Bonanza of Balls

Satisfied my hankering today for balls to rub my sore feet on. The tennis court in Western Area had loads of them. Now I can rub my balls in every room! (bawdiness intended)

I wonder what the etiquette is for picking up errant tennis balls strewn outside the tennis court's perimeter fence? One of the houses adjacent to the tennis court has an electric fence - perhaps to discourage miscreants such as myself from picking stray balls in out of their yard?

Went up Pajarito Mountain to the Aspen Lift via the Oxbow Road and Zero Road East. I was too sissy to walk on the wooded bike paths by myself. Back at the parking area, picked wild raspberries for a tasty afternoon snack.

Pajarito Mountain Ski Area Bike Trails

David and Faye always say we should hike together when I see them but we've never done it. I hiked with them today, starting from the Lone Spruce lift and following jeep roads and bike trails to the top of Rim Run where they had some lunch and we all enjoyed the views.

Faye took off right away and I walked behind David but next time, I'd like some Elevated Heart Rate (EHR) so I'll follow Faye. I could hike with Dave every other time.

We only did 4 miles and Dave stopped in at the ski area office and got his badge. I've met more ski area employees this one day than in all the years I've been in Los Alamos - Tom Long is the ski area manager, Don Sauer is the manager of the ski area office, and Mike Green, along with Jessie May, a fierce blue heeler, is the maintenance manager.

I walked another mile afterwards and was surprised to see Dave and Faye still there. They had found a bonanza (incidentally, the ski area has spelled "Bonaza" on one of the signs for the Bonanza run!) of aspen wood, which they prefer because it doesn't create much creosote. Ski area employees had cut it down and told Dave and Faye that they could haul it away. They'll go up tomorrow and get the rest and invited me to walk with them again.

Mike Green said that Jessie May (for whom Faye always carries a dog biscuit) had treed a bear and there are several bears in a range of sizes roaming the mountain.

The ski area office has glossy bike map brochures.

After I left Dave and Faye, I saw 2 small deer, one with small velvet antlers, on the hill above me and I flushed a grouse in the woods - gave me a start! Faye said that one time Betsy saw a cougar on the mountain. On Monday, Dorothy and I saw several roadside animals - first a coyote, then a young deer, and last, 2 raccoons running across NM126.

Torn

The thing about a blog journal is I start to feel obsessive about writing in it. Then when I miss a day, I feel like just giving this up all together because it seems too hard to try to capsulize my days. I have this need to write every detail and, even though it seems like I do from the length of the blogs, it pains me to have to leave out details! Also, my mouse-clicker wrist is seeming to dislike too much time on the computer. I'm typing now without resting my wrist on the computer table.

An aside about computers. Ours Apple G5 gets slower and slower. I complain to my computer guru but nothing gets done. I need a computer that writes to dvd so I can take all my photos off and maybe things would run faster. Safari is horribly slow with the rainbow twirling ball appearing and then I have to wait and wait. In some ways, the computer is no faster than before we had dsl. Also, Yahoo! is prone to such idiotic defects like this morning when I tried to delete my junk mail and Yahoo! kept making me sign in again. I think that spouse is wrong not to have some kind of anti-virus protection software. It could also protect against junk and mal wares. I'm complaining but I do nothing about it either.

Capsulization: On Sunday, I ended up going on the SF Southern RR train ride to the Galisteo Basin. The Galisteo Basin is very pretty but the rest of the train ride, through the bowels of Santa Fe and past the Railrunner construction (amazing concrete railroad ties!), is forgettable. Admitedly, we did pass through some nice housing areas - El Dorado? I feel sorry for the people in the poorer neighborhoods that have their houses practically on top of the tracks. At least it was a little cooler than the last time I rode this train. Mary and Dave, son in law's Mom and step-Dad, drove down from the Jemez redrock country to go on the ride. When I saw Mary's enthusiasm for going on the train, I told spouse to buy me a ticket too. I wish I were that upbeat and cheerful!

We got to know Dave a little better. I thought it was interesting that he said he likes dogs better than people. This was in the context of his telling us that his Mom was a real social magnet with people coming over all the time and her always baking cakes. He was an only child and says he was spoiled rotten. The first time we met him, he was pretty quiet. It turns out that Marge Fraser, who used to hike with Bonnie, Mary Ann, Carol, and me, is his aunt. Regarding hordes of people, I told him that when our father was sick in the hospital, our aunt came over and all five of us kids hid from her and wouldn't answer the door.

My forearm feels like it's going to start cramping so I'm now resting my wrist on the table. I think it's from my weightlifting. I don't lift heavy weights but something must not be setting right with my right arm.

We ate at the Zia Diner. I had ahi tuna nicoise (don't ask me to pronounce it!) salad which had a huge chunk of raw tuna cooked exactly as I requested and was very delicious.

Grandson didn't have his meds that day and ate virtually nothing, in part because spouse had unthinkingly bought him a Dr. Pepper, soon before we got off the train, loaded with sugar and caffeine so he was completely wired and did everything but put a lampshade on his head and he would have if one had been available. Mary did her very best to talk intelligently with grandson but he just gave silly answers. On the upcoming La Veta train ride, he'll take his meds.

