Episode 23 You can also listen on Apple podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google podcasts, and Amazon Music
About the Episode:
On this episode we have our first podcaster podcast guest. Caitlin Lowe is the host and producer of Silver On the Sage Podcast, dedicated to connecting Philmont Scout Ranch alumni. Philmont is located near Cimarron, NM and by land area, it is one of the largest youth camps in the world. Each summer, an average of 20,000 Scouts and adult leaders backpacked through the Ranch’s extensive backcountry.
Links
Philmont Scout Ranch
Enchanted Forest Crosscountry Ski Red River
(Episodes mentioned: Ryan Raddatz, Katrina Moon, Larry McLaughlin)
The Calico Stray: No Time for Caution
Rod Taylor and the Rifters
Bunny’s website
Buy Bunny’s book on Amazon
I Love New Mexico Instagram
I Love New Mexico Facebook
Original Music by: Kene Terry
Featuring:
Caitlin Lowe
Greetings. My name is Caitlin Lowe. I was first introduced to the enchanting state of New Mexico as a child – my father would share stories of the Sangre de Cristo mountains and a place called Philmont Scout Ranch where he spent one summer working in the backcountry. Fast forward several years – I applied to work at Philmont while in college. I went on to work 7 summers from 2007-2013, and fell in love – literally and figuratively. I met my husband there, we’ve been married for 9 years and have 3 children – we currently live in Des Moines, IA. My time on seasonal staff at Philmont Scout Ranch in Northern NM was immensely impactful, and truly grew me into the person I am today.
I’ve been solo hosting and producing Silver On the Sage Podcast for the past 2 years, releasing episodes every Tuesday. On the show, I interview Philmont staff alumni, to discuss the impact that NM and Philmont had on them, and where they are today. I’ve also done some special episodes to include virtual campfires with music submissions from Philmont staff, NM Christmas history and traditions, interactive episodes with listener submissions, and a compilation episode. It’s a wonderful side-gig to being a stay at home parent. New Mexico and the people there have always been something I admire and love. We have dreams of moving there in the future, and putting down roots.
Episode Transcript
Bunny: (00:00)
Hi there. I’m Bunny Terry, and you’re listening to the I Love New Mexico podcast. Whether you’re a native new Mexican, who’s lived here for your entire life, or you’re just considering a visit, this episode is for you. Join us as we share a lot of New Mexico’s stories, talk about all things New Mexico, and include topics like what’s magical here, where you ought to visit, what’s happening, and the things you absolutely cannot miss in the land of Enchantment. We’re excited that you’re here, and we can’t wait to show you what an amazing place New Mexico is, because let’s face it, I love New Mexico. I think I may say this every time that we do a podcast, but the coolest thing for me, besides getting to talk to people about the things that I love, is that I get to meet people that I would never, ever, ever get to meet in a different circumstance. And today is no exception. Um, I’m talking with Caitlin Lowe, who runs a podcast called, um, silver on the Stage. Did I get that right, Caitlin? Yep. I’ve looked 40 times and I’ll think, can I say that correctly? So, Caitlin, um, Caitlin’s family has this long history with the Philmont Scout Ranch, which has to, to many new Mexicans, almost mythical status, um, and and to lots of Boy Scouts, to the Boy Scouts of America. So, um, and, and it’s a huge piece of our state’s history and, um, for anybody who spent any time in or around Cimarron, you know, that, that Cimarron really was the Wild West, um, even until the, um, thirties, really, when the Phillips family gave the ranch to the Boy Scouts of America. But I, I don’t wanna tell that story. I know Caitlin knows it much better than I do. But first, Caitlin, tell us who you are and then let’s talk about the ranch.
