Was going to hike Sawyer Mesa with Monday group but only one local hiker could make it so we switched the hike to finding the Indian plaza ruin on Burnt Mesa. After she recently saw a depiction of an Indian plaza on Burnt Mesa at the newly reopened Bandelier National Monument Museum, she asked if I would take her there, quite possibly because she remembered my mentioning it. I didn't have the map because we didn't change the plans until we met at Ponderosa Campground this morning to leave a car for the Sawyer Mesa car shuttle.
I knew the general area of where to turn off the main Burnt Mesa Trail. We wandered a little, looking back all the while to see landmarks to find our way back. I have a GPS but why use it if you don't need it. Eventually, we saw what looked like a mound and then also spotted a large elk exclosure and I remembered that the plaza was near an elk exclosure so we moseyed over to the mound and, bingo, there was the plaza! It's small, doughnut-shaped and right next to it is a straight line of blocks outlining a foundation. We both sat at the edge of the plaza for a long time, enjoying the 360 degree views. From here, you can see across to Frijoles Mesa where another Indian plaza is located.
We decided to head due north from the elk exclosure, back to the main trail, to see where we came out. We saw a number of stakes along the way but it wasn't clear what they were marking. We both have a good idea of what landmarks to look for that tell us to turn off the main trail.
We continued walking out to the end of the main trail. I pointed out various small house mound ruins. We passed a male hiker walking back from the end and said hello.
As we approached the cars, we met a ranger. He was touching up some trail work that young volunteers did this summer. They filled some trenched and eroded portions of the trail with old pieces of wood. The ranger is hoping that they will come back next summer and as there is more trenching and erosion to address.
The ranger said that the Bandelier supervisor, Jason Lott, is very interested in improving the trails. I'm happy about that! He suggested that we email Jason Lott to give kudos for the Burnt Mesa trail work. I will but I'll also ask for an update on turning the official route up Cerro Grande into a real trail and if the national park will take over the Valles Caldera National Preserve anytime soon.
The ranger told us that red-haired ranger is retiring next month. When you reach a certain age in national park law enforcement, you're forced to retire. Everyone's hoping they will find another position for him at the park. He's young - only 57? - and has a son in high school.
Monday, September 13, 2010
Cerro Grande Walk and Talk
Tom Ribe, author of Inferno by Committee: A History of the Cerro Grande (Los Alamos) Fire (read it!) gave a walk and talk on Cerro Grande yesterday. It was sponsored by PEEC (Pajarito Environmental Education Center). Twenty seven people showed up and all but 3 made it to the top - two turned around because they had other commitments and one's trick knee wouldn't permit him to go to the top but he made it to the high pass. I'm sure that a lot of people had never been up Cerro Grande before and this event gave them motivation. The pace was slow and some made it up before others.
In the parking lot, Tom first pointed out on a map various features about the fire so it was a while before we started walking. Some WI hikers attended. Two of them got tired of all the stopping and standing around and headed for the top from the high pass, including the marvelously fit 85 year old. At a certain point, I too headed for the top. We all had lunch on top. I stayed with the group during the rest of the hike and we didn't get back to the parking lot until around 2:30 pm.
The most interesting part for me was seeing where the prescribed burn escaped from the west fireline as a crown fire and jumped NM4, going uphill on an eastern arm of Cerro Grande. We didn't walk over there but it was somewhere in the meadow with the small exclosure and then headed across the flat area near the big elk exclosure and downhill into Frijoles Canyon, jumped NM4 and tore uphill in a narrow path on an eastern arm of Cerro Grande.
Near the top of Cerro Grande, Tom showed us where the test burn was started in May 2000. I had seen this area before courtesy of a hiker who pointed it out to me so it was good to see it confirmed.
I'd highly recommend reading this book. Tom started researching it back in 2000 when the ground was still smoking from the fire. The author has had some fire fighting experience and this shows in how he's able to explain fire behavior. For those who want to delve deeper, the book is well footnoted. There is some repetition in the book but that served to help me better understand the Cerro Grande fire.
In the parking lot, Tom first pointed out on a map various features about the fire so it was a while before we started walking. Some WI hikers attended. Two of them got tired of all the stopping and standing around and headed for the top from the high pass, including the marvelously fit 85 year old. At a certain point, I too headed for the top. We all had lunch on top. I stayed with the group during the rest of the hike and we didn't get back to the parking lot until around 2:30 pm.
The most interesting part for me was seeing where the prescribed burn escaped from the west fireline as a crown fire and jumped NM4, going uphill on an eastern arm of Cerro Grande. We didn't walk over there but it was somewhere in the meadow with the small exclosure and then headed across the flat area near the big elk exclosure and downhill into Frijoles Canyon, jumped NM4 and tore uphill in a narrow path on an eastern arm of Cerro Grande.
Near the top of Cerro Grande, Tom showed us where the test burn was started in May 2000. I had seen this area before courtesy of a hiker who pointed it out to me so it was good to see it confirmed.
