I haven't done this hike for years and I'm really glad I found some people willing to do it - one of the WI hikers and her long-time friend. The WI hiker was scouting it to put on her Tuesday group's schedule. They were both good company and good hikers. We had a lot of fun talking and laughing. We all feel lucky to live in northern NM.
On the way out to the turnoff for Ancho Rapids, we were treated to the sight of a tarantula scurrying along the Powerline Road. I rarely see tarantulas so that was exciting!
It's a tough hike - 1000' elevation gain and loss to the Rio Grande and back. It's steep and therefore not a hike you'd want to do in summer unless you're training for Death Valley! I've gone with the LL group in springtime and it's really pretty then. There is a spring that runs year-around and its banks are edged by watercress. This time of year is lovely too because of the autumn colors - red gambel oak and bright yellow cottonwood. I saw small animal tracks in some mud along the creek.
Ancho Rapids was a refreshing sight and I enjoyed closing my eyes to listen to the rapids. The banks of the Rio are lined by basalt boulders blackened by desert varnish and worn very smooth over the aeons. We enjoyed lunch on the riverbank, listening to the rush of the rapids and warmed by the boulders we sat on.
Friday, October 16, 2009
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Dilated Pupils
Both spouse and I got eye exams today in Santa Fe. My retina checked out perfectly.
I did 3 miles on the Route. I didn't do 4 miles because I couldn't see well. My pupils were still dilated and I protected them with from the late afternoon sunlight by several layers - clip-on sunglasses, prescription sunglasses and the disposable sunglasses that the eye doctor gives out. The world was blurry and colorless. It made me feel empathetic to people who have eye problems that, while they are not blind, greatly impair their eyesight. The world's visual beauty is so diminished if it's all a muted blur. Plus, it's a hazard trying to walk on uneven ground when you can't see clearly. Be grateful for good eyesight!
I did 3 miles on the Route. I didn't do 4 miles because I couldn't see well. My pupils were still dilated and I protected them with from the late afternoon sunlight by several layers - clip-on sunglasses, prescription sunglasses and the disposable sunglasses that the eye doctor gives out. The world was blurry and colorless. It made me feel empathetic to people who have eye problems that, while they are not blind, greatly impair their eyesight. The world's visual beauty is so diminished if it's all a muted blur. Plus, it's a hazard trying to walk on uneven ground when you can't see clearly. Be grateful for good eyesight!
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Feeling Better and MVD Overcome!
Today was the WI hike on the Bland-Frijoles Trail 113. There were only 12 of us and no Santa Fe people came along. We parked and started walking about 3 miles in on the north side of Dome Road, FR289, from its intersection with FR36.
Some pre-hike excitement was afforded me when my ride started driving away just as I had opened the back door and was attempting to get into the vehicle but fortunately I was able to step away from the moving car and wasn't hurt. The other passengers warned the driver and she stopped. She thought I was already in the car. I wasn't hurt and didn't dwell on it but it gave me some elevated heart rate when it happened and I was standing still!
Everyone enjoyed photographing the brilliant yellow aspens. The skies were bright New Mexico blue with occasional white clouds floating here and there. It was the quintessential autumn day in northern New Mexico that makes you want to just melt into the landscape and never leave!
We had lunch at the base of Rabbit Hill but didn't go up it. Instead, after lunch, we walked on a ridge between Capulin and Alamo Canyon which gave us good views into Alamo Canyon and of Pajarito Mountain and Cerro Grande. I saw lots of brilliant red barberry bushes on the ridge - very pretty!
On the way back, some of us bushwhacked straight up the ridge but I took the trail and got a ride back to my car with different hikers. It had nothing to do with the earlier mishap but I could see that the hikers who were going off-trail were going to take much longer to get back and I had to meet our daughter at 3:30pm at the Motor Vehicle Division - this time with the notarized gift affidavit in hand - to give her our old car. I got back in plenty of time and the wait was much shorter today and the transaction was successfully done - yippee!!
Today, my muscles felt fine and so did my knee. In the last two weeks, I finished the last two 50,000IU Vitamin D2 capsules and I theorize that they caused the unusual sluggishness.
Some pre-hike excitement was afforded me when my ride started driving away just as I had opened the back door and was attempting to get into the vehicle but fortunately I was able to step away from the moving car and wasn't hurt. The other passengers warned the driver and she stopped. She thought I was already in the car. I wasn't hurt and didn't dwell on it but it gave me some elevated heart rate when it happened and I was standing still!