Son in law read a book a lot on the train and the car ride to and from. I wonder if he's shy.

Monday's Dorothy hike was longer than I thought it would be - 3.65 miles. I was thinking that we'd drive all that way and only hike a mile but it turns out there is more country off NM126 and FR144, down to FR376, than I had thought. Dorothy zoomed in and xeroxed a portion of a map from the travel management rule people that showed a road going from NM126 to FR376. I haven't yet seen the map of our actual route but I think we found it and it's called FR126C. It might have been part of old NM126 and is a really nice, wide gravel road that connects NM126 and FR376. So, now the problem of getting down from the west rim on FR144 to the continuation of the west rim on FR376, without having to walk on paved NM 126, is entirely solved! The main obstacle remaining is to find a way down from Virgin Mesa to Battleship Rock. We're taking a 2 week hiatus and will resume explores August 21. Thankfully, we met no oncoming, homicidal maniacal semi-truck drivers on the blind curves. Oh, I was so grateful for that but I was prepared, putting the car in 2 and going slowly around the curves, with the windows open.

Yesterday, I was researching about how to strengthen the muscles in the leg and foot that prevent pronation. It seems that strengthening the butt muscles and the adductor (inner thigh) muscles might help. I really wonder if I need to go to an orthopedic surgeon. I think that any stiff or rigid orthotic would only hurt my feet. But, maybe the orthopedic surgeon, even if he's not really what I need, would direct me to a good podiatrist or pedorthist who could fix me up. I also ordered 4 more shoes from Roadruner Sports now that I have received the credit for the last 4. This time I ordered stability plus shoes. The neutral shoes didn't help my heel at all but made it hurt more.

Quiet Day

Took grandson to Española Walmart Supercenter. Spouse took him to Wendy's for lunch. We rented him the Spiderwick Chronicles movie and bought him a new Bionicle (a Lego toy which he madly loves!), peanut and pretzel granola bars, salted pistachios (he loves those to death!), and a tube of mini M&Ms. The cashier handed the M&Ms right to grandson and I amusedly told the cashier about the good deal grandson was getting with his grandparent's. She said that he would remember those times for a long time like she remembers those with her grandparents. We're all more alike than unlike!

Tomorrow, everyone but me goes on the Santa Fe Southern Railroad Hotshot train. I know, I know - I should go but I went on it once and don't want to go again so tomorrow's memories won't include me. Grandson will have his other grandparents there though - son in law's Mom and step-Dad. We'll all eat out at the Zia Diner afterwards.

East Fork Flower Walk

Went with BESC hiking group to East Fork. Only 6 of us. Art went back looking for a stick to cross first rocks (only non-bridge crossing on trail) and then decided to do his own hike going up the hill west of the East Fork, going through some private property and finding an old cross country ski trail that Mary said was the first Roland Pettitt Trail, put in by Jim Burns and some middle school students. It had to be abandoned because the forest service said it was illegally put in. Times have changed apparently as there are plenty of unauthorized trails in the Jemez Mountains nowadays.

Natalie and I turned it into a flower walk. We saw lots more of the White Prairie Mallow. I wonder why Dorothy said she's mainly found it in the Sangres. We saw Parry's Harebell. I plucked some dogbane to show Natalie. There's still a profusion of flowers in bloom. The new bridge is in which replaces the last of the rickety bridges. They cut the old one off its moorings to put it out of commision.

The hike was only 3.3 miles. Natalie asked if I could drive her back to the senior center so Mary's car would be less crowded. On the way back, we encountered another maniacal semi-truck. I was following a car around one of the blind curves and I heard horn honking. I saw the car ahead of me had stopped so I stopped too and pulled my front end over toward the guardrail and would have moved over more if I had time but around the curve came blasting this god-awful, huge semi-truck that looked like it was going to clip me for sure. Amazingly, I didn't scream - maybe because Natalie was in the car. I've called the state highway transportation department to complain. This is going to go on until August 1 according to flashing warning signs that say watch out for heavy truck traffic. Someone's going to get hurt. The pumice trucks were never this reckless.

I finished my 4 miles on the Quemazon Nature Trail. Not a whole lot of shade since Cerro Grande but pretty nevertheless.

Next Friday's hike, spouse's Friday off, will be a hike around Cerro la Jara. Art wants to go to Cerros del Abrigo but Mary chose la Jara because that was the majority opinion. Most of the hikers don't want to do the 7 mile Cerros del Abrigo hike. I wouldn't mind but spouse and I will stick with the main group. We'd never see Art anyway!

I had time this afternoon to do upper body weight work, a smidgeon of yoga, and leg work which made me very happy!

Camp May Road

No rain but could hear distant rumble from dark clouds but was mostly sunny. A bejeweled hummingbird buzzed around my red jacket at one point. I stopped and enjoyed the show but eventually told it "Sweetie, I'm not a flower!"