Caitlin: (02:13)
Sure. Excuse me. Well, thank you so much for having me on today. I’m thrilled to be here. Uh, and you know, tables turned, usually I’m the host interviewing people, and it’s really fun to be the interviewee today. So, um, just thank you so much for all the awesome work you do, sharing our love for New Mexico. So, like you said, my name is Caitlin Lowe. I’m a mom of three little kiddos. I currently live in the Midwest. I’m in Iowa, but my story kind of goes way back to New Mexico. My origin, New Mexico story, I guess is kind of that. I grew up listening to my dad tell stories of this place, um, called the Sang Christo Mountains. And, um, it was this place where he worked for one summer in the mountains as a cowboy, and he would tell myself and my three sisters bedtime stories about this, this magical, mythical place. Fast forward several years in college, you know I discovered Philmont as a real place , and, um, I applied to work on staff there, and that was in 2007. So I went out and I worked on staff in my first summer. I just fell in love. I just was enchanted, as they say, by where, you know, Cimarron. So Philmont is near the village of Cimarron, New Mexico, and it’s where, um, the mountains meet the planes, or is it the planes meet the mountains, . Um, and it just is this drastic landscape and it just kind of captures your soul. So I worked out there for seven summers, uh, and I worked, I also worked out there for a couple off seasons, so I was there for the, for the whole season, you know, throughout a fall and a winter as well. And, um, met my husband out there. And today I, uh, host a podcast called Silver on the Sage podcast, where I interview, uh, Philmont staff alumni to just kind of discuss the impact that New Mexico and Philmont had on their lives and also kind of where they are today. So that’s, that’s kind of my, my quick bio.
Bunny: (04:21)
So the cool thing about your podcast, and I hope about mine is that I’m, I am all about storytelling. I really believe that stories save us. And, you know, this is less of, I hope, a travel log and more of a storytelling forum for people to say, here are the things that happened that changed my life and, you know, made it better, made it more interesting. Here are the things I saw. Here’s, you know, here’s the food I ate. I think life is one big long story that if we share it well, has the chance to impact other people. And you’re doing that, I mean, you’ve been at this for over two years, right?
Caitlin: (05:03)
Yes. Well, I’ll hit my two year mark in two weeks, actually, so just about it, two years.
Bunny: (05:08)
Well, I went back and listened to some of your, um, podcasts, and I, what, what I loved was that everybody seemed really, really, um, first of all, anxious to tell their story. And, and it’s cool that you provide a forum for that. But also everybody was like, this was a moment in my, you know, working at Philmont was this moment in my life that was, um, you know, I try to think of superlative adjectives, but it was life changing, I think for most of your guests.
Caitlin: (05:42)
Yes. I do too. I’m always like, what is a syno synonym? How can we, you know, we, we repeat these words like impact and monumental, and, um, but it really just is that, um, you know, I went to college, I have a degree from the University of Nebraska, but I kind of feel like Philmont grew me and those mountains, and the culture grew me, um, almost in a more important way than, you know, that your typical college experience. Could you, um, meet people from all over. So, uh, staff members and participants, scouters come out to Philmont every summer from all over the US from overseas. And not only are you meeting those people and learning their stories and learning their ways of life, but also the people of New Mexico, and they have a really unique, beautiful way of life too. And I think that whole combination just makes it this, um, beautiful kind of perfect storm for true growth. Um, and, you know, and then you put it in the settings of the mountains and it’s just, it’s un you know, like you can’t compare it. What can you compare that to ? So it’s a really unique experience that I’m just so grateful I was able to, to be a part of.
Bunny: (06:58)
Well, and I wanna give a plug. You know, I always think the landscape is a big part of our story. And, um, not only, um, I was telling you before we started the podcast that all of my life, we either went to Tres RTOs or to Cimarron Canyon whenever, um, I grew up on a farm. And whenever it would rain too much for my dad to get in the field, he would, it was like he would run in the house and say, okay, we’re going camping, and we would really just throw stuff in the back of the pickup, put the camper shell on, and we would go either to Tres RTOs, which is up above Mora, or we would go to Cimarron and camp in the Canyon. And I, you know, I revealed that my, the first picture of me in a bikini, is it when I was two in the Cimarron River, but I also listed a property at one point up in Miami. And I think what people don’t get is, is the reason that landscape is so stunning is that you have, like, right, you’re, you’re in the Sang de Christos and then it’s the Planes and Cimarron is the place where the Santa Fe Trail came into town. And, and it was, you know, other than Raton Pass, it was the first encounter any of those people coming from the East had with the majesty of those mountains. So it’s, I mean, I, the history in the area is rich, but the landscape is, is, is so stunning. I think it would be cool for people to learn a little bit about, um, the history of Philmont. I mean, why, you know, why, why did it even exist? Who, who bought the land? Who sold, who gave it away?