Everyone enjoyed photographing the brilliant yellow aspens. The skies were bright New Mexico blue with occasional white clouds floating here and there. It was the quintessential autumn day in northern New Mexico that makes you want to just melt into the landscape and never leave!
We had lunch at the base of Rabbit Hill but didn't go up it. Instead, after lunch, we walked on a ridge between Capulin and Alamo Canyon which gave us good views into Alamo Canyon and of Pajarito Mountain and Cerro Grande. I saw lots of brilliant red barberry bushes on the ridge - very pretty!
On the way back, some of us bushwhacked straight up the ridge but I took the trail and got a ride back to my car with different hikers. It had nothing to do with the earlier mishap but I could see that the hikers who were going off-trail were going to take much longer to get back and I had to meet our daughter at 3:30pm at the Motor Vehicle Division - this time with the notarized gift affidavit in hand - to give her our old car. I got back in plenty of time and the wait was much shorter today and the transaction was successfully done - yippee!!
Today, my muscles felt fine and so did my knee. In the last two weeks, I finished the last two 50,000IU Vitamin D2 capsules and I theorize that they caused the unusual sluggishness.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Frustrating Day Except for "Partying" Coyotes
In the middle of last night, there was a very loud thunderstorm that included one particularly close, booming thunderclap. I don't think a thunderstorm was even predicted and, anyway, what's it doing thunderstorming in October like it's the middle of summer? It should be snowing!
Woke via alarm clock by 8am because I had to get moving to meet daughter at motor vehicle office to give her spouse's old car. After breakfast, went out to insurance company to pick up spouse's proof of insurance for his new car, donated our 22 year old stereo receiver to Casa Mesita Thrift Shop, visited senior center and library and then went to the the Route to exercise.
I parked at the Ocean and started walking from there. I walked all the various logging roads south of Camp May Road and turned around at the bottom of Guardrail Hill. It was one of those days like last Monday when I felt sluggish. My left knee objected to any uphill and my leg muscles were lethargic. It was distressing.
I got back home with about one hour to have lunch before I had to meet daughter at 3:30pm at the motor vehicle office. Then, after we waited an hour, it was our turn. The clerk asked where the bill of sale was and I said it was a gift. He then went to get us a gift affidavit and said to bring it back notarized. I had totally forgotten from when we gave our other car to our son-in-law about the gift affidavit business - grrrrr! I felt like such a nincompoop and so sorry that I had wasted daughter's time. She is so busy now with school, work and moving.
The bright spot of the day was seeing on my walk the beautiful, young aspens with brilliant yellow leaves and hearing coyotes that seemed to be having a joyous time exercising their vocal cords! I didn't see them and don't know how many there were but what an amazing sound it was. I stood and listened until the final yip and then there was complete silence. When I got back to my car, they did it one more time.
Woke via alarm clock by 8am because I had to get moving to meet daughter at motor vehicle office to give her spouse's old car. After breakfast, went out to insurance company to pick up spouse's proof of insurance for his new car, donated our 22 year old stereo receiver to Casa Mesita Thrift Shop, visited senior center and library and then went to the the Route to exercise.
I parked at the Ocean and started walking from there. I walked all the various logging roads south of Camp May Road and turned around at the bottom of Guardrail Hill. It was one of those days like last Monday when I felt sluggish. My left knee objected to any uphill and my leg muscles were lethargic. It was distressing.
I got back home with about one hour to have lunch before I had to meet daughter at 3:30pm at the motor vehicle office. Then, after we waited an hour, it was our turn. The clerk asked where the bill of sale was and I said it was a gift. He then went to get us a gift affidavit and said to bring it back notarized. I had totally forgotten from when we gave our other car to our son-in-law about the gift affidavit business - grrrrr! I felt like such a nincompoop and so sorry that I had wasted daughter's time. She is so busy now with school, work and moving.
The bright spot of the day was seeing on my walk the beautiful, young aspens with brilliant yellow leaves and hearing coyotes that seemed to be having a joyous time exercising their vocal cords! I didn't see them and don't know how many there were but what an amazing sound it was. I stood and listened until the final yip and then there was complete silence. When I got back to my car, they did it one more time.