The wood gatherers are helping to clear the woods near FR2998.

I made an appointment for September 23 with Dr. Richard Miller, an orthopedist in Albuquerque, to talk about my foot problems and possible orthotics.

Slept poorly last night - probably because it was so hot.

LL Hike: Corral Canyon Area

I thought I heard our leader say there were 16 of us. We saw the WI gathering at the Back Gate for their hike of Obsidian Ridge-Sawyer Mesa. I only know that because I asked Ginny to put me on the email list for them and she did. Adam, our leaders's grandson, was on the hike again. He's such fun to watch at lunch - very entertaining.

It looked cloudy and we heard thunder and felt one or two raindrops but we got off scot-free from any monsoon shenanigans.

On the way back, the workers at the VCNP entrance road upgrade were stopping all the vehicles and telling us to watch out for heavy semi-trucks coming up into the Jemez. They are stepping up the efforts to finish the upgrading of the Valles Caldera National Preserve entrance road and beginning paving. On the way down from our hike, we met a huge, speeding semi-truck that was partially on our side going up the curves above Frijoles Canyon. It was a real seat gripping moment! I saw an assortment of heavy equipment parked near the Back Gate this afternoon where the WI had left some cars.

I want to know more about all the roads and trails and the Corral Canyon-Peralta Road area. With the maniacal construction traffic in the Jemez, though, it may be a good time to avoid the Jemez.

Our leader's knees are feeling better than they have since the operation. On top of the knee problem, she also developed a piriformis syndrome affliction that gives sciatica-like pain but isn't sciatica. She does stretches that are helping that to improve. I stayed behind a lot and talked with her so I felt like I connected with people on this hike and didn't feel lonely like after last week's hike.

We went back on the Calzada Trail. I'm really impressed with how well our leaders's son, Eric, is able to maneuver around deadfall while carrying his son, Adam on his back. We did 4.9 miles.

I spent about an hour this afternoon trying unsuccessfully to straighten out a $100 bill from Los Alamos Medical Center stemming form spouse's speech therapy (as a result of his second bout of Bell's Palsy) in October 2007. LAMC did a random audit on July 2, 2008 of spouse's account and they say we owe them $100 for co-pays. Now it's up to us to prove whether or not we actually paid them. If spouse never got the receipts, there's not much we can do to argue that we don't owe it. He'll check it out more thoroughly when he gets back tomorrow.

This very hungry woman is going to eat supper now!

Perimeter Trail South

This trail spooks me. There are so many bushes that it's like walking in a narrow corridor in places. I'm afraid of mountain lions and prefer when I walk alone to do it where I can see for long distances. Although I hasten to add that my one mountain lion sighting since moving here in 1985 was on Burnt Mesa and you can't get any more wide-open spaces than that!

I'm especially spooked because I read Listening to Cougar recently which is a collection of essays reflecting on cougars. At the end of the book, there is a list of known human fatalities from mountain lion attacks since 1890. It's true that there aren't many but the ones there are are grisly and frightening. The book doesn't list non-fatal attacks. A child in Albuquerque was attacked recently by a mountain lion when he went ahead of his parents on a hike but he survived. In addition to the usual set of precautions - don't run away or you'll look like prey, make yourself look big, don't stoop or bend down, and fight back if attacked, there was also the very good point made that mountain lion will be where there is prey, namely deer and elk. They also like to hunt at dawn and dusk. In summary, do whatever you can to convince the mountain lion that you are not prey and in fact represent a danger to it.

Going up out of Valle Canyon I saw some bear poop which isn't surprising since the hillside has some gloriously ripe raspberries growing on it.

On the way back, I got confused when I got to the Fireline Trail just like Jim did on the LL hike. I have to fix that area one day with some rock cairns. What happens is that on the way back from American Springs Road (FR181), you first intersect the Fireline Trail on your right, marked by a cairn. The thing to do is continue on the Perimeter Trail to the left and soon you come to another cairn marking the right turn downhill for the Perimeter Trail and then the Fireline Trail crosses the Perimeter Trail and goes off to your left - confusing! It was made more so by the darkening skies and rumble of thunder but I made it back before any sky pyrotechnics developed. Maybe I should call this area the Perimeter Trail Triangle (as in Bermuda Triangle)!

A bicyclist inadvertently scared me when he came from behind and I gasped. I called out to his retreating back that at least he wasn't a mountain lion and laughed but I don't think he got my humor!

Short Trip to Colorado Today

That's what it's feels like on the drive up to the north rim of the Valles Caldera on FR100, FR 99, and FR144. Everything is so green. It's unbelievably, scrumptiously lovely and it will only get lovelier as summer turns into fall and aspens turn from green to gold.

Ed came to the parking lot to give Dorothy some maps of the Garita area that he copied off a map he had Travel Bug make for him. He wasn't going because he needed to get his 96 year old Mom a new walker. We didn't leave Mesa Public Library (MPL) until 8:34am because we talked with Ed for a while.