Caitlin: (08:36)
Sure, yeah. Oh my gosh. Yeah. That’s a can of worms, a good one to open. It is, like you said, so rich in, uh, geographical history and, um, human history, you know, it goes all the way back to the Hickory Apache Tribe tribes and the Ute Tribes and just, you know, those indigenous groups, uh, you mentioned the Santa Fe Trail, and I believe there’s the Iconic Tooth of Time, which is the big igneous rock mountain sticking out above, you know, on the ridge there. And, um, we were told on staff that the Santa Fe Trail, the people on the Santa Fe Trail, once they saw the tooth of time, they knew they were about a week’s distance from Santa Fe, from their, some of their destinations. Um, so there’s rich history there. There’s the, um, Maxwell Boban land grant, um, where there was this massive land grant, which
Bunny: (09:32)
Is quite controversial, but wow. I mean, yes, Maxwell owned everything in the world for a while.
Caitlin: (09:40)
Yes. The, the history is, is the good, the bad, and the ugly and the in between. And we definitely, you know, can’t ignore that. And that’s important to, to mention. Um, there was also mining history with the gold mine with gold mining, um, and controversy there. Uh, the railroad and logging lots of ranching. I mean, it goes on and on. Um, but as you mentioned in I believe it was 1938, wait, Phillips, who was, um, an oil baron and his, his brothers and his family, um, were part of Phillips 66 oil gas stations. Um, as we, as we know, uh, he, he donated the land to, um, the Boy Scouts of America, which is today called Scouts bsa. And he made several donations throughout the years. Um, there was another large donation in 1941 that included the Via Philmont, which is the beautiful mansion there at Philmont, which you can go tour. That was his summer villa, his summer home, um, cuz he was living in Oklahoma at the time. So there’s this wait, Phillips donor, which is so in important, and he believed in the mission of the Scouts and the impact that it could have on, on youth. And then several other people donated land throughout the years too, including Nor Norton Clap, who worked for Scouts, BSA, and, um, some other donors. So it’s, it’s, the history is very in depth. There’s a lot of really great, um, literature out there about it. Uh, fun fact, I believe the only documented T-Rex track is on Mont property. So there’s a T tyranosaurs Rex track that you can go see. I think it’s only documented one in the US or in the world maybe, I’m not sure. But that’s kind of fun. So the, yeah,
Bunny: (11:32)
Is it very, I mean, is it way off the, off the road or is it, I mean, I know you have to go through the, through the ranch to get there, but I’m curious, was it out on the plains or is it up in the mountains?
Caitlin: (11:43)
Um, it’s more on the plains. It’s sort of in like the Poel Canyon area. Um, so, so it’s in a canyon, but you can see it. It’s not, they’ve got it, it fenced and, and caged, so it’s protected . Yeah, . But yeah, so if you’re out there as a participant, um, or on a special track or anything like that, you’re able to, to go see that and hike to it. And so it’s just, I mean, it’s just an incredible place. Um, Philmont also has a special use permit with the viol unit of the Carson National Forest. So participants are able to use that attractive land. And then, um, Ted Turner’s, ver Meho Park Ranch, there’s a historical cabin there called Rich Cabins that is also part of Philmont. So it’s not, it’s not just this one landowner anymore, it’s a huge relationship with, with everyone in that area.