Friday, September 25, 2009
Explore for Next Week's Valle Canyon-Pajarito Mountain Hike
I went up Zero Road East from the Pajarito Mountain Ski Area Lodge to the top of the Lone Spruce Lift to check out a hike I'll do with a group next week starting from Valle Canyon and going up to Pajarito Mountain along the Valles Caldera National Preserve (VCNP) fence line. This group doesn't want to trespass on VCNP property which is why we will skirt along the VCNP fence. That will work out good because the climb up Pajarito Mountain is shallower the further east you go. Going on the VCNP property forces you to go more west up a steeper ridge.
From the road on the south side of Pajarito Mountain, I went downhill a short distance to a meadow above Pajarito Canyon to take a few waypoints to plot on TOPO! so I could understand the lay of the land. Landmarks are Pajarito Canyon, the tower between Lone Spruce Lift and Aspen Lift (incidentally, TOPO! shows that the Pajarito Canyon Trail, which was destroyed in 2000 by the Cerro Grande Fire, ended in the vicinity of the hill which that tower sits on. I need to study the waypoints I plotted further so I have a good idea of how to go up from Valle Canyon and pop out at the right place on the backside of Pajarito Mountain.
Going back uphill in the meadow, I blundered across a faint trail that went along the edge of Pajarito Canyon over to the picnic deck at the top of Lone Spruce Lift. If we can blunder upon that again, that would be a nice way to go back to Zero Road East.
Aspens haven't started turning yet on Pajarito Mountain but down below there is a good display starting on the hillside south of Pajarito Canyon. Disappointingly, many of the small aspens on Pajarito Mountain won't change color this year as some disease or pest has turned the leaves brown and full of holes.
At the corner going downhill where Zero Road East makes a sharp hairpin turn to the east, I went down the Dogpatch bike trail to check it out as a possible shortcut back to the Lodge. It worked well except for one nastily steep downhill section. I saw a grouse on this section. Grouse look like small chickens and don't look anything like wild turkeys with their long, bobbing necks. Based on my experience today, I wouldn't mind just taking Zero Road East all the way back to the Lodge but I will defer to others who may know better shortcuts than the Dogpatch Bike Trail. If there is any precipitation, though, the jeep trail would be the safest.
The other major jeep road up Pajarito Mountain, the one on the left just uphill from the Townsite Lift, would put us too far to the east. Going down Zero Road East to the Lodge will work out nicely.
From the road on the south side of Pajarito Mountain, I went downhill a short distance to a meadow above Pajarito Canyon to take a few waypoints to plot on TOPO! so I could understand the lay of the land. Landmarks are Pajarito Canyon, the tower between Lone Spruce Lift and Aspen Lift (incidentally, TOPO! shows that the Pajarito Canyon Trail, which was destroyed in 2000 by the Cerro Grande Fire, ended in the vicinity of the hill which that tower sits on. I need to study the waypoints I plotted further so I have a good idea of how to go up from Valle Canyon and pop out at the right place on the backside of Pajarito Mountain.
Going back uphill in the meadow, I blundered across a faint trail that went along the edge of Pajarito Canyon over to the picnic deck at the top of Lone Spruce Lift. If we can blunder upon that again, that would be a nice way to go back to Zero Road East.
Aspens haven't started turning yet on Pajarito Mountain but down below there is a good display starting on the hillside south of Pajarito Canyon. Disappointingly, many of the small aspens on Pajarito Mountain won't change color this year as some disease or pest has turned the leaves brown and full of holes.
At the corner going downhill where Zero Road East makes a sharp hairpin turn to the east, I went down the Dogpatch bike trail to check it out as a possible shortcut back to the Lodge. It worked well except for one nastily steep downhill section. I saw a grouse on this section. Grouse look like small chickens and don't look anything like wild turkeys with their long, bobbing necks. Based on my experience today, I wouldn't mind just taking Zero Road East all the way back to the Lodge but I will defer to others who may know better shortcuts than the Dogpatch Bike Trail. If there is any precipitation, though, the jeep trail would be the safest.
The other major jeep road up Pajarito Mountain, the one on the left just uphill from the Townsite Lift, would put us too far to the east. Going down Zero Road East to the Lodge will work out nicely.
Friday, September 18, 2009
Mitchell Trail
The Los Alamos YMCA is giving a series of hikes to showcase Los Alamos County Open Space Trails and the trail work that the Youth Conservation Corps (YCC) did this summer.