I'd highly recommend reading this book. Tom started researching it back in 2000 when the ground was still smoking from the fire. The author has had some fire fighting experience and this shows in how he's able to explain fire behavior. For those who want to delve deeper, the book is well footnoted. There is some repetition in the book but that served to help me better understand the Cerro Grande fire.
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Trashy Afternoon
Did housekeeping chores on Route. Cut down remainder of spindly trees left by tree-snapping trail foe. Picked up 2 plastic grocery bags of trash and a short section of 1' tall, white-painted metal picket fence. Trash included a small bottle, half-full, of Leroux Peppermint Schnapps (I poured the schnapps out) and a large, empty bottle of Sobieski Vodka from Poland - woo, wee!
Weird that the national lab held their annual employee picnic on 9/11. Spouse, daughter and grandson went and had a good time.
Really enjoying new season of Dr. Oz. Show is better than ever with news I can use. I like the new Pulse segment that analyzes recent health news like the meta-analysis that concluded that people taking calcium have more heart attacks. Dr. Oz said continue to take calcium if you're taking it but add magnesium and Vitamin D which I already do. When they talked about the female condom, though, they did something new - trailed a warning across the screen about mature content. Might be better to have Dr. Oz give his usual verbal warning as well. Some little toddler is going to get an earful!
Weird that the national lab held their annual employee picnic on 9/11. Spouse, daughter and grandson went and had a good time.
Really enjoying new season of Dr. Oz. Show is better than ever with news I can use. I like the new Pulse segment that analyzes recent health news like the meta-analysis that concluded that people taking calcium have more heart attacks. Dr. Oz said continue to take calcium if you're taking it but add magnesium and Vitamin D which I already do. When they talked about the female condom, though, they did something new - trailed a warning across the screen about mature content. Might be better to have Dr. Oz give his usual verbal warning as well. Some little toddler is going to get an earful!
Older, Wiser, Than You Die
What good does it do to get older and wiser when your kids don't care to hear any of your wisdom and nor does anyone else and then you die anyway. Have fun on the journey at least!
Friday, September 10, 2010
Excruciatingly Detailed Regurgitation
Do you ever have a day where everything feels a little off?
It started off OK. Spouse and I drove in separate cars to Valle Canyon to leave my car there and then he gave me a ride up to FR181/American Springs Road. He wasn't going to do the whole hike because it involved some rough, stony downhill and his sprained ankle is still slightly swollen at the end of each day.
Here is my biased regurgitation of my day - a litany of minor grievances:
Why did the tall, heavy hiker who picked up trash along the way, only bring a small, flimsy, plastic produce bag which we quickly filled up? He then let a hiker who's well into his 80's carry it which may have caused the octogenarian to slip on the descent into Valle Canyon and spill all the trash. The elderly hiker seemed uninjured but the bag was toast and the rest of us had to carry the mashed cans down to the trash-picker-upper waiting below who put it all in the other flimsy produce bag he had. He and his wife have no full-size plastic grocery sacks at home because they use cloth grocery sacks exclusively. Perhaps bringing a cloth grocery bag and lining it with plastic produce bags would be advisable. The cloth bag's handles allow free use of hands for balance and the produce bags would keep the cloth bag clean.
On the hike, after spouse turned around, they asked questions about his ankle sprain. I said it would probably get better if he would walk a little every day and do his physical therapist prescribed exercises. I pointedly intimated that "Mommy" (me) wasn't going to tell him to do this. Felt a bit like a bitch but it's true. I've been nagging my husband all his life to take better care of himself - mainly lose weight and exercise - but to no avail. He's retiring to half-time at work and maybe it's time I retire as his "Mommy"!
I was able to correctly show the group where to turn off FR181 onto the Perimeter Trail but I screwed up mildly where the Perimeter Trail descends after its intersection with the fireline that travels around the northwest and north edge of the Water Canyon area. When I came to the first intersection of the Perimeter Trail and fireline, I saw a small cairn and fruitlessly looked around several times for the downhill continuation of the Perimeter Trail. Someone decided to take a group photo just then but I declined, so intense was I in making sure I wasn't missing the turnoff.
The group managed to find the downhill turn off themselves and proceeded on without me. The correct turn off was just ahead and marked by more cairns - some most likely built by me the last time I was confused here. When I caught up with the group, I told the leader that she needn't worry about losing her job anytime soon - ha, ha! I hadn't been on this part of the trail for over a year - it's a beautiful trail and it's high time I used it again. I need to remember that when the Perimeter Trail, coming from FR181, first crosses the fireline that it then continues parallel to the fireline and downhill soon after.
After the hike, we went to Santa Fe, ostensibly to eat at a new restaurant on Alameda, near the La Montanita Co-op called Pho-Kim. We had read a review of the restaurant in the Santa Fe Reporter. (We were surprised to discover that the Annapurna Restaurant, also in the Solana Center, has been closed since a fire April 21, 2010.)
