Author: 1952june

Tuesday, July 19, 2016

This is our last week in Albuquerque. We have become very familiar with the layout of the town due to sightseeing and visiting with friends.

Today we visited The National Museum of Nuclear Science and History. The museum was very informative, providing a history of the atomic bombs – “Fat Man” and “Little Boy”, Hiroshima, Nagasaki and the Cold War. It was a fascinating and a sad reminder of the tragedy of hate and war for this peace-loving baby boomer. The exhibit on Route 66 was a more benign history of Americana on the road. Do you know where it begins and ends?

Afterwards we had lunch at COSTCO, the same or similar in Albuquerque as in most warehouses in the world. A hot dog for Peter of course and chef salad for me.
Then, we did another activity I enjoy anywhere in the world – a good old fashioned used book store. This one had both new and used books. Peter hoped to read more books on this road trip and he has. In fact we are hopefully returning to the same book store tomorrow to replenish our reading material.

One of the pluses of this kind of travel are the interesting people we meet. What started off as a friendly chat with a neighbor and his son turned into a lively conversation discussing all the “isms” – racism, sexism, ageism, etc, etc. Too bad they are leaving tomorrow as we really enjoyed their company, including the bright precocious 11 year old son. We were able to meet the lovely wife the next morning as they were leaving. Perhaps we will see them again as they don’t live too far away – San Bernardino, CA.   JY

Today we decided to go to the National Museum of Nuclear Science and History.  It is in the SE area of Albuquerque so away we went.  It looks much larger on the inside than it does on the outside.  The museum was laid out so as you progressed through each section you follow the development of “the bomb” all the way from the Manhattan Project to the Cold War to Nuclear Medicine to Nuclear Energy.  Outside there the B-29 that dropped the bomb on Nagasaki with the insignia the “Bock’s Car”.  This was also the type of plane that dropped the bomb on Hiroshima.  At each exhibit there were screens that played real footage pertinent to that exhibit.

There was also a B-52 bomber that is being restored and painted   I did not realize that the B-52 had landing gear at the wing tips in addition to the main landing gear under the fuselage.  I asked the guy’s who were working on it and they said that the wings were so long that the extra landing gear was needed so the wing tips did not touch the ground.  The museum was very interesting however when I went to buy a souvenir they were all out of plutonium samples.

They did have rocks that were collected after the test detonations in New Mexico but they were very very expensive.    PRC

 

 

 

 

Wednesday July 20, 2016

We decided to go back to Santa Fe today to catch some of the sights we missed when we were there a few weeks ago. This included the Floating Staircase at Loretto Chapel and going through the galleries and shops along Canyon Road. We had lunch at the Cocina Griego, the same place that hosted Shabbat dinner for the Sephardic Festival. Frito Pie seems to be a very popular dish here in New Mexico.

We stayed in a hotel to rest up for the next day – a hike in Kaha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument.  JY

snopes.com tries to dis-spell the myth of the floating staircase  – art in Santa Fe is ridiculously expensive. PRC

Thursday July 21, 2016

In the “old days” this hike would have been no big deal. I’m not in as good as shape as I have been for a while so it was more of a challenge. Add to that, we got started too late. Albuquerque/Santa Fe is having a bit of a heat wave. It was a dangerous combination for me – elevation and heat. However, I monitored myself and survived.

The hike was well worth it. “Kasha-Katuwe” means “white cliffs” in the traditional language of this pueblo. The “Tent Rocks” were the most unique feature though.  There is a geologic explanation for this phenomenon that Peter can explain. Included are some cool pics of the tent rocks, slot canyon and view from the top.

It was the perfect ending to an already wonderful day.  We had dinner with Roberta, who lived with me for a few months several years ago. I was there the day her daughter was born.  Dinner was at the “Standard Diner” which was featured on Guy Fieri’s “Diners, Drive-ins and Dives” on the Food Network Channel. The meatloaf and sautéed brussel sprouts were perfect and a nice change from all the chili I have had the past month. More important than the food and spending time with Roberta topped of a happy reunion.  JY

 

The drive from Santa Fe to Tent Rocks National Monument took about an hour.  It is out in the middle of nowhere on an Indian Reservation.  We realized we got there later that we had planned as it was starting to get hot.  We decided to do the slot canyon trail verses the cave loop trail.  The slot canyon is a one way hike of 1.5 miles and then back the same way.

Going through the slot canyon was really cool.  In places it was only 4 feet wide.  Once out of the canyon we started the steep climb to the top of the plateau from there you got an amazing view of the tent rock formations.  Towards the end of the trail it got very steep and I was impressed how well June Yvonne did.  She is getting her endurance and stamina back although we are not quite ready for Mt. Everest yet.  Maybe next year.

We were hiking this trail on a Thursday morning at 10:30 am and I thought due to the remote area of the monument that we would be the only ones there.  Wrong!!  When we got there the parking lot was almost full – about 25 cars.  Throughout the hike there was a constant stream of people, young and old, hiking the slot canyon trail.  Some were prepared for the hike and others were not.  There were girls in teeny tiny shorts and halter tops wearing flip flops and carrying little to no water.

