I have been meaning to write this post about a fantastic BootMeeting in New Mexico, in a town rich in history I have always had a strong fascination for and wanted to visit, Santa Fe. At last, it is done!

I decided to treat 6 BootCampers to a 3 day long week-end for they have been spreading the word about LeBootCamp around them with such enthusiam. My way to thank them and spend a lovely time with passionate BootCampers, answer their questions, test new recipes, go on great hikes and discover the wonderful history of the region we were visiting. New Mexico, with its red earth, impressive petroglyphs (Indian rock engravings) and great spaces the camera lense simply cannot capture!

Thanks to a very (very) generous sponsor we travelled in style: limo and… private jet! Just like in the movies! A very big thank you, wow! What a treat!

Right from take off the meals are LebootCamp: savoury breakfast for some (like me): rock lobster (as if we weren’t spoilt enough already, but we are told we can “have anything that is on the menu”!), tropical fruit, lemon juice and sobacha and for those with more classical tastes: gluten free granola, soya milk, green tea and fresh fruit. We fly over magnificient sites: Grand Canyon, Vegas, Yosemite park… the weekend ahead looks promising. Coachie is riding along of course!

We take advantage of the flight for some 1000 butt squeezes, just to get ahead, even if turbulence make us contract our muscles despite ourselves, all the same, we are gettign a work out!

Once we have settled into the traditional house we are going to share for the next few days (yes, I know, it is a bit Big Brother-ish) we head straight for an amble around Santa Fe itself, 10,000 steps, a few wall push ups later we do our yoga session in the desert to restore and work on our energy points.

The town is just like I imagined it would be, just like in the movies: very traditional with colors to inspire any artist!

We are served local food for dinner (very Mexican), spend the evening chatting about everything and nothing and then retire in the peace and quiet of the silent desert.

We rise at dawn, well, the brave did, for a morning yoga session (a ritual I cannot do without), followed by a 6 hour hike to find the natural hot springs San Antonio.

We feast on a LeBootCamp picnic: whole grain pasta, smoked salmon, vegetable salad, roast ham, chicken, plenty of fruit and fresh almonds, yum!

We bob around in very hot water, I shouldn’t complain too much, but after a long hike in the heat forgive me if I’d prefer a cold water spring 😉 – but, hurray! We cross a little river where cool and  clear water flows! We refresh and even do push ups in it!

Result: a fantastic hike, over 2000 calories burnt, all in great fun, good humour and no pain, just the way we like it at LebootCamp!

Dinner was awful! Oulala as we say here, just goes to show one can’t always trust the Yelp “reviews”. We go home hungry as a result and find ourselves dieting despite us!

The last day begins very early. For a reason we can’t quite explain to ourselves (but you will find out at the end of this post why), no one sleeps much in this house and we are all bursting with energy! We take advantage of this with a pre-dawn yoga session (at 5 am!) before setting off for a part of the desert renowned for its petroglyphs.

We enjoy a 3 hour hike whilst feasting our eyes. Bea is our LeBootCamp winner winning taking home the prized Coachie teddy 🙂

On the way back, we go through an Indian reservation. I detest the concept. I refuse to go and see the Native Americans live this way diminished, parked like in a zoo. But, as we are crossing their reservation, big signs made by the inhabitants invite us to come and visit so they can tell us about their past and their hopes for better tomorrows. So we stop. It is Sunday and almost everyone is at church.

We discover that an exceptionally high number of young Indians suffer from obesity and the elders would like to reinstate traditional techniques of agriculture to re-educate their youth about eating well. I sense some budding BootCampers! A wonderful initiative I am now “connected” to as I am staying in touch with the Indian lady heading the program and hope to contribute as best I can at my humble level.

We enjoy a last picnic among the cactuses before jetting back. On board, we are served a similar meal as on the way out and are chauffeured home in the same limo. This was a weekend like no other I have ever had, sprinkling a little bit more fairy dust onto LeBootCamp

Would I do it again? Of course! BootCampers are really cool!!!!!!

PS: why were our night so short and our energy so high? According to locals we were in a vortex, what native Americans consider a sacred place, where happiness and plenty of energy are found 🙂