Not Much Happening

Lazy day today. Took a walk (and ran into some spiderwebs!). Played some pool (Ken out-shot me, but kept sinking the 8 ball). Talked to some friends. Washed the comforter. Looked at trip plans for summer 2011. Played Rummikub (Ken 2, Lee 1).

Ken updated our map of states we've visited, and it's now at the bottom of the blog page next to our travel route map. We managed to fill in the doughnut hole in the western states--so next year we can tackle some of the eastern states.
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Hot Day in Texas

As we move towards Dallas, it just keeps getting hotter and more humid! People are saying it was worse earlier, so I guess we're lucky it was *just* 97° today. We took it easy and walked after dark, when the temperature outside was at least tolerable.
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On to Henrietta

We left Clarendon this morning and continued along US 287 towards Wichita Falls, on our way to a city park in Henrietta, TX. As we drove through endless flat Texas plains, I said, "It's about time we should be seeing some oil wells." About five miles later, the first one appeared.

We already knew we were in Texas from the stifling heat and humidity! We're so glad we have at least 30 amp electric here--otherwise we might have drowned in the humid air. Hapgood Park features four ball fields in addition to the RV park--another sign we're back in Texas. It's a really good deal with full hookups at $7 a night. We have only two neighbors in a park that has a dozen spaces, and we haven't seen either of them (they're hiding in their a/c, no doubt).

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Our Poultry Adventure

On the road again, from Newkirk, NM, to Clarendon, TX. Texas welcomed us with a sign saying we were entering the Central Time Zone--so we lost an hour today. Clarendon is a typical small Texas town, but surprisingly named for the Clarendonian geologic period, part of the Miocene, evidently because of fossils found near here.

We went first to Greenbelt Lake (Sandy Beach Park and Kincaid Park both have RV sites with hookups), just north of town, but it turned out that they wanted us to pay entry fees for two days, plus camping fees, just to stay overnight, so we headed back to town. Just as we were leaving town headed east on US 287, we spotted Yankie's RV Park, E-Z In, E-Z Out. It's nothing fancy, but full hookups for $18 and very convenient to the highway. The folks here are very friendly. They aren't busy, so we were able to pull through and stayed hooked up (we'll drive out through the site in front of us). There's shade and 50 amps, both very welcome in the Texas heat and humidity!

After dinner, we headed out on our walk up the dirt road next to the park, stopping to take pictures of the horses in the pasture next to us for Sam (he's fascinated with horses right now, Julie says). We walked past a flock of goats and sheep who looked at us curiously. We turned the corner from Thurman Ave. onto Cooke and soon saw a sign that said "Turkey Crossing." Our curiosity was whetted, so when we heard the sound of chickens, geese, and turkeys, we looked to see a large flock of birds walking around free in the yard. Ken took out the camera to take a photo of the sight, and a man appeared and greeted us.

He seemed happy for the opportunity to talk about his passion. It turned out that he and his wife (Bill and Gerry Taylor) collect rare and exotic poultry. He pointed out the various birds and told us their names and where they were from. One unusual type was a Naked Neck Chicken--which looked like just what you'd expect. We also saw many wild turkeys. It's illegal in Texas to confine wild turkeys, but they hang around here and roost in the trees of their own volition, so the game warden has said it's okay if the birds are tame and choose to stay, since they could leave anytime they want to. The birds have plenty of space, but Bill and Gerry said they usually stay within eight acres or so.

At one point, Bill went inside and brought out a pretty little spotted chicken, which he said has lived in the house since it was born. Both he and Gerry are clearly very fond of these birds. They order the chicks from catalogs. They have no commercial interest. The birds live out their lives until they die of old age (or get picked off by dogs or hawks). Bill and Gerry don't sell eggs. Many of the birds are past egg laying age, and in the winter, there are only enough eggs for the two of them to eat. In the summer, when they have extras, they give them to their neighbors. The neighbors in turn repay the favor by bringing their extra produce by and tossing it in the yard for the chickens to eat.

