim听Campground. Take a left at the sign onto a gravel road, and continue for five miles until you see a sign for Kiowa National Grasslands and a wooden Smokey听Bear, where you can fill out the survey provided by the Forest Service so it听can plan听future infrastructure needs. From Mills Canyon Rim Campground, you can hike directly to some climbing areas and navigate to others using the Vertical-Life app or guidebook.

Where to Stay

Most people camp when they visit Roy. Crowds tend to be centered at . The six sites are available on a first-come, first-served basis, so it will be in your best interest to get there before the Saturday hoarde听hits. There are two pit toilets听but no running water, so bring听in enough for your stay.

There鈥檚 also dispersed camping at some trailheads, like the popular Jumbles climbing area. Be respectful when staying in these spots, as there鈥檚 been increased impact from use in recent years. Pack in your water, and carry out听out all of your waste, food, and trash.

Due to Roy鈥檚 remote nature, other options are extremely limited. There鈥檚 the six-person in Roy (from $70), which could be a good choice for those exceptionally cold nights. The town of Springer, located 45 miles north, also has a few motels.

Where to Climb

The documented climbing in Roy is split into three parts鈥擬iddle Meste帽o Canyon, Upper Meste帽o Canyon, and Mills Canyon. You could visit a different area every day of the season and still not have touched most of the routes. As shown on the map above, most roads and trails to these climbing areas split off from Mills Canyon Rim Campground, which serves as a perfect base camp. But it鈥檚 worth noting that even with the guidebook or app, trails can be difficult to locate, so budget extra time on your first trip to search for climbs.

Middle Meste帽o Canyon

The canyon鈥檚 Jumbles area is a good place to start, as it features the most concentrated听high-quality climbs (and the crowds to match), making it easier for first-timers to get a lay of the land. From the campground, the trailhead is about a 4.5-mile drive southeast and is easy to access with a four-wheel-drive vehicle. Middle Meste帽o has one of the shortest approaches, at about 15 minutes, but can be steep in some parts.

Long Ass (V1) is a great warm-up, with sweeping views of the canyon at the top. Classic routes include Fun Bags (V6) and Instagram-worthy Triangular (V6), which takes you up a long ar锚te听and tops out at a sketchy point that would make anyone queasy. More advanced climbers will find solace in climbs like Icarus (V7) or RoyGBiv (V10).

Upper Meste帽o Canyon

This area is a longer, 30-minute hike from the trailhead, but you鈥檒l find a full day of routes worth exploring. From the campground, the trailhead is about four miles southeast, just above Middle Meste帽o. Check out favorites like Ergonomicon (V7) and Sundial (V11), which Nina Williams first ascended听in The High Road.听If your听style is long, overhanging roofs, pay a visit to Mega Roof, which has several climbs at different levels. Dust Bowl (V7) will test your core strength and stamina, with over 30 moves in a row.

Mills Canyon

If you only have a few hours, there鈥檚 a lot to be tackled in Mills Canyon that doesn鈥檛 require the use of a four-wheel-drive vehicle. An easy-to-moderate 20-minute hike from Mills Canyon Rim Campground leads to the First Streambed area, where there are a full range of climbs. Personal favorites include the warm-up Cuban Boulder (V1鈥揤3), Pumped Full of Roy (V5), and Nobody (V10). More advanced climbers looking for a project will love the challenge of Calm Ethereal (V13), a beautiful line that has a unique, dynamic move up to a side-pull crack.

Detour

Don鈥檛 speed through the town of Roy without stopping at , a small shop on the main drag听that mostly sells western and country furniture听but also stocks climbing chalk and tape. There鈥檚 the , which supplies听snacks and can save you when you forget coffee in the morning. And if you鈥檙e looking for a place to sit down and experience the local community, 听is a great diner with burgers, New Mexican food, and ice cream. Note that with the exception of Lonita鈥檚, these places, along with most businesses in Roy, are closed on Sundays.