Bunny: (12:33)
That’s so cool. And I want people to know that it’s, and, and I hope this has, maybe this has changed, I don’t know. But when my son was in high school, um, he was allowed to go with, uh, with his class up to spend, you know, sort of to, not an Outward Bound, but to, what did they call it? Um, his high school in, um, Albuquerque did a, a three night stay in Fillmont. Awesome. And, um, I, I thought, how cool is it that you know, that they’ve opened up the facilities in their, um, area to other young people
Caitlin: (13:10)
Yes. And that they’re doing so much more of that. I think that’s the direction that Scout’s BSA is going, where they have a huge family program now where you can do, you know, that’s geared towards younger, younger children and the parents having a good time. Shoot, I just lost it. Uh, well,
Bunny: (13:32)
Well one of the things you talked about was, oh,
Caitlin: (13:35)
Oh,
Bunny: (13:35)
Sorry, go ahead.
Caitlin: (13:37)
I was gonna say, they also have a really neat, um, new, they have a trail race now, so people who are like ultra runners or trail race trail racers, they can go run at Philmont. And last year was the first year they did it in August. They’re doing it again this year. So any runners out there, if you wanna run Philmont trails, um, that’s open to the public. So it’s
Bunny: (13:57)
Pretty cool. Wow. Wow. It makes me, yeah, makes me wish I was a better runner, but me too.
Caitlin: (14:02)
.
Bunny: (14:03)
Well, and then I was fascinated by your, um, podcast with the guy who’s the marketing director who was talk. Isn’t there some sort of an incubator there for people who are interested in, um, that kind of storytelling?
Caitlin: (14:19)
Yes. Oh my gosh, yes. So if you’re a young adult or an older adult, but most, they’re Philmont hires, they’re seasonal staff members. There’s about 1500 seasonal staff members every summer. They’re usually college aged young adults. And it’s basically a giant internship machine, if you wanna look at it that way. There’s, um, the mark, they have a full marketing department that’s doing, you know, social media and storytelling and oral and written history and videography. Philmont has, has a licensed infirmary. So if you’re, um, a medical student or you’re interested in, you know, medicine, you can go work out there for a summer in the infirmary and get hands-on learning. Philmont is like a small town. I mean, they have a c they have a commissary, they have a motor pool, they have a retail store, the tooth of time traders, it’s like a mini r e i. There’s of course the back country department, so if you wanna learn, you know, outdoor backcountry leadership skills, um, there’s the historical living interpretive history if you’re, if you wanna engage in that in the backcountry. The Philmont’s also a working ranch. So, um, you can cowboy at Mont, they have a herd of bison, horses, burrows, um, and some other animals out there. There’s search and rescue, there’s wildlife, there’s a wildlife researcher position out there cuz they encounter, you know, bears and all the different wildlife out there in those mountains. So it really is a mecca for just getting incredible hands-on learning in an environment where you’re able to, it was described to me as like failing forward. So you’re able to kind of fail not necessarily fail, but you’re able to like, try your hand at something and not just read about it in a book, but really dig into something. And you have great leaders that are guiding you, but they give you, they delegate to you and you’re able to really try something, you know, out of the shoot essentially with some good training. And that you don’t really get that often in jobs today. Usually you kind of have to climb the ladder, but at Philmont you grow quickly because you’re given responsibility quickly and it’s very empowering.
Bunny: (16:39)
That’s cool. I’m a big believer in failing forward. I think it’s the only way that we get to success. Yes. I think, you know, if I had stopped at my first failure, um, I, I’d been a closet reading a book, probably . So, you gotta you gotta, you gotta fail a lot to get to where you wanna end up. So I love that philosophy. And, and I’m curious, I mean, you were there for several years and you worked both the season and the off season. What was, what, what made you wanna do the podcast? I’m always curious about where that comes from.