We turned right onto a dirt road off FR144 right after the cattle guard at the sign in the west direction that says end of latilla cutting. Dorothy parked and we went searching for a road that went out to a view. Our 5th road was the winner. The rest all deadended at confrontational landscaping, i.e., enormous berms and deadfall filled forests. The view of the entire northern Valles Caldera was to die for but we didn't stay long because it was looking ugly and thunder was booming. The rain began on the way back but no big lightning strikes. We only walked 1.47 miles in part because of the weather and in part because Dorothy developed a sore toe on the Valles de los Amigos Cerro Seco hike on Sunday.

BTW, Dorothy says that she does these projects to get out and could easily have others do it faster. She anticipates 2 more trips on the southern part of the West Rim and a trip from FR144 to FR376, crossing NM126. She's hoping that our scouts will take a look at the feasibility of a car shuttle trip starting down from Virgin Mesa to Battleship Rock. Then she says that Harry (?) McGavron contacted her about an old road from Scooter Pass to Pines that she wants to check out. Plus there are still a few more items to check out on the north rim, including finding a road that goes from Cerro de la Garita to the Hilton Gate.

When we got back into town, I drove up to the Ocean and finished my 4 miles through the woods alongside Camp May Road. I saw evidence that paint-ballers have been cavorting on the Route. The distance is about 1 mile from the Ocean to the top of Guardrail Hill and then about .25 mile from there to FR2998. A gray SUV was stuck in the big puddle on FR2998. No one was around. It was in water up to its gunwales.

Today I asked Dorothy to tell me again how to tell the native thistles from the invasive musk and bull thistles: Look at the back of a leaf at the midrib. There should be no barbs on that or down the entire stem of the thistle.

Yahoo! Dead

I give up. I tried earlier and just now but it's dead. I wanted to email Dorothy that the Brown's won't be coming tomorrow and see if there . I have to get up at 6am tomorrow so I won't try again. Maybe it will revive itself overnight.

Finally gave spouse the web address to this online journal. Seeing all the blah, blah, blah will probably abate his curiosity about it.

Daughter and I may go together to see Mamma Mia because the "boys" don't want to see it as it has a reputation as a chick flick. Men should be happy to go to chick flicks!

Spouse goes to Albuquerque for a 3 day "bomb" refresher course at Sandia this week.

Weekend Update

Friday afternoon, after the BESC hike, I entertained the plumber from Waller's while he fixed our leaky kitchen strainer which also entailed replacing the trap because the threads were stripped and he couldn't get it to hold water so the sink would drain properly. It's now bone dry under the kitchen sink and the pipes for the twin sinks are straight and look lovely rather than crooked like they were. He's a very good plumber and I'd recommend him highly. They send the bill rather than give you the bill when they leave so I still have that to look forward to!

Saturday was the Next Big Idea downtown where inventors and entrepeneurs showcase their companies and inventions. Perry's Dad was there with a machine that stuffs bagels and donuts. Grandson pretended he was going to gobble up the bagels and donuts because he was hungry. Spouse took him to McD's for chicken nuggies and then we all went to Santa Fe. I dropped grandson and spouse off at the Regal Theatre to see Journey to the Center of the Earth while I went for religious services at Vitamin Cottage, the health food temple! I exercised in the evening and that made for a late night.

Today, we went to Pajarito Ski Area with daughter and son in law. They went up on the Aspen Lift while I hustled up to meet them and miraculously, we ran into each other and walked down together. They ate at the ski area cafe while I sat with them and ate my homemade guacamole, hummous, and scary muffins. Hummingbirds were buzzing us as we ate. We met Dave and Faye on their way up. They're not coming on the Dorothy hike tomorrow but may come next Monday. On the way down, spouse slid - think he needs new hiking boots as the tread on his is rounded. We got done eating at 12:30pm and the weather was still quite nice.

Beautiful Sunset

Turned out the Gordon's Concert was on Pajarito Mountain. I went out on the Mesa Trail last night a little past 8pm and was treated to a slow to develop but beautiful sunset. I wish I could adequately describe it. It was a peaceful sunset not a sky-filling, blaring, trumpeting one but one with strips of elongated cloud-rolls that turned a tender pink above the silhouette of the Jemez Mountains west of Los Alamos. I wanted someone there with me to admire it. Isn't it weird about humans - we like our privacy and solitude and yet at moments like last night's mellow sunset, we want to share it with someone?

I did my monkey bar business at the East Park playground plus walked around the raised, wood perimeter of the playground for my balance

The weather up on Pajarito looked perfect and it made me wish that spouse and I had driven up there not so much for the concert but to enjoy the sunset.

Spouse really enjoyed the BESC hiking group. We'll try to go on his Friday's off. I may go next Friday as Mary says it will be to the East Fork Trail. She was trying to tell me about an upcoming August hike but then said she'd call me about it. I'll ask her next Friday.