One of the waiters seemed all that you would desire in a waiter. I overheard him carefully explaining the menu items to a table while taking their orders. Instead, we got a young man who acted semi-sullen. He took spouse's order first. I missed hearing that spouse had finished ordering and only knew it was my turn when I saw the waiter staring at me from across the table while kneeling next to spouse. I tried to ask a question but it was hard for him to hear me so I asked if he'd come closer and thanked him. I wanted to know if the restaurant served brown rice - the answer was no, not traditional, only white. I asked if I could have extra vegetables on my stir fried cashew tofu to replace the rice. He said it depends on the cook. I left it at that.
First my husband's order came out and nothing was said to me about my order. I waited patiently but my heart sunk (I was starving) when I saw our waiter run outside after a couple of diners who had just left. Resolving whatever that was took some extra minutes while I still had no food.
When my order finally came, no extra vegetables (the dish seems to only come with stir fried onions anyway) but also no cashews, an integral part of the dish. I waited until I could get his attention and politely requested that when he wasn't busy, I had some questions. When he came over to our table, I asked for a garnish of cilantro and lime wedges and the missing cashews. Even though cilantro and lime wedges are not traditional, something he felt compelled to tell me, he did bring some, first having to hash out with the cook (we could overhear) if my cashew tofu dish truly included cashews. My tofu tasted very delicious with the non-traditional additions. It would have been too plain otherwise.
Then we went to Sunflower Farmer's Market. I'm now declaring myself amicably separated from that store. I've noticed recently that the produce, albeit cheap, is sometimes in poor condition with fruit flies swirling around. I've tried to buy their 3/$1 grapefruit for the last month but each time it's in poor condition - soft and bruised, not fresh. The produce department is the heart and soul of any grocery store and if it goes downhill, I'm out of there.
At the checkout, the cashier had to call the supervisor over to approve a $13.29 credit for olive oil she had accidentally scanned twice. The cashier said any credit over $10 had to be approved by the supervisor. She told us this was to keep employees from stealing. Then she regaled us by demonstrating how if she wanted to steal a product, she would just pass it through unscanned - class act.
After checking out, I examined my receipt and noticed that the bag of Lundberg brown long grain rice (did I tell you that I like brown rice?) had rung up for $3.19 instead of $2.50 on sale. I had the cashier re-scan it and we discovered that it wasn't included in the sale, which is dumb since the white long grain rice was. So, I went back and got the store's last bag of jasmine brown rice which the shelf tag listed as being on sale.
The cashier acted as though it would be a complicated process to get my 69 cents refund (yes, I'm cheap!), that would involve re-running our credit card and that it would be far less complicated if I would simply pick something from the store shelves for 69 cents. I didn't want to because there was nothing more I wanted except to get out of the store and go home.
Then the supervisor came over again but at first she too acted like giving me my refund for such a piddling sum was beneath them but ultimately she deigned to give me 69 cents saying it would cost them more to run the credit card again. I was polite during all this - no shouting or angry words but I wasn't impressed.
The class act cashier further entertained us during all this by explaining, when I asked, why her terminal was not available - the cashiers are timed so she had turned her terminal off so, as she put it, the manager wouldn't think she was taking 4 days to help one customer. The girl would make a good comedienne but is a lousy cashier.
On the drive home, I was still P/O-ed about the whole refund business (and probably the whole day). They wouldn't treat me like that at Whole Foods, I sniffed. I'll take Sunflower off our Santa Fe rotation, kvetch, whine, quibble, etc. But just then, there was a sound like a gunshot when a pebble hit our car's windshield and an ugly starburst instantly bloomed. So much for my 69 cents refund!! Arghhh...
It started off OK. Spouse and I drove in separate cars to Valle Canyon to leave my car there and then he gave me a ride up to FR181/American Springs Road. He wasn't going to do the whole hike because it involved some rough, stony downhill and his sprained ankle is still slightly swollen at the end of each day.
Here is my biased regurgitation of my day - a litany of minor grievances:
Why did the tall, heavy hiker who picked up trash along the way, only bring a small, flimsy, plastic produce bag which we quickly filled up? He then let a hiker who's well into his 80's carry it which may have caused the octogenarian to slip on the descent into Valle Canyon and spill all the trash. The elderly hiker seemed uninjured but the bag was toast and the rest of us had to carry the mashed cans down to the trash-picker-upper waiting below who put it all in the other flimsy produce bag he had. He and his wife have no full-size plastic grocery sacks at home because they use cloth grocery sacks exclusively. Perhaps bringing a cloth grocery bag and lining it with plastic produce bags would be advisable. The cloth bag's handles allow free use of hands for balance and the produce bags would keep the cloth bag clean.
On the hike, after spouse turned around, they asked questions about his ankle sprain. I said it would probably get better if he would walk a little every day and do his physical therapist prescribed exercises. I pointedly intimated that "Mommy" (me) wasn't going to tell him to do this. Felt a bit like a bitch but it's true. I've been nagging my husband all his life to take better care of himself - mainly lose weight and exercise - but to no avail. He's retiring to half-time at work and maybe it's time I retire as his "Mommy"!