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Every fall, more than 300 bird species across North America听migrate south for the winter, an event affected as much by a bird鈥檚 location and breeding timeline as it is by the changing climate. Not only will these festivals guarantee that you鈥檙e in the right place at the right time, but they鈥檒l allow you to take part in the kind of awe-inspiring wildlife migrations usually associated with more far-flung destinations. So听book your short-hop flight, grab your binoculars and field guides, and get ready to be captivated alongside North America鈥檚 most passionate birding enthusiasts.

Cape May Fall Festival

Cape May, New Jersey; October 17 to 20

New Jersey Audubon鈥檚 is the longest-running birding festival in the country鈥攁nd for good reason. During the crest of the fall migration, more than 100 bird species can be spotted passing the Cape May peninsula, located at the southern tip of the state between听Delaware Bay and the Atlantic Ocean, a 50-minute drive from Atlantic City. One of the festival鈥檚 highlights is the sky parade of raptors (osprey, sharp-shinned hawks, and kestrels have been prevalent this month) that funnel over Cape May Point; last year听more than 50,000 raptors were counted by between September 1 and November 30. Enjoy daily field trips on land and sea led by notable birders and photographers, including the popular Trip to the Rips,听a three-hour boat tour that offers听the chance to view听waterbirds like gannets, gulls, and terns at the mouth of Delaware Bay, as well as marine mammals like bottlenose dolphins and humpback whales. Day pass from $85听

Rio Grande Valley Birding Festival

Harlingen, Texas; November 6 to 10

Though the always features an impressive roster of daily field trips, professional guides, and keynote speakers, a big draw of the five-day event are听the pre- and post-festival trips, which shuttle attendees to in-the-know birding hot spots near and far. This year鈥檚 four-day pre-trip, from November 2 to 5, starts in Houston and explores the piney woods听and coastal marshes of the state, while the excursion following the festival,听from November 11 to 15, ventures over the international border, nearly 300 miles south, to the Unesco-recognized in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas. After a five-hour bus journey to听the mountainous cloudforest in the state鈥檚 southeast,听you鈥檒l be able to search for endemic species like the Tamaulipas pygmy owl and the Altamira yellowthroat. Registration from $25; trips from $825

San Quint铆n Bay Bird Festival

Campo La Chorera, Baja California, Mexico; November 8 to 9

Established by local communities and the land-conservation nonprofit five years ago, the annual is a two-day event听that aims to promote the protection of over 25,000 birds that visit San Quint铆n Bay every year. Located on the west coast of Baja California, 190 miles south of Tijuana, the region features wetlands, sand dunes, and meadows important to migratory shorebirds of the Pacific Flyway. While you need to register, the festival features a variety of free or affordable activities, including boat tours, guided birding hikes, and a bird-watching marathon听where participants try to identify as many听species as possible in a single afternoon. Stay at a beach campsite in 听(from $10).

Fraser Valley Bald Eagle Festival

Fraser Valley, British Columbia; November 16 to 17

Less than two hours southeast of听downtown Vancouver is Fraser Valley, home the annual , a free event that commemorates one of the largest gatherings of bald eagles in the world. Witness thousands of the raptors feed on spawned-out salmon on the banks of the Fraser River, get up close to the birds on boat tours, and check out local vendors, lectures, and family-friendly entertainment at various locations across the valley. While bald eagles (and salmon) may be the main attraction, keep an eye out for large numbers of trumpeter swans and blue herons drawn to the area鈥檚 mild climate.

Festival of the Cranes

San Antonio, New Mexico; November 20 to 23

Birders, photographers, artists, and听local Socorro County residents gather every year to witness the return of tens of thousands of sandhill cranes to their wintering grounds in the Middle Rio Grande Valley at Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, 95 miles south of Albuquerque. On top of daily hikes, tours, and seminars organized by Friends of Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, offers 65 photography workshops geared toward听capturing wildlife, which sharpens visitors鈥� perfect shots of the red-crowned birds. Other highlights include kid-friendly activities, like a hands-on duck-banding project and a biologist-led young birder鈥檚 walk. Registration is required for the festival, but like the San Quint铆n Birding Festival, it includes听both free and affordable experiences, as well as more expensive workshops with professionals (from $95).

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