I had no idea that Dorothy would fire off that email to Doris and quote my email in it. I really only wanted to know for my own information because I so often forget names of plants that Dorothy tells me and just figured this was another one I had messed up. I believe Doris that it's called Cosmos but I wanted to find online its other common names but couldn't verify the Mountain White Ragweed one so I asked Dorothy.

Dumb Donkey

I take it back. Spouse is not so intelligent. Yesterday he consumed 800 calories of beverages including 2 beers, approximately 5 ounces wine, and 2 Starbucks Frappuccinos (the ones you buy in the grocery store that are 200 calories a pop). That's criminal for someone who's fasting blood sugar on his most recent tests was 133.

Lab Fitness Trail Still Open to Public

Spouse and I joined the Betty Ehart Senior Center hiking group this morning for their 8:05am start. Norma came up from Pojoaque to hike so Mary tailored the hike for her because Norma's a bit slow. We went to the LANL Fitness Trail near the Wellness Center, parking in the big lot that replaced the running track that I used to love to go to. I thought the Fitness Trail was closed after 9-11-2001 but I'm glad I was wrong. This gives me a new option of a close-in, quick trail to do my 4 miles. It goes all the way to S-Site. I'll go back to explore this area and work out some 4 mile walks.

There were 9 of us on the hike. Art always does his own hike but today Jane, who's lived in LA since January 2008, joined him for a cross country trek back. It was fun being with people. Spouse was excited to meet Bob Cowan who's a well-known nuclear physicist. I always like spouse better when we're in a group because I appreciate his true, gregarious, intelligent nature better. At home, I'm so likely to classify him as brain dead when he asks where something is before he even looks for it.

Even though it's his Friday off, spouse had to go into work for an hour to check on some computer runs. I have to stay home to wait for the plumber to fix our kitchen sink leak. I actually vaccumed the kitchen floor for him so he doesn't have to lie in filth when he gets under the sink.

The group only did 3 miles so I'll get in 1 more this evening. I walk to the Gordon's Concert and back.

Channel 13 says we're having a good monsoon and it should last until Labor Day. It looks dark over the mountains and I hear thunder.

Guess all thoughts of brevity have gone with the wind!

Thor's Hammer

Weird of David Espinoza to go up on the roof without knocking on the door and telling me he was here unless perhaps he knocked and I didn't hear him. I checked the vent pipe with binocs but can't even see where he put caulking - time will tell.

Really don't want a plumber messing around under my kitchen sink but don't want a leak underneath either - rock and hard place.

Went to woods along Camp May Road even though skies looked ferocious. Pulled thistles and NM locusts along the way. Was chased back down by terrific lightning (3 screams, twice saw flash and and immediately heard thunder), rain, and hail. My old golf umbrella officially died, breaking 2 more ribs in the winds but at least it lasted until the rain died down. Got pretty wet anyhow. After excitement died down, I finished 4 miles by going up Guardrail Hill again. Will finish weeding another time.

Olivas Tree Service did excellent work and I'd recommend them to anyone!

Trying to make these shorter like I would if I had to write out all this crap!

Houses Need Care

The pruners are here. Tomorrow, maybe a plumber. Our kitchen sink leaks underneath where the tailpiece attaches to the sink's strainer. I tried some cautious tightening but that neither harmed or helped so it's Waller's to the rescue! I'm also waiting to hear from Casey's Top Hat to get our chimney cleaned this year. David Espinoza Roofing came out but I didn't even realize he had been up on the roof to put some silicone caulk on the furnace vent pipe until he knocked on the door and said he had.

Frankly, my dear, I'd rather live in a cave!

Upper East Fork Jemez River: A LL Hike

There were 17 people counting Eric and Adam, our leaders's son and grandson. Eric carried Adam in a baby backpack. It was cute watching our leader feed little bits of Oreo cookies to Adam to keep him happy. He was a very good 13 month old baby and got to run around at lunch. He liked when I played peek-a-boo with him, taking my mask off and on. Our leader had to cut the hike short because her toe was giving her pain. The hike was advertised as 7 miles but only turned out to be 3 miles. We got back to the East Fork TH at 12:30pm - early - just as rain began.

This hike begins at the Roland Pettit Trail but quickly goes west up the hill and over the ridge north of Las Conchas Picnic Area and then goes down to the official East Fork Trail. We took the abbreviated version of hike #74 in our leaders's book. We had to cross the East Fork twice. The leaders said the crossings would be easy because the water was low but it must have rained since they checked because I had to take my shoes and socks off for the first crossing although others said they found a log to cross on further downstream. The second crossing was easy - rock-hopped across. I see that a bridge is being built to replace the last old, rickety bridge - yippee!

I felt lonely after the hike. Maybe it was because it was so short and the group seemed to be speed-walking, except for our leader - Doris stayed back with her - and I didn't feel I connected with anyone in the short time frame. The after-hike social time was cut short because of the rain.

Afterwards, I drove up to the Ocean and hiked little beyond Paintball Road. I did some stretches back at the Ocean. I think there are ghosts on the Camp May Road Route because I felt even lonelier hanging out at the Ocean! It looked dark and I could see lightning and hear thunder but it never rained while I was there.