The first one was last Friday to Deer Trap Mesa. A hiker on today's hike, who used to hike with the Lemon Lot group, said that last week, she was the only member of the public attending and the rest were all with the Y or the YCC.
I had gotten up early too many days last week and used last Friday to try to sleep later. I was going to do the same thing today but in the middle of the night, I set my alarm. I felt so tired last night (because of flu shot Monday?) that I went to bed around 10pm and actually fell asleep.
There were nine of us on the hike and I think that once again, the public was outnumbered by the people putting on the hike but we all enjoyed it. We walked on the Mitchell Trail to the bottom of where it starts switch backing up to Guaje Ridge. I continued on up to Guaje Ridge but everyone else went back. I wasn't carrying a backpack or water so the 1500' elevation gain was easy. I was plenty hydrated from breakfast. I reported back to the county open space director on two fallen trees and an incipient drainage problem. He asked me to report anything I saw.
The first one was last Friday to Deer Trap Mesa. A hiker on today's hike, who used to hike with the Lemon Lot group, said that last week, she was the only member of the public attending and the rest were all with the Y or the YCC.
I had gotten up early too many days last week and used last Friday to try to sleep later. I was going to do the same thing today but in the middle of the night, I set my alarm. I felt so tired last night (because of flu shot Monday?) that I went to bed around 10pm and actually fell asleep.
There were nine of us on the hike and I think that once again, the public was outnumbered by the people putting on the hike but we all enjoyed it. We walked on the Mitchell Trail to the bottom of where it starts switch backing up to Guaje Ridge. I continued on up to Guaje Ridge but everyone else went back. I wasn't carrying a backpack or water so the 1500' elevation gain was easy. I was plenty hydrated from breakfast. I reported back to the county open space director on two fallen trees and an incipient drainage problem. He asked me to report anything I saw.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Scraggly Little Skunk
I got started going up the the Route around 2:30pm. Thunder was rumbling and there was overcast but nothing developed.
Dispatched a fallen snag near Paintball Road. At first, I turned it into a teeter totter - the top of the snag had broken off and fallen against the bottom - but I was easily able to rectify the situation although I left the heavier end pointed up although it seemed stable.
Near FR2998, I encountered a scraggly little skunk. It was so small, I barely noticed it in time as it stood on the dirt road with its tail upraised. I skirted widely past it as it all the while swiveled around to keep it's tail aimed at me. At a good distance, I stopped and looked back at that skinny jot of a skunk and mused on how, out in the open like it was, it had more to worry about from a predator than from me. It looked so underfed that I felt sorry for it.
When I got back to the Ocean, the sun came out and the whole landscape glistened in the long, golden rays of afternoon.
Dispatched a fallen snag near Paintball Road. At first, I turned it into a teeter totter - the top of the snag had broken off and fallen against the bottom - but I was easily able to rectify the situation although I left the heavier end pointed up although it seemed stable.
Near FR2998, I encountered a scraggly little skunk. It was so small, I barely noticed it in time as it stood on the dirt road with its tail upraised. I skirted widely past it as it all the while swiveled around to keep it's tail aimed at me. At a good distance, I stopped and looked back at that skinny jot of a skunk and mused on how, out in the open like it was, it had more to worry about from a predator than from me. It looked so underfed that I felt sorry for it.
When I got back to the Ocean, the sun came out and the whole landscape glistened in the long, golden rays of afternoon.
Friday, September 11, 2009
A Walk on the Wild Ridge
On Thursday's hike up Cerro Grande, I got the idea that I wanted to go up Rabbit Mountain so I did today.
I started around 10:40am and got back to the car around 2:50pm. According to my GPS, I walked a grand total of 5.45 miles. I saw no one else on the Rabbit Ridge Road or on top of Rabbit Ridge. The weather held fantastically - no thunderstorms or threat of them for the whole trek.
I started around 10:40am and got back to the car around 2:50pm. According to my GPS, I walked a grand total of 5.45 miles. I saw no one else on the Rabbit Ridge Road or on top of Rabbit Ridge. The weather held fantastically - no thunderstorms or threat of them for the whole trek.
A few aspens are already showing the beginnings of the fall color change. Shrubs and forbs are already turning yellow and red. Autumn is the most beautiful time of year! There is such a feeling and anticipation of change in the air. It enlivens me and even somewhat saddens me. The sadness comes from knowing that nothing is permanent, including me. The enlivenment is from the joy of seeing another autumn and the beauty of the transformed landscape.
