After I retired and moved into my RV trailer here in the south end of Santa Fe, I put up a bird feeding station, then later a suet feeder as well. They’ve become very popular with the local birds and I’ve had a lot of pleasure in photographing many of the species that show up for a free lunch. Unhappily, another local resident found the feeder and invited himself as well. Munch, munch, gobble, gobble……………….

I like squirrels and think they’re neat, but this guy is just too big and too greedy for this little feeder. What they’ll do is fill their cheek pouches…………………

Lookit the load he’s got. He’ll cart that home, stash it, then come back for another load. He’ll eat me out of house and home and there won’t be nuthin’ left for the birds.

“Whoops, busted,” he says, then away he went…………….

Chased him away umpteen times over the last month or 2, but, of course, he always returns. This is good pickin’s and he’s no dummy. I didn’t want to hurt him - he had best be glad he didn’t try this during my hunting days, 20 to 55 years ago………..he’d have been history, very quickly - but I did want him gone. Permanently. So, I found and ordered a live trap on the internet, and set it up beside the feeder about 3 weeks ago. Neighbor Don looked on with a skeptical grin. Can’t say I blame him, and the squirrel proved too smart to go in it, even baited with fragrant peanut butter. A week or so ago, Don suggested putting the trap on the ground, since the squirrel had to come by ground to get to the feeder. It sat there, and after a few days I gave up on freshening the peanut butter, and figured, “phooey, going on several months vacation next week, anyway.”………..but I did leave it there, just in case.

Today, I got home from a trip to Albu-Quirky and a side trip to scout - again - Cabezon Peak, and went out back with a scoop of seed for the feeder. A noise and a movement down by my feet caught my attention and I looked down. Did a double take, and grinned. “Why, hello, little friend,” I said. Squirrel in the cage told me where to stuff my humor……..he wasn’t amused. I let out a yell and called Don over, and he took my camera and recorded the event. “Gotcha, ya little bugger,” said Big Lar with a Big Grin. ………………

Friend squirrel now has a new home about 3 or 4 miles away. (I was fairly sneaky about the relocation. I doubt his new neighbors would thank me for my generosity) I sincerely hope they’re not like some dogs and find their way home again.

Lar.

–
Larry Bourne
Santa Fe, NM
www.gogittum.com
www.gogittum.com/blog

Posted: July 8th, 2008 under 08 New Mexico, 08-7-7 Bird-Feeder Squirrel.
Comments: none

I couldn’t stand it………that thing’s been preying on my alleged mind. Today, I had a couple of errands to take care of in Albu-Quirky, and didn’t have to be back in Santa Fe till 4:00 PM. The errands went fairly quickly, so on the way home I turned left (north & west) up Hwy 550 again, but this time watching closely with a more educated eye.

Only about ½ way to Cuba, about 30 miles out on a kink in the highway near the wide spot of San Ysidro, I was watching closely as I crested a rise. There, between 2 ridges was my target. It’s beautiful………….

Kinda reminds you of the tower in “Close Encounters of the 3rd Kind,” doesn’t it ?? Just a few miles farther up the highway, a paved county road goes left, to the southwest to the “not even” village of Cabezon. Just a few raggedy mobile homes and ½ melted old adobe structures. The paved road turns right after a few miles toward Torreon. Haven’t seen that yet…….my road was the dirt and gravel one that headed straight toward “my” mountain. All this shows on the really excellent AAA “Indian Country” map - far better than their state map, tho’ it covers much more territory.

Approaching the mountain, the road crosses a dry wash of the Rio Puerco, a major river (when it’s running) in this area. These fascinate me, too, and I love to explore them. This is looking downstream…………..

In spite of the “Bisti Boondoggle” the other day, the ol’ Lar is fairly desert smart - most of the time - and I’ve learned to look around before taking things for granted. Aha……this look upstream ended my trip right there…………..

That rain from the thunderstorm up there is ending in virga right now, but will likely soon turn into a rainstorm, and flash floods are a very real - and very deadly - danger in these washes. I turned the Runner around and parked up on high ground - on the highway side - then took a closer look at the mountain. Now, knowing right where it’s at, it was easy to identify it as Cabezon Peak. It doesn’t look like much, but the surrounding plain is at 6200 ft elevation, according to the GPS, and the map lists Cabezon at 7779 ft high. That’s a 1500 ft pinnacle sticking up there and looks to me like a good third of it - about 500 ft - is pretty much straight up………….

The NW (left) side looks sorta possible and I had hopes of a climbing route there, but I dunno. Handheld with high telephoto and cropped right down, it’s not too clear…………..