Caitlin: (17:19)
So, good question. It’s really hard to leave Philmont, I think a lot of staff members get, so it becomes their world. You’re so engaged with the community there, like the Philmont community itself, the seasonal friends you make, but also with the surrounding communities. I mean, on your days off, you go to Red River, you go to Eagles Nest, you go to Taos, a Raton Springer, you go to the Enchanted Circle and Santa Fe and you, you, you really explore this state. And for a lot of people, New Mexico is not a place they’ve been before or it’s a very different place from where they’ve come from maybe. And so I think it’s, I know for, from personal experience, it’s really hard to leave that. And if you’re like me and you spend seven summers of your life out there, um, that becomes a second home. And so I was missing Philmont. I had left, I started my family and I was missing Philmont and I was missing New Mexico. And I thought, how can I, um, take that urge that I know others feel and share it and maybe try to kind of, it’s like a second best. You know, we’re not at Mont, but we get to talk about it and share our love for it on this weekly podcast. And also another part that was important for me is that so many people that work at Mont go on to do great things. And so I wanted to kind of do like a reunion, like where are they now? So, um, maybe if you have it connected with a friend for a long time, you can listen to their episode and, and fig see that like, oh wow, they’re doing x, y, Z in life and how cool and reconnect. So, um, that was kind of the goal and it’s just been so humbling because, uh, I’m a stay at home mom right now and, um, this is like just so bucket filling for me to be able to talk to adults in the evenings and share their stories and step away from kind of that mom role and be able to, um, you know, be like Caitlin and individual and reminisce on all those impactful times in New Mexico with great people.
Bunny: (19:30)
So, so let’s tell folks about some of the people you’ve talked to and, and some of the things that have surprised you. I’m, I’m really interested to hear what’s your favorite and, and of course you don’t have to say they’re your favorite because I never wanna say that about my gas because I’m, I’m always, I always learn something new from the people I talk to, but, but give us some highlights because I want people to find your podcast and hear those stories. I think it’s so cool that you’ve created that.
Caitlin: (19:57)
Oh my gosh, thank you. Um, okay, so almost two years worth of content. Let me kinda think back a little bit, um, one that sticks out, um, an individual named Ryan Raditz. He is a really charismatic, goodhearted guy in Hollywood, , he’s in kind of the hall. He, he is in the Hollywood scene and he’s a writer and, uh, actor and he’s, you know, kind of one of those people you would think like, oh, untouchable. Um, but he’s just so down to earth and, and wonderful. And his episode was really insightful and just about how FMA impacted him, um, in a positive and a challenging way, and how he took those challenges and then started a very inclusive scouting, um, scouting group in his area. And, um, just kind of helped, um, how do I wanna put this? He just kind of helped scout’s, bsa, you know, move forward in a more inclusive direction.
Caitlin: (20:59)
So that one was really awesome to listen to. And he’s a musician and just, he’s just funny. He’s like really fun to talk to. So his stuck stuck out to me. Um, um, there’s a lot of really strong female interviews where, you know, um, boy Scouts, Amer of America started out, um, as a male only organization and as women started to be allowed into the organization, it’s interesting to hear their history, um, and lots of, um, overcoming challenges there as well. Uh, one, uh, one that’s really great, her name is Katrina Moon, and she, uh, now today is living in Alaska with her family and four children, and her husband is in, um, works is in the military. And so they, they’re kind of all over the place, but hers was really empowering and just how she overcame things. Philmont also has a huge subculture, subculture of musicians, so there’s lots of really awesome music that happens at nightly campfires at Philmont, and some of those people go on to make music profession. And so gosh, there’s several in there. Um, Larry McLaughlin is a good one. He started, uh, a band at Philmont called the Tabasco Donkeys. And so they have had a re they put a record out, two records out several years ago. And then he also produced, um, a documentary about Philmont called the Philmont Documentary Collection in 2010. Um, and he went on to work for rei and do videography for travel companies, um, that travel the world. So it’s just, it’s a little bit of everything and, and it’s really just fun. Like it, I can’t, it’s just fun and impactful and it kind of just gives you that like, boost of motivation throughout the week that, that boost. That’s okay. . It kind of just gives you that boost of motivation throughout the week, um, to see people reach their dreams even through failure and, and, and to know that those people are your friends and they, they started as at a place that you started to and fell in love with.