It was very interesting to see the turkeys flying up into the trees to roost. One turkey, a Bourbon Red, is a beautiful, large domestic tom. It watches the wild toms fly up into the trees and has tried to follow them, but can't fly, so eventually it goes into the chicken house, where its mate has retired earlier. The tom turkeys roost separately from the mothers and young, but close enough to keep an eye on them.

It was very interesting to get to know these friendly folks and to hear the stories of all their birds. Gerry insisted on giving us some eggs--one dozen..and an 18 pack! When I said one carton would be plenty, they said, oh no, they'll last for a month, since they're so fresh--laid yesterday or today. They invited us to come back anytime we were in Clarendon.
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Leaving Abiquiu

A month ago we had never heard of Abiquiu (even though it is famous as Georgia O'Keeffe's haunt). Now we are sad to be leaving the lake and this beautiful country behind, but we need to start heading south.

Today we drove through Santa Fe and made one last stop at Trader Joe's before going south to I-40. The terrain changed to flat and barren, with only a little arid vegetation as we headed south. We are spending the night at a rest area near Newkirk, NM. For a rest area, it's actually pretty nice, with lots of grass and trees (junipers) and nice picnic shelters.

And it's also the location of "Official Scenic Historic Marker" for the Llano Estacado, a large raised plain just south of here.

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Another Quiet Day

We stayed at home today. Went for our walks, saw the gorgeous sunset, enjoyed the view of the lake and mountains--the usual, for Abiquiu. Tomorrow we'll be moving on and have to say goodbye to this beautiful spot.

We got some nice emails from friends. We really miss our Rogues gang especially. We were sorting through some old photos and reminiscing today.
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Bandelier National Monument

We got up early this morning to beat the heat and the crowds to Bandelier National Monument, just south of Los Alamos. We came upon a news article yesterday announcing that today, Wednesday, August 25, was the ribbon cutting ceremony and grand opening of the newly renovated historic visitor center, and even bigger crowds than usual were expected.

Before our visit here, we had not even heard of Bandelier, but some fellow campers suggested that it was not to be missed. We wanted to see some cliff dwellings on this trip, and Bandelier is certainly a great place to see them, along with other dwellings built by the Ancestral Pueblo people, whose descendants still live in the area.

We got to the visitor center shortly before 9:00 a.m. and watched the new high definition film about Bandelier in the theater. It is beautiful and poetic, with striking photos of the geology and wildlife of the area. Then we set out on the main loop trail, which is 1.2 miles long, and the Alcove House trail, which adds another mile. Along the way we saw the remains of an ancient village, a large kiva, cliff homes, and spectacular views of the Frijoles Canyon and the distant Jemez Mountains.

We climbed 140 feet on four ladders and stone stairs to visit the Alcove House, high in the tuff cliffs. There we saw a reconstructed structure, once thought to have purely ceremonial use, but now thought to have been used for tasks of daily life. It is round, like a kiva, but built above ground. The entry is through the roof.

It was thought provoking to be in an area inhabited for millennia--one which the local pueblo dwellers consider the home of their ancestral spirits. When we got back to the visitor center, we went through the new exhibits, which highlight the culture of the Ancient Pueblo people. (They were called Anasazi, but it turns out that is a Navajo word loosely translated as "ancient enemies.")

Then we walked over to the picnic area to sit at a table above the stream to eat lunch. When we returned to the visitor center, we were just in time for the last dance presented by the Zuni dancers. It was a Friendship Dance, and the dancers pulled in onlookers to join them.

Then we started off on the Falls Trail, which follows the Rito de los Frijoles to its confluence with the Rio Grande. The trail goes up an down, sometimes near the river and sometimes high along the cliffs above it. We went only to the first waterfall, which is an 80 foot drop across the hardened magma that filled the throat of a volcano here. It was an awe inspiring sight. We were lucky that the river was flowing at this time of summer, since this is an arid land and the waterfalls often drop to a trickle during the late summer.

Along the return trail, we came upon some young men. One held his camera as he scrambled beside the trail in among some downed trees. Another asked us if we wanted to see some large rattlesnakes. Evidently he had watched as a couple passed by this spot, and then his two companions. He was the last--and the only one to notice the two snakes. We passed on this opportunity and confined our wildlife watching to this rock squirrel busily eating.