The description of the hike would lead you to believe that it was going to be a walk in the park however that was a mistake.  This is an unusually hot summer here in New Mexico and the sun was merciless once you got out of the shade in the slot canyon and had to climb the steep slope to the top of the plateau.  No fatalities or accidents but we ran into several groups that turned back because of the heat.

The tent looking formations are the product of many volcanic eruptions millions of years ago. Throughout the hike we could see hundreds, if not thousands of layers of pumice ash with small to huge boulders embedded in the matrix.  The black boulders or volcanic tuffs form the hardened caprocks.  The caprocks protect the underling pumice and subsequent erosion wears away the soft pumice forming the tent like structures.   PRC

Friday July 22, 2016

Today we are in preparation mode – getting ready for our departure from the “Land of Enchantment.” Peter made homemade hash browns for breakfast which were delicious. We skipped the complimentary continental breakfast as I have gained a few pounds in the last couple of weeks. It’s hard to resist the carb-laden fare. Add to that all the chili – on enchiladas, sopapillas, frito pie, etc.

I’ll kinda miss this RV Park – it’s definitely a park, not an RV resort. Nothing fancy, but with some amenities such as a pool, complimentary continental breakfast and friendly staff. The downside has been the spotty or more accurately non-existent WIFI.

We’re off to the bookstore this afternoon for more books. Hope to get a good night’s sleep as we will be leaving first thing in the morning to Durango, Colorado. We have heard really good reports from several folks about our next RV Park, Bayfield – outside of Durango. Next blog will be from the state of Colorado.  JY

I will also miss this park but not very much.  There were two problems with this park – 1) there was no shade where our RV was parked and 2) there was no wi-fi and that requires us to travel to someplace else to get service.  Albuquerque was a nice place to visit and we did some cool things while we were here.  I remember when I was a kid in Canada watching the “Bugs Bunny Show” and hearing his famous line, “I think I should have made a left turn in Albuquerque”.  Never thought I’d be here.  Well as my co-pilot said we are heading north to Durango in the morning.   PS – we are realizing that we are at a distinct social disadvantage in these RV Parks without a dog.   PRC

Monday  July 18, 2016

It’s good to be back to our “casita.” As usual, the RC workshop was very worthwhile. I got to reconnect with people I had seen at the Separdic Festival and other times. This included Hershel who organized  the Sephardi Festival and Lucia who was my roommate in Santa Fe. And of course other RC’ers who I have known for many years; and others who were new to me.

After the workshop I got to hang out with a couple of young adults and we had a blast talking and teasing. I was  introduced to a series on Netflix called “Master of None” which is about a group of young adults living in NYC. I think it should be called “Master of Nann” which you will understand if you check it out. Maya – have you seen it? I probably won’t see it again as I enjoyed watching it with the intelligent young adults I was with – it wouldn’t be the same by myself. . I did see a slice of life that I don’t usually see. And I got to feel more “hip” than usual. I’ll stick with “Grace and Frankie” that I find hilarious and more suited to my generation.

I do want to say a few words about the hikes we did in the Petroglyph National Monument. I have done many hikes in AZ. The desert here is very different and of course at a higher elevation. It seems mostly scrub, with none of Jessie’s beloved saguaros. I recognized brittle bush, but that’s about all. But as in all desert landscapes it has it’s own beauty. I have not hiked much lately due to recovering from bunion surgery and other health issues. It was SO good to be back in the desert hiking. There is something so seemingly necessary to me in feeling literally connected to the earth and feeling grounded. In this case walking in the steps of the ancestors on sacred ground…And I even enjoyed feeling dusty and dirty and sweaty again. Ok, enough of my musings on hiking. Thanks for indulging me.

So, before we leave Albuquerque on Saturday we plan to do another hike and go back to Santa Fe and catch some of the sights we missed when there 3 weeks ago including the floating staircase at Loretta Chapel.

We are again spending a couple of hours  at one of Albuquerque’s  public libraries catching up with the blog. This isn’t so bad since we are surrounded by books…   JY

 

 

 

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

 

Thursday July 7, 2016

After hiking to the top of Mt. Wheeler yesterday I slept in a little bit.  We had decided to do the Enchanted Circle.  This is an 83 mile loop around Wheeler Peak with several little towns.  We started out by going to Taos and checking out the tourist stores in Old Town which surprisingly did not open until 10:00 am and many did not open until 11:00 am.  We had coffee at a cafe and headed off about 10:30.

Our first stop at the “Rio Grande Gorge Bridge”.  It is the 7^th highest bridge in the US and the 82^nd highest bridge in the world.  It spans 1,280 ft. across the gorge and is 565 ft. above the Rio Grande.  This bridge is a mecca for suicide jumpers with an average of 15 suicides per year.  Apparently jumpers will drive from other states to end it all as the desired results are 100% guaranteed even if you manage to hit the water.  The west side of the bridge is a favorite place for roadside vendors selling everything from Indian jewelry to native flutes and drums.  June Yvonne picked out some pretty earrings.