………but it looks to me like there’s vertical portions all the way ’round, and it looks like it’s all loose, crumbly rock. I don’t even think climbing ropes and a partner would help, and I have neither. This is all s’posed to be in fun, but I think this 500 feet of rock wall would be suicidal. One day, if I’m in the area with time to spare and an excess of energy, I may take a closer look, but for now, I’m going to cancel any thoughts of attempting a climb here. Too bad, it do look neat.

On the way back to the highway, there’s a place where the Rio Puerco wash is bridged, and a look down showed that water was just beginning to flow. This wasn’t a big storm - so far - but it’s best to be very careful around dry washes during storms.

Lar.

Santa Fe, NM

www.gogittum.com

www.gogittum.com/blog

Posted: July 2nd, 2008 under 08 New Mexico, 08-7-2 Mystery Mountain Identified.
Comments: none

Last year, I drove past Abiquiu, NM, on my way to see the Monastery in the Desert up in the Chama River Canyon. Coming over a hill and around a curve, I was suddenly fronted with a huge, imposing monolith to the south…………

I was instantly fascinated, and after returning home, I started research and found it to be Cerro Pedernal. I did a scouting trip a little later, then a week after that, I climbed this monster, and it was probably the most satisfying climb of my career. It was wonderful, and is documented in my Pedernal blog.

In January, I made an attempt at Placer Peak in the Ortiz Mountains, between Santa Fe and Albu-Quirky…………

Didn’t make it, and had to turn back about 2/3 of the way up, so it’s still on the list “to do.” Anyway, on the way back down, from an altitude of around 8,000 feet or so, far in the distance was this huge mountain sticking up that reminded me for all the world of Pedernal…………..

Fascinating ! ! ! Hmmm………..due west, looks like,” I thought. Hmmm……….again. Between this and the mess I got into at Bisti Badlands last weekend, maybe I’d best give up the direction finding business. When I tried to spot it from the highway (I-25) it wasn’t visible, but I “know” I saw the fool thing - - - above is the picture of it. On the maps, that whole general area appeared to be roadless Indian Reservation anyway, so I put it out of mind.

Last weekend, on the way home from the Bisti Badlands, I’d come SE thru Cuba and was approaching the boundary of the Zia Indian Reservation and happened to glance to the right. Migawd ! ! ! It was right THERE………………

This is where I get goofed up. I feel like I’m going east and west on Hwy 550. Below Cuba, not. It’s north and south, then later bends more easterly toward Bernalillo. It looks to me like this big outfit might just be close to a back road coming up from I-40. Maybe. It’s not all that high, if I’m right, it’s only about 8,000 ft., but starting from a 5500 ft plain, and with a good chunk of it straight up, it just might be pretty tough. Looks like the right side may just be climb-able. Long as I’m at it, there’s a sharp little spike to the SE of it that might be fun, too……….

Will I have time to take a look before heading north on the “big trip ??” Dunno yet. I have business in ABQ this week, so just might make the 50 mile side trip to thoroughly and carefuly scout this thing out. Last Sunday, I was worn out from the Bisti adventure, so just kept going. There’s a lot of work to be done on the boat getting it ready, finish prepping the camper, and on and on, so I really doubt it’ll work this season, but there’s always this fall or next spring. Sure looks neat, tho’, don’t it ??

Lar.

Santa Fe, NM

www.gogittum.com

www.gogittum.com/blog

Posted: July 1st, 2008 under 08 New Mexico, 08-7-1 Mystery Mountain.
Comments: none

A year or more ago, the French Chef at La Posada told me of a trip he’d made that he thought I’d enjoy, “Larry, you must go to see zee Bisti Badlands,” he told me. It’s quite a way, nearly to Farmington, and there have been many closer destinations, so it went on the back burner. Night before last, my resolve suddenly hardened and I decided to go for it. Turns out to be right at 200 miles from Santa Fe, and it made quite a day of it, but very worth it. This is also a perfect example of my need for a day-trip car - the 4Runner - and it worked out very well.

You’ll go south down I-25 to Bernalillo, then west on Hwy 550 toward Farmington. Hwy 550 is a beautiful drive in its’ own right, well worth a side trip, with constantly varying, spectacular cliffs and formations for many miles. Past Cuba (I learned from Cubans in California that it’s pronounced “KOO-bah,” but these Hispanics in this country call it “CUE-bah” which is more natural for English speakers. Dunno why. KOObah is a hard habit to break) Anyway, I digress………north from Koobah, past Nageezi, past Blanco to Huerfano, (Spanish for orphan) named after a big, solitary mountain there. Watch closely to the left (south) and take the 7500 road all the way to Hwy 371, about 25 miles of sometimes washboard-y dirt and gravel road. Toward the end there are a couple of viewpoints where you can look out over the Bisti Wilderness…………..

