THE WALK 2

As the sun continued setting Adam and I walked up the road from the creek.
The main road that goes through the village was just ahead of us a few feet.
Usually, from where we had just walked, we would have encountered other pilgrims.
But not yet. That would change soon.

It is Thursday afternoon. Good Friday Eve. The big crowds start at dawn on Friday.
We walked with the early birds. We got on the main road and made a mental note to be aware
of the cars coming and going. The walk is safe if you follow basic precautions. Bright colored clothes.
A flashlight. And stay to the right of the road. Or the left depending on how you were traveling.
Sometimes this means walking off the paved shoulder of the road into a runoff ditch. Not bad but uneven
and its tiring to the feet and you could sprain an ankle.  We were warming up now and tried to set a pace.
We began to see other walkers ahead of us. And we heard voices trailing behind.

I wore long pants and a t shirt, I carried a cane which came in handy hours later,
and a coat slung over my shoulder. Adam wore long pants and a sweat shirt.
The cool air was invigorating. Not cold enough yet for the coat.
But with each moment of failing sunlight the temperature around us seemed to drop a few degrees.

Now we both had the same idea. We looked across the road to one of the first rest stops offered to walkers. A church on the north side of the road. Some of its members sitting at long tables out front of the church. They freely gave coffee, hot chocolate, water, snacks. Very kind of them. Our sights were on their blue port o potties. After we visited these and began to head back to the road they called out to us and we waved back thanking them for their hospitality.

Now we began to pace again. We walked past several houses done in various New Mexico styles. Rancho, territorial, pueblo. whatever. Each in various stages of good or bad. Some looking much older than the others. Farm like these homes could have gardens or horses, even goats or sheep, we could see from the road. But as in years past the real surprise was still the peacocks. We heard them before we saw them. The high pitched squeal of their call. At first it sounds like a child crying out or maybe a cat being throttled. Its unsettling until you realize what you're hearing.
Weird.

Soon we saw them strutting through their yard. There coronas of feathers were down dragging through the cottonwood leaves.  There were six that I counted. As we looked down on them from the road they seemed to follow us keeping our pace as they walked in the confines of their big yard. Elsewhere in the town we heard a rooster crowing away the day. But he could not out crow the peacocks. Finally he seemed to give up.

The road began to rise now. And an illusion of this land is that it is flat. But if your eyes don't tell you about a change in walk elevation your legs do. A slight strain is noticed in our thighs of calves. Ahead a hairpin turn north as we finally reach the outskirts of the village.

It was getting dark now and we could see candles burning at another hospitality stand along the route up at the turn. As we reached it women's voices called out to us "Coffee, tea, hot chocolate. Come on and get some. We have fresh zucchini bread too!" It was all offered free and although we did not stop, as we walked by we thanked them for being there and for their kindness. These offerings by strangers always touch Adam and I. They don't know us.  But they share whatever it is we are trying to do.

Now we headed due north. The Santuario still miles away. The moon was full but shrouded by storybook clouds. Its luminescence shined through the edges of the slow moving clouds. A slight breeze began. Cool but refreshing. The sun was still fighting to stay above the western horizon wanting to outshine the moon but it was losing the contest quickly.

A dark blue sameness like a fog of approaching night seemed to settle on the land. It welcomed us as we walked. Enfolding us in its blessed blue black poetry.

NEXT: STEP BY STEP