Bunny: (23:12)
So I’m curious if, so I’m somebody, you know, I’m just general, um, Joe or Jane Public and I wanna go up and see this amazing place because I’m gonna tell you, I’ve only driven through, I’ve never stopped. So, so what should we do? Do we, I mean, first of all, should, do you stay in Cimarron and if you’re afraid of ghosts, you can’t stay at the St. James or do you, I mean, is there a place to stay on campus or do you have to stay away and then come and tour? How does it work?
Caitlin: (23:41)
Very good question. So if you just want to day visit, you can absolutely drive into the base camp, which is like a small city. There is, like I mentioned, um, the tooth of time traders, the tooth of time traders, so you can stop in the store. Um, there’s the National Scouting Museum, which is a beautiful new building, new museum. Uh, they also have a, a fun gift shop there. Um, there’s the V via Philmont, which is the mansion that you can tour. So the grounds themselves at base camp alone could cover, you could spend a day there. Just really engaging with that, that information there. Um, if you want to, if you wanna spend the night, if you wanna participate in any of the programs, I believe it is still the case that one individual of your group has to be registered, registered in Scout’s, bsa. I think for some of those programs, all individuals would need to be registered. Um, it’s as simple as filling out a form and I think a small registration fee on top of whatever, um, program fee you’re paying to philmont. But the family programs that are being put on through the Philmont training center at Basecamp are incredible. And those, those I think are really approachable, approachable for people that aren’t affiliated with Scouts B s A already. They also have the trail run, the trail running, the trail race program, which will be in August of 2023. I’m sure I’m forgetting some other things. But basically if you hop online and look at their calendar, there’s a lot of options and opportunities for the General Joe or Jane to engage with Philmont, um, kind of on a base level. And then once they fall in love, cuz how could you not ? Um, you can, you know, engage at a, a higher level and maybe stay for three or four or five nights. They also do Treks in the fall in Autumn, they have Caval Kate programs where you can do ride through the mountains on horseback. So, um, it’s really sky’s the limit, um, about what, you know, the type of time you have and your contributions that you’re able to engage with Philmont. But I do know that they’re working very hard to make it more open to all people and not just Boy Scouts of America folks.
Bunny: (26:06)
And let’s just, excuse me, but let’s talk for just a minute about the surrounding area. I mean, you were there for a long time and I think that people forget that or they don’t know, you know, if course if you, if you’ve never gotten off the freeway, and I always say get off the freeway, but if you’ve never gotten off the freeway, you don’t even know that that area exists. And I’ve, I, and when I said before to, to my listeners when I said I had a listing in Miami, it’s not Miami, Florida, there’s a small town on the, the south and the little East, and it, it’s not even really a town. I mean, it’s a, I don’t know, it’s a almost a hamlet. I mean, there’s, there’s a fire station I believe, but it’s a small village that’s, um, a little bit east of Philmont and Cimarron. And you can do this circle, you know, you can get off the freeway at Springer, drive up to Cimarron, spend some time there, spend the night, have a meal at the St. James because it’s pretty incredible. And if you look, if you go to Cimarron, I think they have a website, the Village does, you can see what’s going on there. But you were there for seven years. What, what if you, if you were somebody who was gonna be in the area for a day and a half, what would you tell people to be sure not to miss? Because what I would say is one of the coolest things is the St. James and, and I think Cimarron has the coolest cemetery in New Mexico. I’m kind of a cemetery aficionado. I probably should do a podcast only on that. But you, you tell me what you would do if you’re gonna be there for two days.