On top of Rabbit Ridge, I heard a breaking branch and saw two elk bolting downhill - hard for me to see through the trees whether cow or bull. Later, I heard a bull elk bugle - a shrill sound, almost mechanical-like. These wild occurences didn't scare me; in fact, I enjoyed them.
I did get scared, though, when I heard what sounded like soft footsteps and then a sound like the stomach makes when it has hunger pains. It could have been a bird because nothing jumped out at me. I was in an area near one of the felsenmeers that's hemmed in by bushes - this made me nervous!
I kept a steady pace, taking water and bathroom breaks and peeks at the GPS at the felsenmeers. The backside meadows on Rabbit Ridge are very golden and there are views to the south of St. Peter's Dome, Cerro Picacho, Cerro Boletas and Cochiti Lake.
On the way to Rabbit Mountain, I counted 4 felsenmeers and one bump that didn't appear to have a felsenmeer.
I didn't linger on top of Rabbit Mountain's extensive felsenmeer. I had decided not to retrace my steps along Rabbit Ridge and I was going to go down through the woods right beside and east of Rabbit Mountain but as I stopped at the top, poised to start down, I heard this awful roaring ruckus down below. It sounded like an angry bear! I really don't know what it was but it was not an elk bugling.
Instead, I walked a little further on the ridge down to the grassy saddle at the base of the high hill just east of Rabbit Mountain. The woods below looked open and I saw patches of sunlight. I didn't hear any distressing sounds so I started down.
I used my compass the guide me mostly north back to NM4 where my car was parked. I picked my way down to the west side of the next felsenmeer over from Rabbit Mountain and crossed it where it was narrower.
Eventually I hit a long-abandoned logging road and then was able to follow old logging roads, past series of stumps and meadows, to Rabbit Ridge Road. Deal was, though, that I thought it was another road that turns off from Rabbit Ridge Road so I turned right but when I started going uphill, I pulled out my GPS and saw my mistake. As I went downhill to the intersection with the Coyote Call Trail, I surprised a turkey in the road and as it ran away, head bobbing, I saw there were about 6 altogether. I wonder - where do turkeys go in the winter? They don't look strong enough to over-winter and I don't think they fly.
I didn't have my Coker lunch until I was on the Coyote Call Trail and almost back to the final meadow above Valle Grande. I didn't want to attract whatever was bellowing in those woods. ; D
Thinking back on the hike, I'm happy I did it and proud that I made it to the top of Rabbit Mountain but, even though I was appreciating the beauty of the ridge and the views as I walked along, I didn't linger because since I was alone, I felt the need to keep moving along.
I would have liked to have done this hike with someone but no one was available. But, I did, after all, get in two group hikes this week so I should be happy!
Stopped by daughter's this evening to see her adorable new kitty that she adopted from the animal shelter. Grandson was busy on the computer designing a Lego jet plane with a swiveling gun turret on top. There were an empty Swizzlers and Reese's Peanut Butter Cup wrappers next to the computer. He had a cola drink that he was swigging from. He now goes to the Activity Center one day a week and as a treat, gets some money to spend.
Daughter was baking a cake for get-together tomorrow with in-laws. The cake overflowed and she made jokes about how it was out to get her. Aidan enjoyed licking the icing off the mixer beaters! I remember doing that as a kid except there were 5 of us that had to share! We loved it when our Mom made cream puffs and we were allowed to gobble up the soft dough inside the puff pastry before she stuffed it with pudding.
On top of Rabbit Ridge, I heard a breaking branch and saw two elk bolting downhill - hard for me to see through the trees whether cow or bull. Later, I heard a bull elk bugle - a shrill sound, almost mechanical-like. These wild occurences didn't scare me; in fact, I enjoyed them.
I did get scared, though, when I heard what sounded like soft footsteps and then a sound like the stomach makes when it has hunger pains. It could have been a bird because nothing jumped out at me. I was in an area near one of the felsenmeers that's hemmed in by bushes - this made me nervous!
I kept a steady pace, taking water and bathroom breaks and peeks at the GPS at the felsenmeers. The backside meadows on Rabbit Ridge are very golden and there are views to the south of St. Peter's Dome, Cerro Picacho, Cerro Boletas and Cochiti Lake.
On the way to Rabbit Mountain, I counted 4 felsenmeers and one bump that didn't appear to have a felsenmeer.