I would like to know the difference between White Mountain Ragweed and Wild Cosmos. I thought sure that Dorothy had called White Mountain Ragweed what Doris called Wild Cosmos today. I'll check with Dorothy. I'm sure that Doris is correct but perhaps the other name is correct too.

I'll do email tomorrow as that will be good to do when the pruners are here.

I discovered last night that our kitchen sink trap has a slow leak. I'll call Waller's one day.

Kwage Mesa Trail and Engineering Marvels

Although I saw no mad dogs or Englishmen on this trail this afternoon, it was hot enough! Clouds were building over Pajarito and I thought "Hot dog - it would be fun to go to Kwage Mesa and watch the clouds build over the Sangres and the Jemez and maybe it would get overcast and cool off - WRONG! Clouds built but they didn't do anything and the trail was sunny and dry but I had it all to myself as no one else was so stupid! I went on the trail to the right of the dressage arena instead of the old road to the left of the dressage area that I usually take. The official Kwage (also called North or Horse Mesa) Mesa Trail winds and winds across the mesa and seems longer than the 1.4 miles that Craig Martin says it is. The only living beings I saw were large raptors flying around, waiting for something to die.

Walking along, I had views to the south of Los Alamos Mesa and the Los Alamos Airport. The cap on the old dump on the side of Los Alamos Mesa, at the south edge of the airport, looks like a dam with the earth above the cap shaped like a funnel. I need an engineer to explain that one to me. If you cap an old dump, why would you build an earthern funnel above the cap? Maybe I could figure out things if I had brought my binoculars.

I could also see that work has begun on the Airport Basin site. It's between De Colores and the Industrial Park on Los Alamos's Main Hill Road and the site is on the steep south side of the mesa and is above some breathtakingly steep cliffs on Los Alamos Mesa that plunge straight down to Pueblo Canyon.

I also wanted to take a gander at the road work on Diamond-Conoco Hill. It looked exciting but it still looks like piles of rubble to me. Pity the homeowners in that area. I didn't realize that Volvo makes excavators but there it was shoveling dirt with Volvo emblazoned on its rotating cab.

LA Roofing: Not Above Reproach?

I tend to think that LA Roofing exaggerated the need for our roof to be replaced. So far two different people have told me that even in the case where narrow crown staples (better to use broad crown staples or nails) have worked their way up to the top of the shingle, the asphalt shingles are self-sealing and will, in effect, seal any penetration caused by the staples. The roof is only 13 years old and not every staple is showing. There are some diagonal lines of staples showing on the roof. I stood on the ladder while LA Roofing was here and even commented to them that I could see large numbers of shingles that did not have the tell-tale black line of the staple head. The owner also acted like that was what was causing the leak around the furnace exhaust vent and that it was imperative to replace the roof ASAP. When I asked when I might have a problem if I didn't, he gave no further elucidation. I think the reason he lit up a cigarette and smoked in my face, without asking if I minded, is that he's stressed when he tries to convince a potential customer that 1+1=3!!

West Rim Above La Cueva

Dave and Faye didn't show up. I realized too late that they don't have a computer at home and wouldn't receive Dorothy's emails regarding today's explore. Dorothy will call them to apologize.

We went in a very short distance on FR376 South and turned left on an unmarked road that led to an area where people camp above La Cueva where we parked. Actually, two other cars were there when we got back a little after 3pm. One drove out before we did and the other looked like it was staying. We also saw some campers near the intersection of FR604 and FR376 on our way back.

After lunch above Wildcat Canyon, we headed back, planning to go back the way we came which included going up and over a tall hill but a thunderstorm intervened. Instead, we walked down FR604 to FR376 and eventually cut over to where Dorothy's car was parked. The rain was coming heavy for a while but Dorothy and I both broke out our golf umbrellas and were happy. Happy also were we that the thunder and lightning were not directly overhead and we were off the rim. But, I've gotten way ahead of myself.

The rim above La Cueva is beautiful with views of La Cueva, San Antonio Mountain, Redondo, Redondo Border, etc., and all the way to Los Griegos, Pelado, and Las Conchas. We saw several trees along the rim that had been split by lightning so I highly doubt the SFNF is going to make an official trail right along the edge. The view down to the tent rocks was stupendous and I wonder how the forest service managed to let that beautiful natural wonder become private property. There's a big house right at the base of the tent rocks. After we got off the rim and intersected FR604, we walked up a hill from the road and found a fence signed Posted No Trespassing Keep Out. Then we came to a fence corner and another fence continued at a diagonal to the posted one but maybe the private property didn't even though there was one more posted sign on the diagonal fence.

We encountered several more fences and gates and they were all in excellent condition and hard to crack. One gate, we had to take apart at the opposite end because the part with the wire latch was so wedged into the gate post because they used barbed rather than barbless wire for the latch. Another fence, I had to untwist wire so we could pull the two strands apart to get under it. A vexing day for fences but I will come armed with the red pliers next time!