Back at the visitor center, the grand opening ceremonies were underway when we arrived. We stayed to watch for a while and listen to speeches by the representatives of the local pueblos, but decided we had to move on before the ceremony finished. We had to get back to Espanola to do our laundry and shopping on the way home.

We were impressed by the degree to which the park service and the local pueblos cooperated to develop the exhibits and tell the story of Bandelier's human history.
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Close to Home Day

We decided to wait until Wednesday to go to Bandelier National Monument, so today was a quiet day close to home. We got some chores done. Ken cleaned and sprayed silicone on the struts and the slideout rams. I vacuumed and spot cleaned the carpets and removed the floor vents to clean under them. This is actually quite a job, since the screws are two inches long.

We have new neighbors, Judy Lee and Hoyt Hart, from Albuquerque. They're interested in full-timing. He's especially interested. She's reluctant to leave their nice house south of Albuquerque.

We got word from Jeni at Bentsen Palm Village that we had gotten the prime site on the 500 circle that Gary and Mary Ann had given up. We were glad to get this news (we'll actually have a large tree and some shade!)--but very sad that Gary and Mary Ann won't be there.
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Abiquiu Library

This morning we made our third (and final) move of our stay at Lake Abiquiu. We moved out of a less desirable site and got a chance to dump our tanks. So now we are in site #13 until Friday (that sounds vaguely unlucky, doesn't it?)

We started out this afternoon to go to the Fiesta de Santa Rosa de Lima at Santo Tomas Church in Abiquiu. The brochure "Abiquiu & Around" had assured us that it was held every August 23. As we approached the plaza, we knew right away that no fiesta was in progress. We went into the little library and information center and were told that the fiesta had been held last Saturday and that it's usually held on the last Saturday of August. So much for the brochure.

We did manage to donate some money to the library--in exchange for some used books. We never know what we'll find at library book sales. This sale featured a large collection of cultural anthropology books that had recently been donated, as well as the usual hodgepodge.

The big event today is the arrival of an unseasonable cold front, bringing with it cold winds and rain. Toward sunset, the sky was filled with towering black clouds, except on the western horizon, so the sunlight shone through the rain, shattering into a rainbow and lighting up the lower clouds with a rosy gold light.
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Hiking to Chimney Rock

This morning we started early so as to beat the heat on our hike up to Chimney Rock on Ghost Ranch. We did meet one couple coming down shortly after we started, but otherwise we were the only ones on the trail until we were almost back down. The hike is fairly short (under three miles round trip) but somewhat steep in places. Our efforts were rewarded by spectacular views all along the way and a panoramic view at the top of the mesa.

We could see Chimney Rock ahead of us for much of the climb, but the hike doesn't actually end on top of that formation, but on the nearby mesa. The geology here reminds us a lot of formations we saw in Utah, with colorful layers telling stories of ancient seas and deserts.

It took us two hours round trip to complete the hike, but 40 minutes of that was spent stopped resting and admiring the view. We went on next to visit Echo Amphitheater again, this time to take the short hike back into the echoing bowl. There we found a sign indicating that the Youth Conservation Corps was responsible for the development of the site. We had never heard of the YCC, although we are very familiar with the CCC. We found out that it is a youth summer employment program of the National Park Service, the Forest Service, and other federal agencies. The bowl does indeed echo as advertised. The area also has a campground, a group pavilion, and several very nice covered picnic tables with grills.

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Santa Fe

This morning we decided to drive to Santa Fe. We had in mind to soak up some of the southwestern ambience of the plaza and environs and to take advantage of the rare opportunity to shop at Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods. It’s just over an hour’s drive south, through Espanola. We drove past casino after casino in the pueblos south of Espanola, no doubt patronized by folks from Santa Fe.

As we approached the plaza, it was obvious that something big was going on. The parking lots were full, and the streets were jammed. We had picked the opening day of the annual Indian Market for our visit. After driving around for nearly 40 minutes, we were lucky enough to find a parking space about half a mile south of the plaza. We walked past the state capitol and through the winding streets towards the plaza. Hundreds of white tent stalls displayed authentic Indian arts and crafts, attested by the signs in each vendor booth.