Caitlin: (27:41)
Yeah, absolutely. You already knocked out two of the top, um, the St. James and the beautiful cemetery there with such incredible history. Uh, I would also say, um, hop on the Road and go towards Raton and stop at a little place called Cold Beer. Cold beer new, it’s called Cold Beer New Mexico. And it’s a bar and it’s an incredible bar. And even if you’re not, even if you don’t imbibe in libations, they have live music, they have green chili pizza, they have a beautiful courtyard in the back where they host, um, games and live music. I believe they’re still doing a, it’s like a mini, um, the word’s not coming to me.
Bunny: (28:28)
Well
Caitlin: (28:29)
Ca it’s like a music festival. It’s a mini music festival, sorry. They host a mini music festival, so definitely hit up cold beer, New Mexico. Let me…
Bunny: (28:38)
I’m sorry to interrupt you, but we, uh, we interviewed Kene Terry, who is my nephew who did the music for our episodes and he was on his way to play at cold beer.
Caitlin: (28:49)
Yes.
Bunny: (28:50)
So what a great, um, place for you to bring up.
Caitlin: (28:54)
Yes. That you definitely need to stop there. It’s, it’s one of a kind. Um, if you, for you, um, specifically there’s another incredible cemetery up there, uh, the Dawson Cemetery. Uh, yeah, that’s an incredible spot. But then I would also say, um, another beautiful place to stay in the area is the Casa del Gavalon Casa del Gavi Gavalon.
Bunny: (29:19)
It’s on my bucket list.
Caitlin: (29:21)
Okay. It’s incredible. Definitely need to stay there cuz you kind of, you’re surrounded by Philmont property, it’s this little bubble. Um, and so you’re like, it’s like getting to be at Philmont, but you’re not, you know, you’re on private property, but you can still hike. They have land you can hike and it’s just beautiful rooms and the, the property’s incredible. And then I, for the two, well the one year that I was there a year round for the autumn in the fall that I worked at Mont, we spent a lot of time in Red River. So a lot of Mont staff members, if they don’t wanna leave Mont and they don’t have to go back home after the summer, they can either apply to work season on this, the off season, which is a smaller number of staff, or a lot of them go live in Red River or Angel Fire for the fall and winter, and they teach ski lessons or they work at the ski resorts. And so we became really we really fall in love with Red River, specifically my kind of group of friends. And so just that whole area is just gorgeous, you know, driving down into the mount, into the valley there. And I will say one more place is the, in it’s called Enchantment Cross-Country Ski Resort, right there outside of red, uh, red River. And they suffered, um, a lot of damage in the, in the recent windstorm, I believe was about a year ago. But if you’re into cross-country skiing or snowshoeing, they, it’s a beautiful place to, to do that type of winter stuff, uh, in New Mexico. But gosh, that whole area is just, yeah, if you don’t know it’s there and you stumble upon it, you’re going to, you’re gonna be excited.
Bunny: (31:01)
Oh, it’s breathtaking. And, and I think the cool, the cool thing about talking about it is, you know, my dream is always that, that there’s somebody who’s sitting in a, you know, maybe in Ohio or New Jersey or you know, Indiana, and they’re listening to us and they’re like, I thought New Mexico was a desert. I mean, isn’t that where they have the Saguaros? I’m not, and I’m not attacking anybody for being uneducated. I just know that I go to conferences or I go to these advocacy groups and people will say things like, I’ll say, I live in Santa Fe, I’m from Eastern New Mexico. And they’ll say, what do, what do you, and, and I’ll say something about skiing and they’ll be like, you guys don’t have snow in New Mexico. And I just think these kinds of conversations I hope are illuminating to people who don’t feel like, um, this is a place they wanna visit because holy mackerel, it’s the coolest place in the world to visit.
Caitlin: (31:56)
Yeah, I agree. I I think it’s, it’s almost like a secret. Like I wanna share it with people, but I also don’t want too many people to know know. But when I first was telling, when I first told my friends, you know, I was gonna work in New Mexico for the summer, for whatever reason, they, they don’t hear the new part. And they’d be like, cool, you’re going to Mexico for the summer. And I like, no, no, no, New Mexico. It’s a state in the u in the US . So it is, it’s kind of it’s a, a bit of a mysterious place and I think, uh, that’s why it’s so attractive and, and kind of just gets into your blood.