I was looking at the topo map this evening and I really don't see how Dorothy will scale the cliffs down to Battleship Rock but we will have a good time exploring.

Sunday, spouse and I went to the Hotrock Rim Trail because he wanted to hike there. It was cool and overcast but later turned sunny but not as warm as it can be. We walked to Pajarito Canyon and on the way back, took the side trip on the bench beneath the rim trail. That's a lovely area. I think it would be interesting to get into WR Canyon via that bench trail.

A Mish Mosh of a Day and Blog

I started off the day feeling somewhat lonely and depressed but managed to dissipate the entire day. My bladder woke me at 7am when I wanted to sleep in. Then, after breakfast, I started feeling sorry for myself and wished that I had set my alarm for 6am to go with the BESC hiking group just to have some company! Here's how I managed:

Went to talk to John across the street to ask if Olivas Tree Service told him one price and then charged another higher one when the job was finished as that's how Western Trees always did to me. Nope - Olivas stuck to the price he had quoted John. Olivas will prune our ash, mugo pines, and cherry tree on this coming Thursday morning. He did a good job on John and Ginny's humongous willow tree.

I spoke to Joe at the LAC Building Permit office. He suggested that I get several more opinions before I replace the roof based on what LA Roofing told me. He also said that it's possible that since asphalt shingles are self-sealing that they may seal around the staple tops. He mentioned names of three local roofers - George Roofing (George Vigil), Richard's Roofing (Richard Martinez), and David Espinoza Roofing. He said that David Espinoza hand nails all the roofs instead of using staples. I called Espinoza, not even mentioning the staples and asked him to come out to look at the furnace vent pipe leak. He sounded a bit impatient but said he'll come next Tuesday at 10am. He only has a BB rating with BBB of NM. Perhaps I should check again what ABC Roofing Specialist's rating is. Richard's Roofing had an AA, I think. I want a condo!!

Then I went to MPL and trolled the free stuff in the lobby and looked in the bookstore. I was hoping the interlibrary book called something like the Good Foot book would be in but it wasn't. Then I went to WR to the MPL branch there and trolled the freebie box there and afterwards went to the Jemez House Thrift Shop where I bought for one whole buck some exercise videos that I'll preview tonight on fast forward while I kegel. Then, since it seemed cooler and somewhat overcast, I decided to walk the Hotrock Rim Trail, still feeling sorry for myself. I think I need to reserve an old pair of shoes just special for walking that lava trail. Instead, I used a mostly brand new pair of Merrell's from REI. BTW, REI in SF now won't open until the end of September.

Then home and waded through email on the computer, made some phone calls. Daughter called to ask if she could bring grandson over while she jogged so I made the pizza (easy - pizza shell, canned spag sauce, bags of shredded cheese) for grandson and spouse. After supper, spouse took grandson to Baskin Robbins. I cooked up bunch of beet tops that daughter had given me. She bought a lot of red beets to make borscht for a dinner she's going to tonight. While I was trying to get my supper underway, I heard trapped bird sounds from the woodstove. The poor thing was scratching and practically squeaking and whimpering to get out so I closed up everything and opened the front door. Man, that little birdie flew out to that beautiful light and freedom as soon as I opened the woodstove door and then sat on my car for a moment, collecting itself.

OK, after all that humaneness to the bird, well it does not apply to the squirrels that are burrowing under our back porch slab!! John told me that Go Die Gopher has styrychnine in it and he's used it for gophers but found a dead squirrel instead. I didn't need to think twice and went to Metzger's this morning to buy some. When I opened the back patio door, there was a squirrel that popped into a hole under our back porch. After supper, I left him a little treat. I hope I don't burn in Hades for killing squirrels but I already have dead gophers on my conscience so what's another squirrel? I tore out the sunflowers in the rocks to cut off the food supply so as not to attract them. God bless the soul of that poor defenseless squirrel but I like them much better in the forest. I'm afraid that when their family gets to big for under the porch slab, they'll move into the crawl space. The awful thing is that grandson loves squirrels!!

Aren't you sorry you asked about my day??? : )

Las Conchas Peak

The Las Conchas Peak hike went well Monday. David wasn't impressed with the route up. All along he had wanted to go up from Peralta Road up a pass. I must admit that watching everyone pick their way up the rocky south side of Las Conchas and burying themselves in the shrubs to do it, made me realize that David was right but I wasn't familiar with any other way.

Everyone seemed to like the views from on top but the caldera views were probably somewhat disappointing to Dorothy. I had forgotten how blocked toward Redondo the top of Las Conchas is. The best views of Redondo were from the next peak to the south - Hermit Thrush Peak.

After lunch, David wanted to go down a different way and no one protested! He went down from the northeast corner of the mountain and it was a very good way down - not too steep. He built some small rock cairns as we went down and we built another brush cairn when we intersected the Peralta-Paliza Trail.