I didn't linger on top of Rabbit Mountain's extensive felsenmeer. I had decided not to retrace my steps along Rabbit Ridge and I was going to go down through the woods right beside and east of Rabbit Mountain but as I stopped at the top, poised to start down, I heard this awful roaring ruckus down below. It sounded like an angry bear! I really don't know what it was but it was not an elk bugling.
Instead, I walked a little further on the ridge down to the grassy saddle at the base of the high hill just east of Rabbit Mountain. The woods below looked open and I saw patches of sunlight. I didn't hear any distressing sounds so I started down.
I used my compass the guide me mostly north back to NM4 where my car was parked. I picked my way down to the west side of the next felsenmeer over from Rabbit Mountain and crossed it where it was narrower.
Eventually I hit a long-abandoned logging road and then was able to follow old logging roads, past series of stumps and meadows, to Rabbit Ridge Road. Deal was, though, that I thought it was another road that turns off from Rabbit Ridge Road so I turned right but when I started going uphill, I pulled out my GPS and saw my mistake. As I went downhill to the intersection with the Coyote Call Trail, I surprised a turkey in the road and as it ran away, head bobbing, I saw there were about 6 altogether. I wonder - where do turkeys go in the winter? They don't look strong enough to over-winter and I don't think they fly.
I didn't have my Coker lunch until I was on the Coyote Call Trail and almost back to the final meadow above Valle Grande. I didn't want to attract whatever was bellowing in those woods. ; D
Thinking back on the hike, I'm happy I did it and proud that I made it to the top of Rabbit Mountain but, even though I was appreciating the beauty of the ridge and the views as I walked along, I didn't linger because since I was alone, I felt the need to keep moving along.
I would have liked to have done this hike with someone but no one was available. But, I did, after all, get in two group hikes this week so I should be happy!
Stopped by daughter's this evening to see her adorable new kitty that she adopted from the animal shelter. Grandson was busy on the computer designing a Lego jet plane with a swiveling gun turret on top. There were an empty Swizzlers and Reese's Peanut Butter Cup wrappers next to the computer. He had a cola drink that he was swigging from. He now goes to the Activity Center one day a week and as a treat, gets some money to spend.
Daughter was baking a cake for get-together tomorrow with in-laws. The cake overflowed and she made jokes about how it was out to get her. Aidan enjoyed licking the icing off the mixer beaters! I remember doing that as a kid except there were 5 of us that had to share! We loved it when our Mom made cream puffs and we were allowed to gobble up the soft dough inside the puff pastry before she stuffed it with pudding.
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Whole Body Exercise and a Note on the White Rock Rim Trail
I've figured out a new way to keep in shape: Go out in the woods and rip NM locusts out of the ground. I have sore muscles that indicate this is a good, whole body exercise. Something about the combination of bending over and pulling up as hard as you can is what does it!
Maybe I could go in the backyard and pickup cinder blocks? They are a little bulky though and I'd probably drop one on my toes. Another idea is to lay a piece of clothesline under some heavy weights and pull up. The weights would have to be really heavy or this might have unintended consequences like the weight flying up into my face. If all else fails, there are some good, whole body weightlifting moves that involve bending over and pulling up like Deadlifts.
Walked with spouse on White Rock Rim Trail today. Went to bench overlooking Pajarito Canyon and turned around but on the way back, took short side trip down to bench trail below the White Rock Rim Trail. Saw lots of coyote scat, including a bright red pile. Prickly pear is fruiting now which that explains the technicolor. Maybe the trail could be called Coyote Gordo because the wild canines using it are certainly well-fed!
I only followed the trail to where it goes past piles of huge basalt boulders and than the trail tread crosses directly on top of torturously rough basalt. I've followed it further in the past to where it looks like there could be a way down to the next bench level above the Rio Grande.
On the way back to where spouse waited, I noticed an area with willows and denser shrubbery that looked almost oasis-like compared to the sparse vegetation around. On top, I noted a corresponding area directly above the lusher area that also had willows and less arid-looking vegetation than the usual piñons and junipers. I couldn't really see any water but there has to be a spring that's making those willows thrive.
Maybe I could go in the backyard and pickup cinder blocks? They are a little bulky though and I'd probably drop one on my toes. Another idea is to lay a piece of clothesline under some heavy weights and pull up. The weights would have to be really heavy or this might have unintended consequences like the weight flying up into my face. If all else fails, there are some good, whole body weightlifting moves that involve bending over and pulling up like Deadlifts.