Bunny: (32:36)
It’s I think the word that just came to me was like, it’s illuminating. It’s sort of, so I’m married to a guy who grew up first in Cimarron. I mean, he, when he was nine years old, his family, his dad was a game warden and they moved from Cimarron to Santa Fe so his dad could work kind of out of the Central Bureau. And, and he had all of that northeastern section, north and east kind of to I 25. So Cimarron was still part of his, um, part of his patrol. But he still says, I mean, this is somebody who’s lived in New Mexico for decades, a lot of decades. And he still says in the afternoon, look at the light. I mean, look at, look at where we live. I mean, that’s, to me, that’s really indicative of how, how different this is than other places. It’s so beautiful and it’s so, it does get in your soul and it’s so eliminating and that’s, that’s why I love it. That’s why I love to talk about it.
Caitlin: (33:37)
Well, I agree, and I’m trying, I’ve been trying for many years to get out there and put some roots down and, and live in New Mexico. Um, I think the door will open at some point, but it’s, it is one of those places where, you know, maybe if you grow up on the coast, you get used to seeing the ocean and it’s just kind of there. Maybe not, I mean, I’m assuming here, but New Mexico’s landscape is so kind of like ever-changing and um, it just touches you in a different way that like, I never remember taking it for granted or I never remember getting sick of it. It was always different in some way and impacting me in some new way.
Bunny: (34:19)
So Caitlin, I want for people to find your podcast. So we’re gonna put links up. We’re also gonna, we’ll also do links of the ones that you spoke of specifically. We’re gonna put up links to Philmont and to the Village of Cimarron. I mean I assume they have a website and, and Red River and, um, the Enchanted Forest Cross Country Group. I’m so excited to, to continue to listen to your podcast and see what’s going on. Is there, um, I’m, I’m curious, is there ever a physical reunion of all the people that work there? I mean, I know you’re on the employee board, whatever that’s called.
Caitlin: (34:59)
Sure. Great, great question. Actually, this summer, um, at Philmont Scott Ranch is the 50th anniversary of the Philmont Staff Association. Uh, the Philmont Staff Association is its own nonprofit organization based out of philmont. And they work, um, full-time and professionally to keep staff alumni connected. So there is a huge party going down at Philmont this July. Um, I believe it’s the second through the eighth. Um, and it also coincides with the 100th anniversary of the Maverick Rodeo, which is a very cool rodeo in Cimarron. Um, and you should definitely go out there for that. If you, if you’ve never been to a rodeo or just if you want to be in Cimarron, it’ll be a big party there. So that’s happening this July and, um, you really shouldn’t miss it. Uh, , it’s gonna be a lot of fun. The rodeo’s open to the public and like I said, y the pub base camp is open to the public as well. Anytime. So there’s gonna be live music happening. Uh, rod Taylor and the Rifs, he’s Rod Taylor’s a cowboy. That’s,
Bunny: (36:06)
Oh, those guys are great.
Caitlin: (36:08)
Yes. Yeah. Rod Taylor
Bunny: (36:10)
Worked podcast .
Caitlin: (36:12)
Yes. Rod Taylor worked at Philmont full-time as a cowboy for many summers and recently retired. And so he’ll be playing live out there with his group and um, definitely check it out early July as Cimarron is the spot place to be.
Bunny: (36:25)
Well, maybe we can meet there and go up to Cold beer and spend an afternoon in the, on the back patio. Um, I will
Caitlin: (36:33)
Love that. I’ll be there. It
Bunny: (36:35)
Would be so great. In fact, we’ll include a link to cold beer New Mexico, but um, this has been so much fun. I can’t wait to visit with you again. Let’s
Caitlin: (36:45)
Do it sometime. Thank you. I can’t wait. Thank you so much Bunny.