From there we drove north to the small town of Questa.  We had planned to drive to the confluence of the Red River and Rio Grande however it was a one and half hour drive we did not feel like making.  We did stop at the Tourist Office and June Yvonne had a nice long chat with a woman about the large population of crypto-Jews who settled in that area.  I must admit the history of crypto-Jews has become very interesting to me.

We headed back to Angel Fire completing the Enchanted Circle.  PRC

As Peter indicated, we completed the Enchanted Circle today.  First café and a little shopping in Taos. Then off to the Gorge…and a little more shopping.  People set up jewelry and craft stands everywhere…

We went through Questa, the town where Roberta is from. We stopped at the tourist office and received interesting summary of the crypto-Jewish influence in the town.

Or last stop before heading back to Angel Fire was Cimarron. The name sounds so western, however not much is there nowadays. We had lunch at the St. James Hotel which was charming, except for maybe the multitude of animal skins and heads on the walls. The food was excellent though.  I had a stuffed sopapilla. Their salsa was as good as mine, but more picante. Consequently we bought some and took at home.   JY

Friday, July 8

Friday we began preparations to leave our Shangra La in the mountains of northern New Mexico.  That night we had a short visit with Ken and his wife June. Hopefully we will see them again in the future.  JY

Our stay at Angel Fire was coming to an end.  Friday was a prep day for our trip to Albuquerque on Saturday.  We filled up with gas and visited with friends we met at the resort.  PRC

Saturday July 9. 2016

We got an early start on our trip to Albuquerque where we set up camp at the American RV Park.  We were sad to leave Angel Fire and could have stayed there all summer.  The temperature in Angel Fire was in the 70’s compared to 100⁰ in Albuquerque.  American RV has other amenities however which help offset the sting of the heat (nah).  Complimentary continental breakfast every morning, cheaper laundromat, pool and a small store for very basic supplies.  Another benefit was Camping World is right across the freeway, La Mesa RV, is right next door and Love’s Gas Station is a mile down the frontage road.  The downside is that Wi-Fi is very very limited – actually it doesn’t work so updating the blog and sending emails is very frustrating.  PRC

We managed to get an early start leaving Angel Fire because of all the prep work the day before. We could feel the coolness dissipating as we descended the mountain. We are back in the city – a hot city. As you know, once you become a home owner you spend a lot of time and money at Home Depot. Well – once you become an RV owner, you spend a lot of time and money at Camping World.

Once we settled into our new digs, Peter’s disappointment showed. Admittedly everything is different here.  After a little attitude adjustment, the rest of the day went better. I recalled my goal to have the attitude of the peregrine (pilgrim) – that of a positive expectancy. It’s all an adventure.

I will be going to an RC workshop and get to reconnect with people I haven’t seen for a while. Some of the people we met in Santa Fe are coming down to Albuquerque to meet us for lunch.

Life is good.  JY

Sunday July 10, 2016

We decided to suck it up and get out and do things despite the heat.  After breakfast at the RV Park our first adventure was the Sandia Peak Aerial Tram which is the longest tramway in the world.  The span is 2.7 miles and at a speed of 20 feet per second takes about 15 minutes to travel from the base to the peak, an elevation gain of 3,819 feet.  The views from the top were awesome and we hiked a nature trail eating lunch at the restaurant at the top.  On the opposite side of the mountain is a ski resort.  We checked into taking a round trip ride on the chairlift to the bottom of the ski resort but didn’t have the time.  The round trip takes one hour.  On the way home from the tram we picked up groceries and had BBQ ribs for dinner.  A lot of people coming and going from the RV Park.  PRC

We checked out the continental breakfast which was ok. It was a good opportunity for socializing though. We met a couple (the husband was Canadian) who told us about “Yankee RV Tours” which we will research.

The Sandia Peak Aerial Tram was a kick. I have been in Albuquerque many times for RC workshops, but haven’t done much tourist stuff.  At the top we had lunch at the High Finance Restaurant which was not as expensive as the name might imply. We met a lovely young couple from Texas just beginning their travel adventures.

I haven’t hiked since our trip began as I’m a little nervous of passing out.  As you may know this has happened before in lower elevation than New Mexico.  I decided to give it a chance and we walked the nature trail at the top of the Sandia Mountains. (By the way Sandia means watermelon). I survived the little hike and plan to do a little more hiking at a lower elevation.  JY

Monday, July 11, 2016

We planned on leaving early this morning and hiking in Petroglyph National Monument. However I didn’t sleep well so my dear husband let me sleep in. We did go to the monument, saw a film and checked out the trail head where we will start first thing in the morning. I should know better, having done many 5:30 am hikes… Tomorrow, we will try again.

In Angel Fire there were many gophers. Here at the American RV Park there are just as many bunny rabbits.  JY

After we abandoned our planned excursion to the Petroglyphs we decided to use the rest of the day to stroll through Old Town Albuquerque.  Many of the stores are tourist traps but the majority are jewelry and art.  We walked into one really nice jewelry store and June Yvonne started walking around lost – the salesperson asked her if she could help her find something and June Yvonne asked, “where are the shopping carts?”.  We saw some really nice jewelry and art work and we were particularly captivated by a photography we saw in one studio.  We have the name and address and might order it when we get home.   Maybe!