I was able to correctly show the group where to turn off FR181 onto the Perimeter Trail but I screwed up mildly where the Perimeter Trail descends after its intersection with the fireline that travels around the northwest and north edge of the Water Canyon area. When I came to the first intersection of the Perimeter Trail and fireline, I saw a small cairn and fruitlessly looked around several times for the downhill continuation of the Perimeter Trail. Someone decided to take a group photo just then but I declined, so intense was I in making sure I wasn't missing the turnoff.
The group managed to find the downhill turn off themselves and proceeded on without me. The correct turn off was just ahead and marked by more cairns - some most likely built by me the last time I was confused here. When I caught up with the group, I told the leader that she needn't worry about losing her job anytime soon - ha, ha! I hadn't been on this part of the trail for over a year - it's a beautiful trail and it's high time I used it again. I need to remember that when the Perimeter Trail, coming from FR181, first crosses the fireline that it then continues parallel to the fireline and downhill soon after.
After the hike, we went to Santa Fe, ostensibly to eat at a new restaurant on Alameda, near the La Montanita Co-op called Pho-Kim. We had read a review of the restaurant in the Santa Fe Reporter. (We were surprised to discover that the Annapurna Restaurant, also in the Solana Center, has been closed since a fire April 21, 2010.)
One of the waiters seemed all that you would desire in a waiter. I overheard him carefully explaining the menu items to a table while taking their orders. Instead, we got a young man who acted semi-sullen. He took spouse's order first. I missed hearing that spouse had finished ordering and only knew it was my turn when I saw the waiter staring at me from across the table while kneeling next to spouse. I tried to ask a question but it was hard for him to hear me so I asked if he'd come closer and thanked him. I wanted to know if the restaurant served brown rice - the answer was no, not traditional, only white. I asked if I could have extra vegetables on my stir fried cashew tofu to replace the rice. He said it depends on the cook. I left it at that.
First my husband's order came out and nothing was said to me about my order. I waited patiently but my heart sunk (I was starving) when I saw our waiter run outside after a couple of diners who had just left. Resolving whatever that was took some extra minutes while I still had no food.
When my order finally came, no extra vegetables (the dish seems to only come with stir fried onions anyway) but also no cashews, an integral part of the dish. I waited until I could get his attention and politely requested that when he wasn't busy, I had some questions. When he came over to our table, I asked for a garnish of cilantro and lime wedges and the missing cashews. Even though cilantro and lime wedges are not traditional, something he felt compelled to tell me, he did bring some, first having to hash out with the cook (we could overhear) if my cashew tofu dish truly included cashews. My tofu tasted very delicious with the non-traditional additions. It would have been too plain otherwise.
Then we went to Sunflower Farmer's Market. I'm now declaring myself amicably separated from that store. I've noticed recently that the produce, albeit cheap, is sometimes in poor condition with fruit flies swirling around. I've tried to buy their 3/$1 grapefruit for the last month but each time it's in poor condition - soft and bruised, not fresh. The produce department is the heart and soul of any grocery store and if it goes downhill, I'm out of there.
At the checkout, the cashier had to call the supervisor over to approve a $13.29 credit for olive oil she had accidentally scanned twice. The cashier said any credit over $10 had to be approved by the supervisor. She told us this was to keep employees from stealing. Then she regaled us by demonstrating how if she wanted to steal a product, she would just pass it through unscanned - class act.
After checking out, I examined my receipt and noticed that the bag of Lundberg brown long grain rice (did I tell you that I like brown rice?) had rung up for $3.19 instead of $2.50 on sale. I had the cashier re-scan it and we discovered that it wasn't included in the sale, which is dumb since the white long grain rice was. So, I went back and got the store's last bag of jasmine brown rice which the shelf tag listed as being on sale.
The cashier acted as though it would be a complicated process to get my 69 cents refund (yes, I'm cheap!), that would involve re-running our credit card and that it would be far less complicated if I would simply pick something from the store shelves for 69 cents. I didn't want to because there was nothing more I wanted except to get out of the store and go home.
Then the supervisor came over again but at first she too acted like giving me my refund for such a piddling sum was beneath them but ultimately she deigned to give me 69 cents saying it would cost them more to run the credit card again. I was polite during all this - no shouting or angry words but I wasn't impressed.
The class act cashier further entertained us during all this by explaining, when I asked, why her terminal was not available - the cashiers are timed so she had turned her terminal off so, as she put it, the manager wouldn't think she was taking 4 days to help one customer. The girl would make a good comedienne but is a lousy cashier.
On the drive home, I was still P/O-ed about the whole refund business (and probably the whole day). They wouldn't treat me like that at Whole Foods, I sniffed. I'll take Sunflower off our Santa Fe rotation, kvetch, whine, quibble, etc. But just then, there was a sound like a gunshot when a pebble hit our car's windshield and an ugly starburst instantly bloomed. So much for my 69 cents refund!! Arghhh...