We strolled around, really not too interested in the wares because we have no place to collect them. We made our way to the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi and explored its history and architecture. A replica of the Franciscan crucifix of San Damiano in Assisi is hung high over the main altar. We were glad we got to see the original, since this one was actually too high up to be seen in much detail.

We looked at the lovely stained glass windows depicting Franciscan saints and the colorful stations of the cross. An unusual outdoor series of stations is in the works for Archbishop Lamy Gardens next to the church. Each station will be represented by a life size bronze statue tableau. Two of these were on display, along with the planned layout of the garden.

We walked next to the New Mexico History Museum, where we took advantage of the air conditioning to eat our sandwiches discreetly seated on a bench in a large hallway. Then we purchased our tickets to tour the museum and the adjoining Governors Palace. The most interesting exhibit in the museum to us was the special exhibit on Ernest Thompson Seton called "Wild at Heart." Seton was hired to shoot wolves, but ended up defending them. He was also involved in the early boys’ outdoor organization he called Woodcraft Indians and helped found Boy Scouting. He wrote several books, including Wild Animals I Have Known and several other children’s books. He was a gifted wildlife artist who meticulously illustrated his books with thousands of pen and ink drawings.

The Palace of the Governors is the oldest continuously occupied government building in the United States, so its history goes back centuries. It has undergone lots of changes, some of which have been made visible by hatches and windows opening on archeological digs of the walls and foundations.

After our tour of the palace, we were hot and tired. We walked around a bit and then found the public library, where we sat in the periodicals reading room to rest and read.
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Quiet Day at Our New Site

We stayed home today and just enjoyed the lake, the blue sky, and the beautiful surroundings.

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Taos

Our adventure today was a trip to Taos (rhymes with "mouse" according to the locals). We drove there via the River Road, Hwy 68, which parallels the Rio Grande for most of the way. Our guidebook suggested stopping at "one of the many fruit stands" in Velarde, but we found only one, and it didn't have much.

We stopped at the Visitor Center for the Rio Grande Gorge, and learned more about this "wild and scenic river" area. It would certainly be worth another visit when we could explore the area. We did watch part of a DVD about the Kit Carson House and Museum in Taos.

In the town just before Taos, Ranchos de Taos, we stopped to take this photo of the church that Georgia O'Keeffe made famous in her painting.

When we got to Taos, we stopped first at the visitor center, where we got a map of the city and directions to free public parking on Kit Carson Street. We passed his house and museum on our walk toward the plaza.

We walked around the plaza and checked out the historic buildings for a while and then decided to have dinner. We were planning to be at the plaza from 6:00-8:00 for a concert, so we wanted a nearby place. We didn't have much luck in finding a good restaurant. One was too far away to walk. Another turned out to be closed. Another was very pricey. You get the picture. We ended up at The Gorge Bar and Grill, where we had roasted chicken with green beans and potatoes with caramelized onions. Undercooked/uncooked green beans with no seasonings and the onions were barely grilled--hardly caramelized. The Greek style roasted potatoes were tasty--all six slices. No bread, no salad, and the portions were very limited, especially for the price. The only thing that saved the meal was some really good margaritas.

We finished our meal in time to get some seats at the concert. The first act was so-so, but the second group, Bone Orchard, was very good. The plaza scene was casual and fun, with people dancing and kids playing with hula hoops. After a while we were tired of sitting, so we strolled around the plaza and beyond. It reminded us of the Old Town and Balboa Park areas of San Diego.

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Poshuinge Ruins, Espanola, and Los Alamos

We went exploring again today, starting with the Poshuinge Ruins we had passed just south of Abiquiu. We climbed up the steep half-mile trail, expecting to find some ruins at the top. Instead, we found ourselves at an overlook from which the outlines of the ancient settlement could be seen below, in the Chama River valley. We did see one area at the top, a cleared circle, that a sign indicated had been a work area for the inhabitants of the settlement below. Maybe they chipped away at tools while watching for enemies from this vantage point.