When we got back to the Peralta-Paliza Trail, Dorothy suggested that we shortcut the trail by going downhill to another section of the trail and we all agreed. However, Dorothy wasn't paying complete attention because we kept asking her to identify this and that flower so we ended up going down to Peralta Road. Basically, I think that Faye and David both wanted to go down the shortest way and they would head off and we all mindlessly followed. I marked where we came out on the road with a stone cairn. I'd like to try to go to Las Conchas again from that point and going up the way we came down on this past Monday. I think that David and Faye are excellent mountaineers.

Annette walked back with me to my car parked at the bottom of Peralta Road. We walked out through Corral Canyon but cut up the hill, before NM4, to go east along an old road that went alongside the private property. The road intersected the Peralta Road fairly close to my car and we walked back on the road.

Today I mailed off the Roadrunner Sports shoes for a refund. I also mailed 3" of our toaster oven plug to get a new one under warranty as it had began working only intermittently. It was only 7 months old and a Black and Decker model.

I walked in the woods alongside Camp May Road for the first time in a long time. It was in surprisingly good condition as far as trash. I had decided anyway that I'd be ignoring trash except on a yearly basis. Someone knocked down a few of the rock cairns in the area near Paint Ball Road. I had forgotten how hard it is to pull myself up Guardrail Hill! I'm out of practice!!

Tomorrow I hike with the WI. They'll go to the East Fork Area but the one further west with the pit toilets, I think. Annette emailed me where they are going but if I want to get on the email list, I have to ask Ginny Bell.

July 4th Daze

Recap:

Thursday - Went to Santa Fe. Spouse went to Pearle Vision to have reading glasses remade a second time. Shopped Vitamin Cottage. Made return at Borders and bought new Rodney Yee dvd - A.M. Yoga for Your Week. Was only $10. Did one segment so far and it's good. Has 5 twenty minute segments.

Friday - Got up 6am to go to BESC hiking group which leaves at 8:05am but no one was there. Probably they took July 4th off. We went to Apache Springs and hiked to edge of Frijoles Canyon and back. Saw couple hiking with dog but it was a nice dog. Maybe they were the Utah SUV and didn't want to leave dog in car. Saw a family with child younger than grandson and also a couple. It was good to get an early start. Can't for the life of me remember what else I did later in.

Saturday - Blender had broken. After 2 days of using food processor as blender - not good as it doesn't result in smooth, drinkable breakfast-lunch smoothies but instead makes chunky, chewable smoothies - we went to SF again to buy a new blender. Bought a GE 800 watt blender at Walmart - $67. Two year warranty is hilarious as it sounds like it excludes coverage of everything that could possibly go wrong with it. I'll give it a 3 month trial (time period you can return stuff to Walmart). I'd like a VitaMix but $549 is a bit steep!! Ate lunch at Red Lobster - lunch portion trout, broccoli, asparagus, salad - so delicious (I'm starving as I'm writing this!!).

Sunday - Got late start to Jemez - around 11am. Went to Corral Canyon. Spouse walked 1 mile in and then sat down to eat his lunch while I continued on for my 4 miles RT. Went up Calzada Trail to T intersection and out a little on Peralta-Paliza Trail. Saw 2 groups of cows - a little unnerving. On way back, it rained a little and thundered a little but I made it back alive. I caught up on the computer and will eat my kale-wild rice dish now. I have to get up at 5:30am tomorrow to pick up spouse at RPM and take him to work. His car is acting up. We replaced the windshield wipers on my car today. Actually, the lady at Auto Zone replaced them with ones I purchased there. They were pretty ragged at the end of the drive home from the Jemez in the rain!

Update on 4 shoes ordered from Roadrunner Sports: None of them really helped my feet. I'm going to mail back all four using their label that will charge $9.49 to my credit card for the return postage and insure the package. It's worth it to get the shoes out of my life. I'm currently trying out some Brooks shoes from REI.

Daily Life

Daughter's dropping grandson off soon because she wants to exercise early. She has to pack this evening for CO trip.

Heard from McPartlon Roofing. Estimate was for $500 to renew caulking on furnace exhaust vent pipe and reseal flashing - no parts, just sealant, caulk, and labor and no warranty since it's not a McPartlon roof system. I declined, of course! Called LA Roofing but he was at bank and said call back and leave message. Haven't heard from him either. LP Roofing never called back either. The furnace room was bone dry after yesterday's storm which makes me think I shouldn't even bother. Problem will probably recur when roof gets loaded with snow and ice this winter as that may wedge under the flashing and make it lift up.

Been seeing neighbor Irma some evenings. She's so sweet. I see her walking with her tiny dog, Chippie. Both her and the dog are so tiny! How could I ever had been mad at her over the stupid lights, especially since she cared enough to put up a porch overhang which somewhat diminished the problem?

Need to read my Science Daily newsletters and the calorie restriction newsletter which I've been letting pile up and also need to read the New York Times health headlines as there's a lot of them that have accumulated and also need to look up some stuff about heel spurs (it can be so painful at times but hip problem may be getting better) and about blenders (mine may be dying - I would love a VitaMix!!).

Getting very hungry!!