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Labor Day Weekend-Thursday
We had a good time at Rocky Mountain National Park with daughter and grandson. We couldn't hike any big hikes because spouse's right ankle sprain is still healing. I'm sure that Mr. Grandson was happy about not having to go on any death marches! He did get to go on some brief, flat hikes, go to the go-cart-bumper boats-mini golf place and go out to eat several times as well as go on a surrey bike ride during a visit with spouse's Denver cousins.
I walked into downtown Estes Park two nights with daughter - very enjoyable - and walked one afternoon around Lake Estes. All 4 of us walked around Sprague Lake on a very windy Monday - water was slopping out of the lake onto the boardwalk on to one small section.
We attempted to go to Loch Vale but didn't get very far which didn't surprise me. Spouse's ankle needs to heal more. It would help if he'd take short walks everyday and do the exercises the physical therapist has given him. You can take a patient to the physical therapist but it doesn't do any good if they don't do their homework.
I wish I could live in Estes Park. I wouldn't enjoy the summer crowds but they do have a hiker shuttle into the park and a shopper shuttle downtown to reduce traffic congestion. Estes Park is the loveliest place on Earth! The 9 hour drive up there is a bit much for a 5 day weekend. If we lived there, that would be eliminated!
Yesterday's WI hike was up Rabbit Ridge Road from the Coyote Call Trail and over to Rabbit Mountain and then down the face of the mountain at the game trail saddle- it was an enjoyable workout. The hiking announcement said it's 7 miles RT and 2,000' elevation gain. I kept my GPS off so I can't verify that.
Eleven started out but only 4 made it to Rabbit Mountain with one waiting back at a saddle to go down with us. It was a cool, overcast day with some minor drizzles - not even enough to break out my golf umbrella. Of course, I couldn't have anyway because I was totally dependent on the golf umbrella as a walking stick whilst traveling along trail-less, hazard-strewn Rabbit Ridge!
We had a new hiker recruit and it may have been too much for her. We'll see if she returns! I hope she does - she was nice. I filled her in about the best local hiking books and told her about all the health food stores in Santa Fe.
The leader did a good job except when we got back down to the road, she didn't realize it was the Rabbit Ridge Road and not the other connecting logging road. As we started going uphill, I told the new recruit my suspicions. We were saved by one of the hikers noticing a unique, bi-level scat pile that I had pointed out that morning as we ascended Rabbit Ridge Road.
One of the hikers told us of her hike down the Falls Trail in Bandelier National Monument last winter when she saw the Rio Grande covered with frozen chunks of snow. She said it almost looked like, if the chunks would stop moving, she could walk across to the other side. It sounded quite magical. She's 84 and did the hike by herself. She's quite fast and can keep up with hikers younger than herself.
One hiker I know planned to come but had a bout of vertigo Tuesday which kept her home.
The man who hikes with his dog had a bad fall recently and is recovering. I don't know all the details.
Today I checked out the Route. I need to bring a trash bag next time. There are already more beer cans and bottles to pick up. Also, someone snapped the top off a spindly limber pine and a larger but equally spindly ponderosa pine - both near FR2998. I'll need to take my handy-dandy folding pruning saw and cut down the standing tree trunks. One will be a cinch but the other will require some minor sweat equity. As it is now, the tree remains look too pitiful. In addition, I dragged a fallen tree off Guardrail Hill and moved some cut tree debris blocking my way near Paintball Road. The tree debris wasn't thrown across the trail maliciously because they didn't harm my cairn and they probably didn't even realize anyone tries to keep that pathway open. I built and augmented a number of cairns and tore out some baby NM locust. The Route could easily be named Cairn Mania.
I saw the loco-lady-walker-in-white-today. She was on Camp May Road. From above the road at the back of The Ocean, I watched her hop the guardrail and continue down the old road that runs below the new road - the same path I take. I wonder if she uses the rest of the Route? I also wondered if I'm really very different from her. After all, a woman of my age should probably not be spending so much time on a simple route through the woods. I'm not exactly obsessed because I don't go to the Route every day but when I'm on it, I am somewhat obsessed with "house-keeping" chores!
I walked into downtown Estes Park two nights with daughter - very enjoyable - and walked one afternoon around Lake Estes. All 4 of us walked around Sprague Lake on a very windy Monday - water was slopping out of the lake onto the boardwalk on to one small section.
We attempted to go to Loch Vale but didn't get very far which didn't surprise me. Spouse's ankle needs to heal more. It would help if he'd take short walks everyday and do the exercises the physical therapist has given him. You can take a patient to the physical therapist but it doesn't do any good if they don't do their homework.
I wish I could live in Estes Park. I wouldn't enjoy the summer crowds but they do have a hiker shuttle into the park and a shopper shuttle downtown to reduce traffic congestion. Estes Park is the loveliest place on Earth! The 9 hour drive up there is a bit much for a 5 day weekend. If we lived there, that would be eliminated!