We heard thunder in the distance and saw dark clouds approaching, so we climbed back down and found ourselves near the actual settlement, so we walked over. All we could see were the raised earthen mounds that marked the rooms built around the perimeter of the pueblo. We went on to Espanola, where we picked up our mail at the post office and then stopped by the Chamber of Commerce to get visitor information. We picked up brochures for Taos and Santa Fe, Los Alamos and Bandelier National Monument. Then we went to lunch at Angelina's, which the lady at the CofC recommended. The stuffed sopapilla was very good, and we looked over the brochures and decided to head south to Los Alamos to visit the Bradbury Science Museum. The drive led through some striking scenery, and we stopped at the Clinton P. Anderson Scenic Overlook to enjoy the view of the Jemez Mountains and the mesas in the canyon below. Looking at the map of Los Alamos, we noticed that the city is built on mesas, with canyons dividing one part of the city from another. As we drove into town, we immediately spotted the Bradbury Science Museum. My first thought was that the Bradbury in question was Ray Bradbury, the famous science fiction writer, but it is instead Norris Bradbury, the second director of the Lab who is honored. The museum is a fascinating place, with three main galleries. We started in the History Gallery by watching a video about the founding of the lab and the Manhattan Project years. The main message is that the people who worked here were working to protect Americans and the world from the horrors of the world war, but some exhibits do ask visitors to consider whether the dropping of the bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki was necessary.

The "Gadget" test assembly 

The research gallery used interactive exhibits to demonstrate the wide diversity of areas of research in the lab, from brain mapping to genomics to the environmental effects of radiation. The computing exhibit was closed for upgrading, but we could see a section on the amazing Roadrunner Supercomputer. It's built from off-the-shelf parts, but can sustain computing speeds of over 1.0 petaFLOPS (an unimaginably large number of operations per second). The defense gallery highlights the current mission of the lab to ensure the safety and security of the country's nuclear deterrent--without ever testing any warheads--and to prevent nuclear proliferation. One of the main uses of the supercomputer is to model the aging of the components of nuclear warheads to ensure their continued reliability.

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Ghost Ranch

Ghost Ranch, where Georgia O'Keeffe painted, is only a few miles up Hwy 84. As we drove along, the scenery was reminiscent of Sedona, but as Ken said, "less spectacular." Until we came to a view of the Chama River Valley--definitely spectacular, with colorful cliffs and mesas and views of the mountains beyond, We first visited the Piedra Lumbre Education & Visitor Center, which houses exhibits on geology, archeology, cultural history, and arts. It is also the site of Beaver National Forest, which is the nation's smallest at 1.25 acres.

We enjoyed the exhibits and the panoramic view of the red and yellow cliffs which O'Keeffe often painted, including an outstanding mesa that looks like it's got a layer of wedding cake frosting on top. We learned about the farming techniques of early dwellers who used rock borders to retain rainfall and pebbles as mulch to retain heat in the soil. We saw the New Mexico state fossil, the small Coelophysis (SEE-Low-FY-sis) dinosaur, discovered nearby, and lots more.

Model of Coelophysis

We visited the O'Keeffe Tower, which houses prints of some of the paintings of the artist Georgia O'Keeffe, painted when she lived at Ghost Ranch. There I learned what a Jimson Weed flower looks like (it's white).

Then we got our lunches from the truck and sat on a bench in the shade, watching the multitudes of birds attracted by feeders. Especially enthralling were the hummingbirds in their incessant activity. Sometimes six or eight were at one feeder. One even came and hovered a couple of feet in front of our faces.

We went next to the Conference Center site and checked in at the office. We planned to hike to Chimney Rock, a popular three-mile hike. In fact, we started off with our hiking sticks and water bottles, but got only a few yards before deciding that 2:00 p.m. on a hot sunny day was not the time to make this hike. We decided to come back another time, and meanwhile we visited the anthropology and paleontology museums, where we saw a Coelophysis skeleton. We also saw fossils of alligator like creatures that had bone plates embedded in their skin.

