Rogue Trail and Rice Pudding

Finally took spouse on the Rogue Trail today. We were going to hike up Pajarito Canyon to see some aspen colors and then down the Nail Trail to close the loop but at the trailhead, it appeared that the state highway workers were getting ready to re=stripe the newly resurfaced NM501.  We were afraid they'd overspray our car so we left to walk behind the Walkup Center swimming pool.

I told spouse that I thought the Rogue Trail, out and back from the Walkup Center, would only be 3 miles roundtrip.  The idea of a shorter hike appealed to him.  The Rogue Trail, built by a retired scientist, is an unsanctioned but well- built trail the width of a sidewalk that runs above the south side of Pueblo Canyon.  In places, if you fell, you'd have a long slide down into the canyon.  One hiker described it as vertigo-inducing.

Spouse doesn't like heights and, to boot, a thunderstorm was building and he doesn't like lightning so he  was very game to go along with me.  We turned around where the trail narrows to a single-track - that part scares even me!  It was lightly raining by then and unclear how bad the storm would be.

It may have been almost 4 miles round-trip by going back to the Walkup Center but instead, because of the rain, we short-cutted the hike by going up the old, dirt road (from the site of the former Peggy Sue Bridge) to the Jewish Center and walked Canyon Road back to our car.  I told spouse we would make that hike number one million in our rotation and thanked him for doing it with me.  For a long time, I've wanted him to see it.

This morning, I made another How it all Vegan inspired recipe - rice pudding but I didn't use soy milk and in addition to the vanilla extract and cinnamon, added cardamom and nutmeg.  The "milk" I used was the vanilla almond-date "milk" that I made yesterday. 

The rice pudding is so delicious that I have to restrain myself from gobbling it all up!  I'm amazed how sweet it tastes even though it's only sweetened with 4 medjool dates, the sweet spices and vanilla extract. 

I let spouse taste the pudding but he said it was too chewy.  He doesn't like brown rice but, really, it was the raisins that were chewy.  They softened more as the pudding cooled. Brown rice is not as fibrous as he thinks it is!