Yesterday's WI hike was up Rabbit Ridge Road from the Coyote Call Trail and over to Rabbit Mountain and then down the face of the mountain at the game trail saddle- it was an enjoyable workout. The hiking announcement said it's 7 miles RT and 2,000' elevation gain. I kept my GPS off so I can't verify that.
Eleven started out but only 4 made it to Rabbit Mountain with one waiting back at a saddle to go down with us. It was a cool, overcast day with some minor drizzles - not even enough to break out my golf umbrella. Of course, I couldn't have anyway because I was totally dependent on the golf umbrella as a walking stick whilst traveling along trail-less, hazard-strewn Rabbit Ridge!
We had a new hiker recruit and it may have been too much for her. We'll see if she returns! I hope she does - she was nice. I filled her in about the best local hiking books and told her about all the health food stores in Santa Fe.
The leader did a good job except when we got back down to the road, she didn't realize it was the Rabbit Ridge Road and not the other connecting logging road. As we started going uphill, I told the new recruit my suspicions. We were saved by one of the hikers noticing a unique, bi-level scat pile that I had pointed out that morning as we ascended Rabbit Ridge Road.
One of the hikers told us of her hike down the Falls Trail in Bandelier National Monument last winter when she saw the Rio Grande covered with frozen chunks of snow. She said it almost looked like, if the chunks would stop moving, she could walk across to the other side. It sounded quite magical. She's 84 and did the hike by herself. She's quite fast and can keep up with hikers younger than herself.
One hiker I know planned to come but had a bout of vertigo Tuesday which kept her home.
The man who hikes with his dog had a bad fall recently and is recovering. I don't know all the details.
Today I checked out the Route. I need to bring a trash bag next time. There are already more beer cans and bottles to pick up. Also, someone snapped the top off a spindly limber pine and a larger but equally spindly ponderosa pine - both near FR2998. I'll need to take my handy-dandy folding pruning saw and cut down the standing tree trunks. One will be a cinch but the other will require some minor sweat equity. As it is now, the tree remains look too pitiful. In addition, I dragged a fallen tree off Guardrail Hill and moved some cut tree debris blocking my way near Paintball Road. The tree debris wasn't thrown across the trail maliciously because they didn't harm my cairn and they probably didn't even realize anyone tries to keep that pathway open. I built and augmented a number of cairns and tore out some baby NM locust. The Route could easily be named Cairn Mania.
I saw the loco-lady-walker-in-white-today. She was on Camp May Road. From above the road at the back of The Ocean, I watched her hop the guardrail and continue down the old road that runs below the new road - the same path I take. I wonder if she uses the rest of the Route? I also wondered if I'm really very different from her. After all, a woman of my age should probably not be spending so much time on a simple route through the woods. I'm not exactly obsessed because I don't go to the Route every day but when I'm on it, I am somewhat obsessed with "house-keeping" chores!
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Wednesday-Thursday
Hiked with LL group yesterday. Did Graduation Flats explore, starting on FR36, just before cattleguard, downhill to gravel pit, then along east side of Pines Canyon and over to west side of Spruce Canyon, near Graduation Flats for 4+ miles on dirt roads and motorbike trails. 14 of us - at the start, ailing leader walked part way out with us and then turned around. She drove her car to the end point of the hike (1 1/2 miles from the beginning) and then walked out to meet us on the way back. She took a nap in the shade while she waited. Because of her illness, she's painfully slow and lacking in energy.
The LL hiking group has a certain chemistry that is very appealing - a familiarity and ease and teasing humor toward each other.
I'm going to give up on puffball mushrooms. I collected 6 small ones yesterday but by the time I started to prepare them (had them sitting on the counter for several hours) they seemed to have turned. Or, perhaps they were old when I picked them though they hadn't formed spores yet. I threw them out. Boletus edulis is a lot more reliable.
Took myself to Pajarito Mountain today - up the Logging Road on the west side, over to the Rim Run viewpoint, to back of the mountain to Yeamans Memorial Bench, down to Sunier picnic deck, behind south side of water retention pond, down the Zero Road East and back to Lodge on Lone Spruce ski run. I was happy to see that lots of barbed wire VCNP boundary fence is down. Everyone is sick of not being allowed to access that private public land!
I hope that Pajarito Mountain Ski Area plans to landscape the area around their snow-making water retention pond. It makes the back of the Pajarito Mountain so atrociously ugly. It's not a big enough mountain that it has room for this ugly scar on its south side.
I walked behind the pond just to see what the back of the mountain looked like before. There is almost a trail in the "talus slope" of dirt and stones but then it ends and I scooted down to the grass to continue walking around. It would be nice if the ski area puts a real trail at the back of the pond so hikers can easily skirt around it to see uninterrupted views.
Also, what do they plan to do with the jumble of huge boulders they wrested from the earth? They're unaesthetically heaped at a corner of the pond.
Hopefully they plan to either chip or haul away the enormous tree stumps that were jerked from the ground. I see that the logs are stacked like there's a plan for them.