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Overcast Monday

This morning we walked up to the entrance to the campground. It was a real workout for our calves, as promised by the Shape-Ups advertising. We watched the instructional DVD today. After a few days wearing our Shape-Ups, we'll probably be suitable cover art for Self Magazine, if you believe the ads!

From the top of the hill, you can see our Excel (on the left) with the lake in the background.

We walked by the site of the new camp hosts who came on duty today, just to be sure they got the note that we need a place to stay over the weekend; all of the reserveable electric sites were already reserved for the weekend when we decided that we'd like to stay the whole allowable two weeks. We're hoping to get into one of the walk-up sites when it comes empty. We notice that more people are showing up in camp already, after the lull Sunday evening.

Most of the day was overcast, with forecasts of storms, but we ended up with only a few sprinkles. We drove to the Visitor Center again, just in time to find it closing for the day, so we'll have to go back tomorrow. We did drive down an extremely steep series of switchbacks past the power plant, to check out some boondocking sites listed in Days End as needing an update. We figure you'd have to have great mountain driving skills to take any size rig down there! Then you'd have to be brave enough to camp by the Rio Chama, near signs warning that the water level is unpredictable and that the water can be turbulent. No thanks.

The sun came out in time for us to eat our burgers at the picnic table, watching the sun go down over the lake and enjoying the hummingbirds. The folks at the next campsite have a feeder out. The little critters are very quarrelsome. It sounds like they're saying "My flower! No, my flower!"
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Moving Up

Site #15, which we had reserved for Monday-Thursday came open today, and the campground hosts invited us to move up to the Pedernal Loop. The campground is laid out on a bluff over the lake, and the electric sites are in the top loop, with a fine view of the lake and mountains. The sites are well spaced out, and we have plenty of parking room. Also, since we have 50 amp electric, we could run our air conditioner in the hottest part of the afternoon.

We drove to the dam and went to the Visitor Center, but it was closed. We decided to continue driving west on Hwy 96 to see the Cerro Pedernal from different vantage points in the evening light. As we drove we could see down to different coves in the lake. On a Sunday afternoon we could see lots of boaters and people partying, and even a couple of jet skis, but so far below us that the noise wasn't bothersome.
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Exploring

We decided to explore the campground and the lake on our morning walk today. The campground is on a bluff overlooking the lake, but we thought that further down the shore we might be able to reach the water. Good luck, unless you're a mountain goat! We picked our way back up through the rocks and continued on.

We found picnic areas and an overflow camping area. We walked down to the water on a long boat ramp, signed as for non-motorized craft. Large barriers would have prevented any but the smallest hand-maneuvered craft from being launched.
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On to Abiquiu Lake

Last night was the peak of the Perseid meteor shower. I was lucky enough to be in a place with dark skies, but worried since earlier in the evening the sky was full of clouds. At 1:00 a.m. when I went outside, the sky was crystal clear, with millions of sparkling stars and planets in view, including the Milky Way. My half hour vigil in the chill wind was rewarded by a glimpse of ten meteorites flashing through the sky. I went back to bed happy.

We left Lathrop State Park this morning headed south. Hardy and Judy left for Rolla, MO. Eventually we will meet up again in Mission, TX, each having had lots of adventures in the meantime.

We are camped on Abiquiu Lake at the Corps of Engineers Riana Campground. We just decided yesterday to come here, and reservations must be made at least 4 days in advance, so we were lucky to find a site to stay in for the weekend while we wait for our reserved water and electric site for Monday through Thursday. The campground hosts, Harry and Venka, were friendly and helpful, but scoffed when we innocently asked if our site 15 was available. Evidently all the electric sites fill up for the weekend, and even getting up at 6 a.m. wasn't enough to get us here in time to find one open.

The campground is clean and well laid out, with spectacular views of the lake and the surrounding mountains.

We're about 56 miles north of Santa Fe and 70 miles west of Taos. Georgia O'Keefe lived and worked near here, in Abiquiui, NM, and her favorite mountain was the Cerro Pedernal, rising above the lake. We're sure we'll go to explore some of these places, but for now we're content to stay here.
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