Made a brief stop to pick up some fruits and vegetables.  I’ve been having problems with our TV and need some assistance.  We purchased our RV at La Mesa RV and right across the freeway next to Camping World is a La Mesa RV dealership.  We stopped in there and one of the techs suggested a couple of things I could try and one of them worked so we are back in the TV business.  PRC   

Wednesday, July 5

The day started pleasantly with going out to breakfast with Pam and Jim. It was nice to linger over coffee and visit with our new friends.

Peter made arrangements to hike with a guy here at the RV Resort. They are about the same age.  One of the things I appreciate about Peter is that he doesn’t go off and do things half cocked. And as you know he has done plenty of difficult long hikes the Grand Canyon, rim to rim. So we went to the outdoor store in town to get supplies such as power gels, protein bars, maps, electrolytes and a spray can of oxygen with a mask on it. They are doing Mt. Wheeler, a 12,000 summit. And we went to the grocery store for hiking food – bananas and grapefruit.

I changed the dinner menu so Peter could “carb-load” and made pasta.

We took pics of Pam and Jim as they were leaving the next day. Later, two couples came by our trailer to visit. This was Ken (Peter’s hiking partner) and his wife June. They are from OK. Both work part time at the RV Resort for the summer. We met another couple, Margaret and Dennis. They are pretty much full-time RVers.  Margaret said she was Sephardic so we had quite a lively discussion. Her family is from a small town in Northern New Mexico, where a lot of crypto-Jews settled.  Her husband if from the Midwest. He recognized Ken and June’s Oklahoma accents right away. Up here in northern NM, there seen to be a lot of folks from Texas and Oklahoma. I’m starting to be able to tell the difference between TX and OK accents. Who knew…?

We tried to go to bed early as the guys were leaving on their hike at 5 am.   JY

I was talking with Ken, one of the resort employees, who  said he was disappointed the couple he had planned to climb Mt. Wheeler with had decided to go on a day he was working.  He was really looking forward to going and now he didn’t have anyone to go with – I immediately seized the moment and said “you do now – when do we leave.”  Ken was off the next day so we planned to get started early – 5:00 am early.

There are three routes to the summit and he thought we should do the Red River route as someone told him it was a 6 hour round trip.  Not so.  Ken found out that evening it took those folks almost 12 hours to complete the round trip and said they had nothing but four letter words to say about it.

As June Yvonne said I wanted to be prepared and not surprised.  Together we went into town and purchased supplies, a map and asked around until I found two separate guys who had hiked the summit.  I unfolded my topographic map and discussed each of the two remaining routes with them and decided we should hike the “Bull of the Woods” trail – an 8 mile trek with 3,785 ft. gain in elevation.

Fortunately I had packed all my hiking equipment for our summer trip so I was fully prepared for the adventure.  I took our blood pressure cuff, pulse oximeter and a large can of oxygen I purchased at the local sporting goods store.  The O₂ can was the size of a large Lysol spray can with 150 puffs of oxygen.  I’d never seen one of these before and it weighed almost nothing.

June Yvonne cooked a meal of pasta to help me load up on carbohydrates for the next day and made sure I drank lots of electrolytes to saturate my system.   After meeting with Ken to discuss the details, she made sure I set the alarm for 4:00 am and then put me to bed early.  She was enormously supportive in helping me prepare.  On all my crazy adventures June Yvonne has always concerned about my health and safety and keeps me conscious of both while I tend to get caught up on the adventure part.   PRC

Thursday, July 6, 2016

Peter set the alarm for 4 am. I helped him get ready for the 5 am departure. The ride to the trail head was 1.5 hours. Peter is a very experienced, hardcore hiker, but I was concerned anyway especially because of the elevation.

I tried to go back to sleep, but didn’t have much luck. Since it was so cold when I woke up I had soup for breakfast. I did a little laundry and worked on the computer. Peter called about noon and said they reached the summit so I was relieved. I figured they wouldn’t get back before 5 pm which they did.

I had a nice chat with Jae this afternoon and Joan T. It’s good to stay in touch with people from home since we are away from home for so long. So, whether it’s a response to a post on the blog, an e-mail, text or phone call, it is very much appreciated. Let us know how and what you are doing.

We ended the day with a shower and a soak in the Jacuzzi for Peter’s tired muscles.   JY

Up at 4:00 am.  June Yvonne warmed up the remaining pasta while I got dressed and packed my gear.  Ken showed up at 5:00 and we headed to the trail head at 5:15.  We started our hike shortly before 7:00 and we appeared to be the only ones on the trail.  It was beautiful at the start of hike through the forest of aspen and conifers.  The meadows where speckled with blue, yellow and red wildflowers mixed in with tall green grass.

Eventually a young couple passed us and we conversed with them a while and they went on ahead.  Around 11,000 ft. we started to transition from the closed in forest into the high alpine meadows with lingering patches of snow along with rocky outcroppings, with many of the slopes swathed with exfoliated rock and scree.

The alpine meadows were covered with low grasses and flowers.  As we walked along the narrow trail that switched back up the side of the steep hills there were large burrows dug in the side hills by marmots.  We eventually saw a dozen or more of the fat rodents some weighing about 25 to 30 pounds.

