Petroglyphs and Sandia Peak

Tuesday July 12, 2016

It is unusually hot here in Albuquerque so we got up early Tuesday morning to beat the heat.  We drove to Boca Negra Canyon for a short hike and to look at the petroglyphs.  The trail up the volcanic escarpment was not too bad however we really had to watch our balance as the path zig-zagged through the volcanic rocks and pumice stones.  It is remarkable how many petroglyphs there are in this small area.  Some were very intricate and others plain and simple.  June Yvonne said some of them looked like ancient emoji’s.

There are approximately 24,000 images “pecked” in stone throughout the 17 miles of escarpment that runs through the 7,286 acre Petroglyphs National Monument.  We did not see or count all of them so we will take their word for it.  Many are recognizable as animals, people, crosses and many unrecognizable with the purpose and meaning known only by the people who created them.  Many were carved for religious reasons, to leave a messages, some sort art endeavor and I’m sure some are 700 year old graffiti.  Many of the petroglyphs on the trail had little placards mounted on posts to help explain the meaning of the images.  We came across one placard with a photograph of a rattlesnake along with a warning to stay away from them.  We did not see (or hear) any rattlesnakes.

Knowing there was no wi-fi in the RV we stopped at the library to get the blog caught up and to answer email etc.  My laptop worked just fine but the laptop June Yvonne is using is over 10 years old and for whatever reason she could not get a wi-fi connection so she read a magazine.  PRC

Wednesday July 13, 2016

We woke up early on Wednesday to take a 3 mile hike into Rinconada Canyon along the base of the escarpment to get some exercise and to see more petroglyphs.  The escarpment is comprised of huge metamorphic rocks and fractured basalt boulders deposited by the numerous volcanos in the area.  The floor of the valley we were hiking was a mixture of sand and a fine powder with drought resistant vegetation.  Without exaggerating we must have seen over a hundred jack rabbits.

Drove back to RV so June Yvonne could finish packing for her RC workshop over the weekend.  She also met with several local RC people Wednesday evening for a pre- workshop get together.  PRC

Thursday July 14, 2016

June Yvonne double checked her bag to make sure she had everything for the weekend as she would be staying at the workshop location in Albuquerque until Sunday night.  Some of the RC people got together for lunch at a Mexican Restaurant close to one of the organizers residence.  I dropped June Yvonne’s and another person’s luggage off at the workshop location and headed back to the RV around 1:00 pm.  The rest of my day was getting caught up on RV chores.  PRC

Friday July 15, 2016

This was my day.  I got up early, made a sandwich and packed some fruit and water in my backpack.  I planned to spend the whole day on the peak of the Sandia Mountains.   I stopped briefly at home depot to pick up some hardware for a little repair I needed to make and then headed for the Tram. 

I boarded the tram about 9:30 am and ate lunch on the terrace of the High Finance Restaurant at the top of the tramway.  To get out of the sun I went into the restaurant and sat at a table next to the window overlooking the valley – spectacular view.  There were very few people eating so the waiter let me keep the table even though it was a premium spot.

I ordered a tall glass of cold beer and told the waiter (Edmund) I just wanted some quiet time to read my book and drink some cold beer.  Turns out we talked quite for a while about our adventures.  Very interesting person.  I stayed at the table reading and drinking for about 3 hours then more people started coming in for lunch and my agreement with Edmund was that I would forfeit the table when he needed to seat lunch customers.  I paid my bill and decided to go for a hike.

When June Yvonne and I were up earlier in the week I noticed a stone cabin on Sandia Peak (10,584 ft.) and that’s where I decided to go.  It was an easy hour hike and from that vantage point could look down on the restaurant and watch the gondolas coming and going.

I found a nice cozy spot in the rocks around the cabin and settled in for the afternoon.  I had some fruit and water with me so I was set.  Several groups of people visited the cabin and I became the official group photographer.

The shadows started getting longer and it was time to head back to the restaurant.  I sat at the bar with another beer and waited for sunset.  I wanted to see the sunset and the city lights of Albuquerque at night.  It was beautiful.  At 8:45 pm I caught the second to last tram down to the parking lot at the bottom.  It was a great day.  PRC

Saturday July 16, 2016

Another day around the RV.  Met some very nice people at breakfast and needed to get the blog caught up.  There is virtually no wi-fi in our trailer so the people at the “gathering place” (registration & reception) said there was wi-fi in the breakfast room.  I went over there to get set up and nothing – no wi-fi there either – very frustrating.  I packed all my stuff and drove to the library, signed up a library card and reserved a room for a couple of hours.  Now I’m back at the RV, ate dinner and going to bed to read for a while.  At home we would easily spend the evening watching television and I am amazed that now that we have our television reception problem resolved we very seldom watch it.

I’ve been trying to take a picture of the hummingbird that is frequenting our feeder.  At Angel Fire the little guy was in and out before I had a chance to react.  The hummingbird we have now is a far more frequent visitor and stays much long to feed.   PRC

Sunday July 17, 2016

I will be picking up June Yvonne this afternoon so I am busy doing laundry, cleaning the RV and getting the blog out.  With no wi-fi at the RV Park and the library closed until 1:00 this afternoon I am in a McDonald’s drinking a senior’s coffee for $ .60 and it’s refillable for free.  That’s it for today.  PRC