I thought today about how wedded I feel to this land that I live in - northern New Mexico. I really have no real reason to ever want to leave it because I have all that I want right here. Tell that to my husband though. Next year, let's forget about a 9 hour drive to Estes Park and instead go to Salida, CO and make that our vacation headquarters!
The LL hiking group has a certain chemistry that is very appealing - a familiarity and ease and teasing humor toward each other.
I'm going to give up on puffball mushrooms. I collected 6 small ones yesterday but by the time I started to prepare them (had them sitting on the counter for several hours) they seemed to have turned. Or, perhaps they were old when I picked them though they hadn't formed spores yet. I threw them out. Boletus edulis is a lot more reliable.
Took myself to Pajarito Mountain today - up the Logging Road on the west side, over to the Rim Run viewpoint, to back of the mountain to Yeamans Memorial Bench, down to Sunier picnic deck, behind south side of water retention pond, down the Zero Road East and back to Lodge on Lone Spruce ski run. I was happy to see that lots of barbed wire VCNP boundary fence is down. Everyone is sick of not being allowed to access that private public land!
I hope that Pajarito Mountain Ski Area plans to landscape the area around their snow-making water retention pond. It makes the back of the Pajarito Mountain so atrociously ugly. It's not a big enough mountain that it has room for this ugly scar on its south side.
I walked behind the pond just to see what the back of the mountain looked like before. There is almost a trail in the "talus slope" of dirt and stones but then it ends and I scooted down to the grass to continue walking around. It would be nice if the ski area puts a real trail at the back of the pond so hikers can easily skirt around it to see uninterrupted views.
Also, what do they plan to do with the jumble of huge boulders they wrested from the earth? They're unaesthetically heaped at a corner of the pond.
Hopefully they plan to either chip or haul away the enormous tree stumps that were jerked from the ground. I see that the logs are stacked like there's a plan for them.
I thought today about how wedded I feel to this land that I live in - northern New Mexico. I really have no real reason to ever want to leave it because I have all that I want right here. Tell that to my husband though. Next year, let's forget about a 9 hour drive to Estes Park and instead go to Salida, CO and make that our vacation headquarters!
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Corral Canyon-Calzada and Peralta-Paliza Trails
This has to be fast because grandson is coming over soon. Also, I'm doing two loads of laundry and am very hungry for supper!
The Tuesday group went up Corral Canyon to Junction Meadow and followed the Calzada Trail to the so-called T-Intersection on FR280. It's really an intersection of 3 different roads and 2 trails. Maybe it was a T at one time...
At the intersection, we picked up the Peralta-Paliza Trail and followed it around the west side of Las Conchas Peak. There were no takers for going up the peak!
Then we followed the road below Paliza Pass and the Valles Caldera rim. I don't know the name or number but if you continue following it, you end up on NM4 near the Los Griegos XC ski trails/roads. Our leader didn't have time to check out the hike ahead of time and she was badly confused. She thought we were going toward FR281 which leads up to the electronic site on Peralta Ridge.
Eventually we turned around when we found a road going uphill and back toward FR281. I kept hoping they would go to Paliza Pass - most beautiful place in the world but no luck today on that either! Obviously I'll have to hike to it myself before hunting season begins. Has it already begun?
We got back to FR281 and took it downhill past the cattle guard to its intersection with FR280, Peralta Road. We turned left to go back to Corral Canyon. At that point, I was confused myself and asked some campers where FR280 went taking it to the right. They said it goes all up and down the mountain. I wonder if I've been on that before. I have to check that out too before hunting season. Wish I had someone to hike with. I'd like to ask one of the Tuesday hikers but they are all so busy.
We decided to take the Peralta Road back to Junction Meadow (Calzada and Corral Canyon trails cross here) instead of taking the Calzada Trail but when we reached the meadow, the leader was convinced the turnoff was still ahead. We had a gentle insurrection and 4 of us went down into the meadow. Eventually the leader and the sixth hiker came back down to the meadow after realizing we were right. We waited for them.
Then we decided to follow the continuation of the Calzada Trail back to the highway. It travels up above the Corral Canyon Trail and below Peralta Road. I finally understand how that trail works and now I realize that it's really more for XC skiers than hikers. It takes you on such a long backtracking switchback that you nearly return in a loop to where you picked it up from the Corral Canyon Trail. Then it changes direction to go back to NM4, staying just above Corral Canyon.
I drove myself to the trailhead which was good because I stepped in a very fresh cow pie and had to wash my shoes when I got back home.
My GPS batteries conked out at 7.53 miles so who knows how long we walked. There were 6 of us. The day was utterly gorgeous with a hint of Fall in the air. I drove back home very slowly because I didn't want to leave the wonderful Jemez Mountains too soon! This is the time of year when I want to be hiking literally everywhere but there's only so much time!
The Tuesday group went up Corral Canyon to Junction Meadow and followed the Calzada Trail to the so-called T-Intersection on FR280. It's really an intersection of 3 different roads and 2 trails. Maybe it was a T at one time...