As we climbed higher to wind started to blow harder and Ken and I had to put our jackets on.  At one point the young man were had met earlier with his girlfriend or wife was walking back to us and explained he was a professional photographer and asked if he could take pictures of us for a magazine as we hiked along.  We said “of course”.   I must admit that while walking through the meadows and taking in all the scenery I had John Denver songs ricocheting around in my head.

For me it was a spiritual experience and very reminiscent of my early years as a hunting guide in Northern Canada.

We eventually reached the summit and there were already other hikers there eating snacks, enjoying the 360 degree panoramic view while seeking shelter from the wind.  What was interesting is Ken and I were bundled up with extra shirts and a jackets.

Up from the “Williams Lake” route came groups of hikers, one of which was 4 or 5 young women dresses in shorts and tank tops.  They were walking around the summit gabbing away like we weren’t even there and didn’t appear to be negatively affected by the wind or the cool temperature.

We had talked to several people who assured us that the Williams Lake trail was the faster and easier decent than the Bull of the Woods trail.  We decided to take the Williams Lake trail down and that was a mistake.  The decent was switchback down a 60% grade littered with vertical bands of loose rocks and boulders that moved with every step.  We really had to focus on every step and used our hiking poles for extra stability.  On the trek down we saw two big horn sheep grazing of the hillside but they were to far away for pictures.

When we finally got below the tree line we hiked another three miles to the hiker’s parking lot only to find that we were five miles from the truck.

Fortunately a Good Samaritan offered us a ride down the mountain to the “Bull of the Woods” trail head parking lot.  That really saved our bacon.  We arrived back home safe and sound although tired.  I ate dinner, soaked in the Jacuzzi for about 45 minutes and had no trouble falling asleep.   PRC

Sunday July 3, 2016

Today was a nice relaxing day. After breakfast (fruit smoothies) we went into town to the Farmer’s Market. We got there before the afternoon rains. We purchased a few things for dinner tonight with Pam and Jim. This included rainier cherries and gluten-free macaroons. Peter also bought me a pretty necklace and earrings. Of course we partook of the samples offered.

Jim and Pam preferred eating early (4 pm) which was fine with us.  Are you laughing Pam T.?   It stopped raining just as we arrived at their spot.   Peter grilled pork chops and I made Canadian Salad which was a hit as usual. Pam made baked potatoes, squash and deviled eggs.  Desert was cherries and macaroons.

The weather is so different here. After the rains the sun came out and it actually got warm. Weather is so relative – it was about 70 degrees compared to 108 in Phoenix.  And within an hour we had to put on our jackets and go inside as it got a little cooler with a nice breeze. Right now it is 64 degrees. Sorry Phoenix but I’m kind of trying not to rub it in. Bonnie and John I bet the weather in Florence, Oregon is nice right now…

I think I might have mentioned already how much I love it in Angel Fire…   JY

Another nice day.  As JY said we went to Farmers Market, BBQ’d pork steaks and ate with new friends from Tucson.  The weather cooperated with a little rain before I started to BBQ and the sun came out while we ate at the picnic table.and stayed dry and cool.   PRC

Monday July 4, 2016

I can’t believe it.   Turned the lights out at 11:00 pm and did not wake up until 9:57 this morning.  I cannot remember the last time I’ve (we’ve) ever slept in that late.  Turning into lazy bums.  Had potatoes, eggs and left over pork steak for breakfast.

About noon we decided to go for a drive to Black Lake.   That is where they shot some of the Lonesome Dove movie.  Lonesome Dove is my favorite book and the scenes in the movie where the cattle herd finally arrived in Montana were shot at Black Lake.  Using binoculars you can see the cabin that was built as a prop for the movie.  We could not walk to the site as it is now owned by a company that is going to build a resort and RV park there.  The cabin is part of that property.

The fire department shoots them over the lake so there is no chance of starting a fire from sparks.  The fireworks were very nice however after 30 minutes it got a little repetitive, we got bored and decided to leave.  The upside of leaving early was we missed the traffic of everyone leaving but not by much.  It appeared that many other people were trying to leave early to avoid the traffic.  PRC

HAPPY BIRTHDAY USA!!!

It’s kinda embarrassing that we slept until almost 10 am this morning. We’ve been rationalizing that we are on vacation after all. Although I cannot remember the last time I slept in that late…

Today is definitely a shorts day. It’s a sunny day although the clouds are slowly rolling in. It’s 77 degrees today. It will be up to 81 on Friday. I know this is nothing to you Phoenix folks.

 

As you can see we got a late start today. We headed out to the locations that they shot “Lonesome Dove” and “Longmire”.  Lonesome Dove is Peter’s favorite movie of all time so of course we had to go there. I’ve never seen the series, “Longmire.” Have you?

I made soup for dinner tonight. We plan to see the fireworks in Eagle’s Nest tonight. Tell us what you are doing for the July 4^th holiday.  JY

 

Thursday June 30, 2016

It rained off and on all day so we made a conscious decision not to do anything and were practically 100% successful.  The highlight of the day was the tuna salad that June Yvonne whipped up for lunch.  For dinner we ate some Costco chicken we had in our freezer.  PRC

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PETER!!!