Walked with spouse on White Rock Rim Trail today. Went to bench overlooking Pajarito Canyon and turned around but on the way back, took short side trip down to bench trail below the White Rock Rim Trail. Saw lots of coyote scat, including a bright red pile. Prickly pear is fruiting now which that explains the technicolor. Maybe the trail could be called Coyote Gordo because the wild canines using it are certainly well-fed!
I only followed the trail to where it goes past piles of huge basalt boulders and than the trail tread crosses directly on top of torturously rough basalt. I've followed it further in the past to where it looks like there could be a way down to the next bench level above the Rio Grande.
On the way back to where spouse waited, I noticed an area with willows and denser shrubbery that looked almost oasis-like compared to the sparse vegetation around. On top, I noted a corresponding area directly above the lusher area that also had willows and less arid-looking vegetation than the usual piñons and junipers. I couldn't really see any water but there has to be a spring that's making those willows thrive.
Friday, September 4, 2009
I've Been Working on the the Route
All the live long day! I've been working on the the Route just to pass the time away!
Yesterday and today, I put in hours pulling out NM locust by the roots and sawing off what I couldn't pull it out. Those plants are tough!
Picture me bending over, holding the trunk of the prickly locust with one hand and furiously hacking at it with my tiny saw, all the while worrying a mountain lion will pounce. Chances of that are probably pretty slim, especially since today's work was within sight of a paved road but it pays to be aware! ; D I much preferred the ones I could yank out of the ground but, boy, it was back-breaking work even then because some of them required heavy-duty pulling and always with both hands!
My wonderful work gloves from Walmart have holes in the left-hand fingers so I got lots of thorns that will work themselves out over the next week (that is, the microscopic ones I couldn't see well enough to dig out). In the meantime, my fingertips are sore! I threw out the Walmart gloves and have an unused pair that Los Alamos County gave away Earth Day 2008 for picking up trash.
Yesterday, I picked up a large Bed, Bath and Beyond bag full of trash from a beer party at a road near the Ocean. Today's trash was minor but the locusts were much more numerous. Anyway, this ought to hold it until next fall when I'll pillage the locusts again. There are still loads more but they aren't growing in the middle of the trail or overlapping the sides.
It was so strangely quiet up there today. It was cloudy which was great because it kept the temps down. Maybe clouds muffle the sound. I didn't get started until a little after 1pm and didn't get back to the car until a little after 5pm. No rain at all today even though it looked like it could rain a lot. I only walked two miles total because I only had half of the four mile roundtrip Route to clean up. I more than made up the mileage earlier in the week! Besides, it was pretty strenuous tangling with those locusts!
Yesterday and today, I put in hours pulling out NM locust by the roots and sawing off what I couldn't pull it out. Those plants are tough!
Picture me bending over, holding the trunk of the prickly locust with one hand and furiously hacking at it with my tiny saw, all the while worrying a mountain lion will pounce. Chances of that are probably pretty slim, especially since today's work was within sight of a paved road but it pays to be aware! ; D I much preferred the ones I could yank out of the ground but, boy, it was back-breaking work even then because some of them required heavy-duty pulling and always with both hands!
My wonderful work gloves from Walmart have holes in the left-hand fingers so I got lots of thorns that will work themselves out over the next week (that is, the microscopic ones I couldn't see well enough to dig out). In the meantime, my fingertips are sore! I threw out the Walmart gloves and have an unused pair that Los Alamos County gave away Earth Day 2008 for picking up trash.
Yesterday, I picked up a large Bed, Bath and Beyond bag full of trash from a beer party at a road near the Ocean. Today's trash was minor but the locusts were much more numerous. Anyway, this ought to hold it until next fall when I'll pillage the locusts again. There are still loads more but they aren't growing in the middle of the trail or overlapping the sides.
It was so strangely quiet up there today. It was cloudy which was great because it kept the temps down. Maybe clouds muffle the sound. I didn't get started until a little after 1pm and didn't get back to the car until a little after 5pm. No rain at all today even though it looked like it could rain a lot. I only walked two miles total because I only had half of the four mile roundtrip Route to clean up. I more than made up the mileage earlier in the week! Besides, it was pretty strenuous tangling with those locusts!
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