At the intersection, we picked up the Peralta-Paliza Trail and followed it around the west side of Las Conchas Peak. There were no takers for going up the peak!
Then we followed the road below Paliza Pass and the Valles Caldera rim. I don't know the name or number but if you continue following it, you end up on NM4 near the Los Griegos XC ski trails/roads. Our leader didn't have time to check out the hike ahead of time and she was badly confused. She thought we were going toward FR281 which leads up to the electronic site on Peralta Ridge.
Eventually we turned around when we found a road going uphill and back toward FR281. I kept hoping they would go to Paliza Pass - most beautiful place in the world but no luck today on that either! Obviously I'll have to hike to it myself before hunting season begins. Has it already begun?
We got back to FR281 and took it downhill past the cattle guard to its intersection with FR280, Peralta Road. We turned left to go back to Corral Canyon. At that point, I was confused myself and asked some campers where FR280 went taking it to the right. They said it goes all up and down the mountain. I wonder if I've been on that before. I have to check that out too before hunting season. Wish I had someone to hike with. I'd like to ask one of the Tuesday hikers but they are all so busy.
We decided to take the Peralta Road back to Junction Meadow (Calzada and Corral Canyon trails cross here) instead of taking the Calzada Trail but when we reached the meadow, the leader was convinced the turnoff was still ahead. We had a gentle insurrection and 4 of us went down into the meadow. Eventually the leader and the sixth hiker came back down to the meadow after realizing we were right. We waited for them.
Then we decided to follow the continuation of the Calzada Trail back to the highway. It travels up above the Corral Canyon Trail and below Peralta Road. I finally understand how that trail works and now I realize that it's really more for XC skiers than hikers. It takes you on such a long backtracking switchback that you nearly return in a loop to where you picked it up from the Corral Canyon Trail. Then it changes direction to go back to NM4, staying just above Corral Canyon.
I drove myself to the trailhead which was good because I stepped in a very fresh cow pie and had to wash my shoes when I got back home.
My GPS batteries conked out at 7.53 miles so who knows how long we walked. There were 6 of us. The day was utterly gorgeous with a hint of Fall in the air. I drove back home very slowly because I didn't want to leave the wonderful Jemez Mountains too soon! This is the time of year when I want to be hiking literally everywhere but there's only so much time!
Monday, August 30, 2010
Gathered Trash
Went to SF today to get my car's remote transmitter's chip replaced and both keys re-coded. Wanted to do it today instead of Thursday. Got back home around 4 pm, changed into hiking togs, went to library and then to Route to pick up trash. Gathered 3 plastic grocery bags full plus found, near where I parked, a partially filled, plastic gallon jug of motor oil. I know I should take the motor oil for special recycling at the waste station but I just put everything in my trash barrel. Part of the trash was from a short section I walked along Camp May Road to get back to my car. A bicyclist going by thanked me which startled me because I was deep in thought. The amount of trash gathered on the Route surprised me because I didn't think there was that much but once you start looking...
I didn't get home until past 7 pm. Ate a late supper and have to get up early tomorrow to go with the Tuesday group.
I didn't get home until past 7 pm. Ate a late supper and have to get up early tomorrow to go with the Tuesday group.
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Blood Bath on the Route
Now, don't get excited. It was only me slitting the throats of NM locusts. I also sawed off some tree branches and refined the cairns. I left the lopper in the trunk and only took the compact pruning saw because the weather looked like there'd be a thunderstorm so I had to carry my umbrella. Clouds rolled in and out all afternoon while I worked for over 4 hours but other than some distant rumbles and a few raindrops on my windshield as I drove to the Route trailhead, the weather was beautifully sunny.
Next, I pick up trash. There really isn't that much - just a few beer bottles and beer cans. I'm debating - should I leave the half-finished pint of peppermint schnapps in case the owner comes back or toss it?
Have to start packing for RMNP trip.
Made a huge batch of soup-stew - garlic, onions, Napa cabbage, bean-rice mixture, buckwheat udon noodles, Thai chiles, ginger, boletus edulis mushrooms. It looks gray but tastes delicious.
Yesterday we saw Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work at the CCA in Santa Fe. I love her foul mouth and risqué jokes! Afterward, I bought way too many plums and pluots at Sunflower Farmers Market.
Next, I pick up trash. There really isn't that much - just a few beer bottles and beer cans. I'm debating - should I leave the half-finished pint of peppermint schnapps in case the owner comes back or toss it?
Have to start packing for RMNP trip.
Made a huge batch of soup-stew - garlic, onions, Napa cabbage, bean-rice mixture, buckwheat udon noodles, Thai chiles, ginger, boletus edulis mushrooms. It looks gray but tastes delicious.
Yesterday we saw Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work at the CCA in Santa Fe. I love her foul mouth and risqué jokes! Afterward, I bought way too many plums and pluots at Sunflower Farmers Market.
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