As Peter indicated, we took it easy today. I did make tuna salad which is the first time I made anything completely from scratch since beginning our travel trailer journey.

Tonight we attended a wine and cheese tasting reception at the lodge at the RV Resort. We met a lovely couple from Tucson, Pam and Jim. They are retired and she now volunteers with Arizona Boston Terrier Rescue. Again, it’s a small world. We got along so well with them that we made plans for dinner the next night.  JY

Friday July 1, 2016

We decided to get an early start and promptly slept in until 8:00 am.  We finally got on the road about 10:00 and drove to Eagles Nest and then to Red River.   Eagles Nest is a tiny little place that would not even qualify for “hamlet” status.  We spent some time at the boat dock where a number of people were fishing and they assured me they were fishing not catching.

We left Eagles Nest and drove over Bobcat Pass which is 9,820 ft. and is the highest mountain pass in NM.  Red River is a quaint little town geared for tourists.  They get about a 100” of snow each hear and Marshal Smith, who we met at city hall, said the population drops well below the summer time resident population of 480.  We had a bite to eat and headed back to Angel Fire.

On the way back to camp we stopped at the Vietnam Memorial State Park.  They have a beautiful museum and chapel and we had a guided walking tour of the facilities.  The museum has an hour video presentation of the war which was very emotional along with an incredible amount of artifacts, pictures and other Vietnam War related material.  They also had a touch and feel exhibit for children.

We had planned to BBQ with Pam and Jim who we met at the wine and cheese tasting reception however it was raining pretty hard so we drove into town and had dinner at Zeb’s, a local restaurant.  We chatted for an hour or so after dinner then dropped them off at their RV.  We decided to go for a walk and ended up at the lodge for the Dale and Gayle show.  This is entertainment the RV resort provides two or more times a week.  PRC

During the day we drove part of the Enchanted Circle which includes several mountain towns in northern New Mexico. We went to Eagle’s Nest and Red River. We particularly enjoyed Red River. I did get a little woozy because of the altitude. On the way back to Angel Fire we stopped at the New Mexico Vietnam Memorial.

This memorial was more touching to me than the one in DC. We had a tour of the grounds which included a huey helicopter recovered from Vietnam, a chapel, bookstore and film with coverage from the war. I thought a lot of Ray. Many tears and prayers for him. God bless his troubled soul.

We were supposed to entertain tonight by having Pam and Jim over for dinner. However as it turned out it rained all day so we went to dinner in town. By the way, it rains almost every afternoon, then often into the night. Mornings are usually sunny and pleasant. We managed to eat dinner outside on the picnic table only two nights since we have been here.   JY

Saturday   July, 2 2016

Today was a lazy day.  We hung out in town and went to a book sale at the very small local library.  Picked up some groceries at the grocery store which doubles as a liquor store.  The local mini mart at the Shell gas station is easily 60% liquor for sale.

We ate early and went to a 90 minute magic show over at the ski resort lodge and surprisingly it was very very good.  Nothing close to what you would see at the Magic Castle in LA but very entertaining.  When the show was over it was dark so we drove home and hit the sack.  PRC

This has been a relaxing day. We got up with intentions to go to the Farmer’s Market in town, but by the time we got there they had shut down due to the rain. We went to a book sale in town at the local library. May not be the most exciting activity ever, but you know how I like books. We got some really good deals – four books for $4.00. All in all, a very relaxing morning\early afternoon.

We made reservations for a comedy show at the Angel Fire Ski Resort (as opposed to the Angel Fire RV Resort where we are staying). By the way, we have access to the amenities of the ski Resort since the two are associated with each other.

We went to the comedy show early as parking is at a premium in this little ski resort town. While we were waiting for the doors to open for the show at 7 pm we met a gentleman and his service dog. Turns out he had served 5 tours in Iraq as a helicopter pilot and returned with PTSD. His dog, “Reign”, helps calm him down when he gets agitated. God Bless all the service men and women. Peter paid for his ticket to the comedy show.   JY

 

 

Monday June 27, 2016

This was a utility day for me and a drive into Taos for groceries and haircut.  Very quiet evening with wine coolers and reading on the patio.  PRC

Tuesday June 28, 2016

I left Angel Fire to pick up June Yvonne in Santa Fe.  It was the last day of JY’s conference and I attended the closing session.  It was all very academic and somewhat over my head or interest.  Then it got interesting.  We ate dinner at the buffet sponsored by the hotel and there were many people from the conference there.  I saw one gentleman eating alone so I asked him if III   could join him while JY sat with a group of her conference friends.  This man was wearing priestly robes and a purple skull cap.  We chatted for about 10 minutes then I introduced myself and he did the same.  Turns out he was Bishop Walker (an independent Bishop) from the Santa Fe diocese.  While we were talking and eating he said I could call him Doug.  After chatting for 45 minutes and he gave me his business card and agreed to stay in touch.

