A Birthday Like No Other

A birthday welcome by a host of hummingbirds.

I’m a July baby. Astrologically, I’m a Cancer. And my beloved CN is a mistress of surprises, especially when it comes to planning birthdays.

She told me to prepare for two nights away from home. No, don’t bring a suitcase. Put anything you want to bring in a backpack. Why? Never mind why. She turned and started packing food, prepping for beef with bordelaise sauce. 

On the first day of my two-day birthday celebration, we set off for Santa Fe. Privately, I’d speculated on where she was going to take me—probably a remote cabin in the mountains to the northeast of the city, I thought. 

No. Driving north, we suddenly veer off to the west. What? Where? Farmington, in the far northwest of the state. Chaco Canyon? She shakes her head. 

Soon we’re driving a two-lane road, Highway 96, past Georgia O’Keeffe’s famous Pedernal mountain, past tiny villages and a lovely meandering lake, past ranches with fierce dogs that love their job. It is New Mexico at its non-touristy best. What colors the mesas and mountains have! The drive itself is a birthday gift. 

In Farmington, we meet mystery woman in a parking lot. We follow her truck on up-and-down dirt roads and around corners. How will we ever find our way back? Then, we’re there. Where? At an amazing cave carved into a high cliff across a valley from a beautiful mesa.

It felt harrowing to me to approach the steep cliffs

What? Yes, it’s an AirBnB. It’s famous. It’s been featured in National Geographic. It’s Kokopelli’s Cave. Full kitchen, living room, bedroom, tiny balcony, bath, wifi, books, TV, all you need. We are our own porters and cooks, bringing in our supplies. If you hang on tight to the railings, descending to and ascending from the cave, even an acrophobe like me can make it. 

Notice the pipe handrails, as CN waves from the entrance.

This is the spacious bedroom; kids can sleep on the floor.

This circular area becomes a space for meditation and reflection.

Dear reader, you can look up Kokopelli’s Cave online. It’s booked months ahead, but somehow Providence reserved it for us for my birthday weekend. I was filled with gratitude. 

We spent two days and nights there with no interest in being anywhere else. The serenity, the quiet, the confident wildlife (squirrels, chipmunks, hummingbirds), the vast landscape view, the cool of the rocks, the signs of joy and love left by former occupants. What a treasure-place.