After dinner a group of us walked to a nightclub in the old town square and attended a Flamenco show which was just as good as the ones we saw in Madrid.   PRC

Yes, it was pretty ironic that my agnostic non-church going husband spent so much time with a Catholic bishop at a crypto-Jewish conference. What was particularly interesting to me was that Bishop Walker (or Doug) was with The Church of Antioch at Santa Fe. He is not a Roman Catholic, but an “Independent” Catholic. The church is “Progressive-Inclusive-Sacramental-Loving-Universally Catholic.” I had never heard of these type of Catholics.

So, Bonnie and John, Kay, or anyone else have you ever hear about “Independent” Catholics?

I am including some pics from the Sephardic Festival and the Conference for crypto-Judaic Studies.

These include pics of my roommate, Lucia, another crypto-Jew from Texas and Hershel who organized the Festival. I will be seeing them both in Albuquerque in a couple of weeks at an RC workshop. Friday night at the Shabbat dinner I met a woman from Paradise Valley. I have remained in contact with her and look forward to seeing her when we return to Phoenix. I also bought a book from an author that lives in Scottsdale. There is also a pic with Debbie and I at a jewelry booth where I bought some gorgeous earrings.   JY

Wednesday June 29, 2016

We shared a room with Lucia, a friend of June Yvonne’s.  In the morning the hotel had a complimentary breakfast buffet which was very good.  After breakfast we decided to take a trolley tour of Santa Fe.  Santa Fe is a very interesting place and we would like to come back with the RV at some time in the future and spend a couple of weeks.  This why they call it the “Land of Entrapment” cause once you’ve been here you are going to come back.

We also did a walking tour of the NM State capital building.  It is fascinating how they operate it in NM – the legislators only get paid a per diem when they are present during each 30 day session.  They have to be re-elected every two years, have no benefits and must support themselves with their own full time work.

Tour ended at the hotel and we packed up and left Lucia at the hotel where she was meeting some other friends and then headed back to Angel fire.   PRC

As indicated in a previous blog. We spent Wednesday sightseeing with Lucia on the Santa Fe trolley. I wish we would have had more time for seeing more of Santa Fe. We will return at another time for a couple of weeks.

After the trolley we had lunch at The Shed a restaurant highly recommended by Stev C. I am in the land of chilies which is a plus for our time in New Mexico. The food is a lot different from Arizona Mexican food. People, mostly tourists, ask if green or red chili is hotter. You can order your dish “Christmas” style which is both red and green which is how I solved this dilemma. (I never met a chili that I didn’t like.)  JY

 

Sunday  June 26, 2016

June Yvonne is still in Santa Fe so I went going fly fishing.  I spent the day at the lake and though I saw some big fish from the shore they would slowly swim up to my fly in the water, look at it and slowly swim away.  I’m sure that if fish had fingers I would have gotten one.  There is a reason why they call it fishing and not catching.  About mid afternoon the clouds started rolling in for the regularly scheduled afternoon shower.  I noticed some lightening off in the distance and decided that it probably wasn’t a good idea to be waving a carbon fiber fishing rod around in the air.  So I folded up my rod and headed home.  A random lightening strike could ruin your whole day.

As I was driving home it started to rain with loud thunder and close lightening.  The down hill mountain bike races were scheduled to start at 2:30pm however I could not see the top of the mountain.  By the time I got back to the RV it was hailing.  I later learned from the two guys in the RV park that they shut the lift down due to lightening and the race was delayed 4 hours.  They placed in the top 20 but their was no prize money for them.  Within an hour they were packed up and off to the next event.  PRC

 

June 30, 2016

It is good to be back home to our little trailer and to my husband. He dropped me off on Friday at the hotel for the Sephardic Festival and the Conference for the crypto-Judaic Studies. He returned to Santa Fe on Tuesday and spent the night at the hotel with me. We spent some time in Santa Fe sightseeing and returned to Angel Fire Wednesday afternoon.

By the way, Sephardic Jews are Jews from the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal.)

I am very tempted to provide a short history lesson here regarding Jews in Spain which includes our family at least on my mother’s side of the family. But don’t worry I won’t. You can always google for info that you may be interested in. Also I would be happy to send you the summary I did regarding the Espinoza family.

The days I spent at the conference and and Sephardic Festival were not so much about tourist sites or scenery – until Peter came the last day. I received lots of information, met some wonderful people and managed to see an outstanding Flamenco show. We hope to return to Santa Fe soon as its a beautiful city with so much to do…

 

 

Peter spent the night on Tuesday. We spent Wednesday sight seeing, mostly on a trolley learning the history of Santa Fe. We had lunch at the Shed, a restaurant that Stev C. had suggested. It was spicy and good. Peter was a good sport and enjoyed some chili also. Carolyn M. – It was not far from the train station so who knows it may have been

the restaurant you suggested. The red chili was excellent.

So, as you may have noticed, we haven’t spent much time working on the blog. This is because: 1) We have been having too much fun; 2) We have been too tired because we have been having too much fun; 3) We haven’t felt like it because we have been having too much fun; 4) all of the above. We hope to catch up with the blog in the next couple of days.

I’m still loving being up here in the northern New Mexico mountains.  JY

We will catch up the blog tomorrow – we’ve done a lot of different things.  PRC

 

Thursday, June 23, 2015

June Yvonne and I rode the chairlift to the top of the mountain and the views were better than expected – they were spectacular.  There were a lot of mountain bikers on the lift with their bikes getting ready to do practice runs for the big cross country race on Saturday and the down hill race on Sunday.  This is reportedly the biggest mountain bike racing event of the year in the western US.  There are pro and amateur classes with a $10,000 prize for the pro class.

 

We visited the chapel at the top of the mountain – very elaborate as you can see.  The restaurant at the top was not open for full service until the weekend when the races start.  So we ate the brown bag lunch we brought with us and bought some water and gator aid from the guy prepping the restaurant for opening day.  At the bottom we hung out at the resort lodge for a while.  Because we are at the Angel Fire RV Resort we can take advantage of the amenities at the main lodge.

 

Our view while eating lunch

Back at camp JY took a nap.  We had intended to go to the RV lodge and listen to the free live entertainment the resorts schedules twice a week – a married couple who have played together for 15 years – guitar and piano.   However it got very windy and started to rain buckets of water for about half an hour.   It finally stopped raining and we made it over to the lodge for the last half hour of the show – it was a very nice evening.  PRC

Friday, June 24, 2016

My dear June Yvonne is at a conference in Santa Fe until Tuesday thus the title of this post –  “One Is The Loneliest Number“.  I drove her to Santa Fe and dropped her off at the hotel were she is meeting other people from around the country and rooming with a Texas woman she has known for many years.  We worked on her presentation for the better part of a day and she is pleased with what she has to present but nervous about presenting it.  She is going to do great and they will be very impressed with her story.

I shopped around for groceries and hardware before I headed back to Angel Fire.  As I was coming into town there was a music festival in progress celebrating the 50th anniversary of the town.  There were live bands, games for the kids along with beer and wine for the adults.  I decided to sit for a while and take in the festivities when some folks from the RV resort recognized me and called me over – I sat with them for about an hour – we traded wild west stories and had some laughs.  Then back to camp. I made myself a wine cooler and sat outside reading until it was to dark to see the words.  I just love sitting outside when there is a cool breeze and a slight chill in the air.

I will head back to Santa Fe early Tuesday morning and will stay at the hotel where June Yvonne’s conference was and stay the night.  We will explore Santa Fe most of Tuesday and all of Wednesday until we head back to Angel Fire. PRC

Saturday, June 25, 2016

I went to the resort early today to watch the bikers head up the mountain on the chairlift with their bikes.  Pretty impressive actually – this race weekend is apparently the premier mountain bike race of the year and draws professional riders from all over country.  This is the 50th anniversary of the ski resort and the 27th anniversary of the bike race so there is a lot going on.

I was talking to a man who’s daughter is practicing for the down hill tomorrow.  I was impressed that she has an $8,000 bike but totally stunned when he said that was a cheap racing bike.  He pointed out a couple of professional bikers and said their bike probably priced out at about $25,000 without the wheels which were carbon fiber and they priced out at about $3,000 per wheel.  Most racer were in full Kevlar body armor – the pro armor is custom made to fit their bodies even custom formed chest plates for the women to accommodate their breasts.  This guys daughter has been competing for 4 years – since she was 13 and now has a sponsor.

There was a little gal in line waiting to get on the lift with her bike and I’d guess her age to be 12 or 13 but she was all decked out with body armor and a pretty expensive looking bike.  There she was all by herself waiting to get on the lift with everyone else.  Her Mon and Dad were watching her just a couple of yards from where we were standing, she got on the lift with 3 men and looked so tiny – the lift carried her away and she never looked back.  Once she was out of site her Mom and Dad hugged each other and walked away to stand in the shade and I can only assume to pray.  This reminded me of our niece and nephews son Vincent who is and avid biker – BMX I think.

There are probably a dozen RV’s in the park with mountain bikes in their pick-up trucks.  The two guys 2 streets over each have three completely  different bikes for different situations.  Each bike has it’s own case. They have completely disassembled and reassembled each one of them to make sure everything is perfect.  They even check and adjust the tension of the each spoke of the wheels.  A couple of days ago they rode the chairlift to the top of the mountain and walked the course down to the finish line.  It took them all day as they took photos, made notes about the soil condition and terrain of each straight away and turn and made laser measurements of each section of the course.  They said as they were coming down they would practice all the turns and banks by running them and getting a mental picture of what to expect and what they were going to do in each place.  They brought all that information back to their RV and studied it and made extensive notes on an enlarged map of the course.  These guys (23 & 25) are professionals with big time sponsors and make a living doing this full time.  If I tried one run down the mountain I would not live long enough to heal.

I was scheduled for a fly fishing clinic at 11:00 so I had to leave and get my equipment ready.  The clinic was scheduled for 2 hours but lasted 3 hours.  We practiced different casts and other basics along with some theory, knot tying along with techniques and equipment.  I was going to fish the rest of the day but it was too windy for a novice like myself to be very effective with casting.  Went back to camp had BBQ’d ribs for dinner, made a couple of wine coolers, read my book for a couple hours outside then came in and wrote this post.  Going to bed z-z-z-z.  I miss June Yvonne.   PRC