This is neat, but gives absolutely no idea of what you’re in for. Entrance to the Wilderness Area is just about straight across by the foot of the distant mountains. So, fine, drive all the way over there, park in the designated area, and start walking. Believe me, as I said before, and especially here, take lots of water - and drink it. It does you no good in the pack, and you will dehydrate very fast in this high, dry air. As always, I turned on the little eTrex GPS before I started and stuffed it into the shoulder strap pouch…….but I forgot to set a waypoint for my starting point ! ! !

Walking down a wide, flat flood channel, it doesn’t look like much ahead, but there are formations to the left (north) that look interesting. You guessed it - there’s a fence………..

This got increasingly frustrating, so I walked over to a close spaced pair of fence posts and found where many people had crossed over before me, soooooo…….over I went. Right by power of numbers, right ?? Right away things started looking better………….

and better…………

Actually, maybe not “better,” but certainly different. Lots of variety…………

And FENCES ! ! ! Nuther one in the shot above. This whole country is criss-crossed with fences. These people must be fence-compulsives. No wonder people just go over them at will. No idea of the point of all of them, but they’re sure there. Formations change as you go, and there are many variations on this plate theme………..

……….and on the post and cap theme………….

Now, ahead, it’s starting to look like some serious formations………….

But 1st you climb. I thought for a moment these were petroglyphs on the rock, but it’s only from boot toes. this is far too soft to hold petroglyphs. In the winter-time in colder climates, wet dirt will sometimes freeze with a kind of crumbly, spongy texture that “almost” looks solid, but an experienced eye can tell. That’s what this whole area is like……covered with about a 1″ layer of this crispy coating………..

This is about the area where I stopped to look at the GPS to get my bearings……..and the fool thing was OFF ! ! ! Off. How the hell ?? Well, it’s certainly off now, tho’ I clearly remember turning it on at the car. All this way, I’d kept loose track of the sun behind me and behind my left shoulder, so I had an idea of about where I’d come from. Yeah, right ! ! ! Then, too, I’ve spent Many Years hiking in all kinds of country, so it’s easy, right ?? The car’s right over……there, right ?? You bet. Go for your hike, Lar. Of course, I turned it on again, and it did stay on. I dunno………

Once up on top, WoW ! ! ! This is looking about N to NW now…………

See the little stepping stones on the left wall ?? They make a handy walkway, but great caution is needed. The crumbly coating on the surface is treacherous underfoot, which I learned, and the crumbly coating strips skin off’n knuckles very effectively, which I also learned. Keep moving fairly quickly, and brace a foot lightly against the wall in the larger gaps between stones. Fun. It’s not far - only 2o feet or so to the bottom, but it’s much farther than I want to fall, away out here…………

More plate formations………….

This goes on forever, and after a while I climbed a higher point and it was a full 360º as far as I could see. Unfortunately, this format doesn’t permit the 10 picture panorama I took while up here, but these pics should give a good idea. Looking in the distance, I figured I needed to go to where the mountain in the distance about meets the right edge of this next shot. I was pretty high up, so wanted to start down, too…………

On the way down, I got to looking at some of the formations, and it dawned on me that it’s petrified wood. Everywhere…………..

Once I’d noticed it, there was petrified wood in the same level of strata everywhere I looked. Must’ve been a tremendous storm, volcano, earthquake………something………to knock over a whole forest at once, all those millions of years ago.

See that little knob on the peak right in the center ?? That was like a guidepost for a long way. The 3 pictures above were taken from that area, and it gave me a reference while down in the maze…………..

More plates……………..

………..and more……………..

I’d been having a grand old time, leaping around from rock to rock, but now I was slowing down & tiring a bit, and getting sunburned, too, so was watching more closely for the exit sign. Uh, seem to have gotten myself into a spot here. It’s endless……………

That ol’ mountain in the distance don’t look noooo closer, and I been going a loooong time.

Remember what I said about the crumbly footing ?? Hadta be careful. Once again, this is no place to get hurt…………

Finally, a way out…….I think. It’s NW instead of SW as I wanted, but it couldn’t be too far around……..could it ??………….

On the map, I’d noticed a notation just by the “Bisti” marker, of an abandoned coal mine. “Hmmm…………wouldn’t that be neat if I could find some coal,” I thought ?? Well, looky here, what ol’ Lar found. I “think” this is coal, but it’s crumbly and fairly soft…………..

“Yah, that’d be from weathering, you betcha,” I thought. Tonight, my neighbor, Don, put a piece of it on his BBQ - after he’d finished cooking on it, and yup, the piece of “coal” really is coal…………..

On down the trail, getting concerned now, tho’ there was plenty of daylight left, and I had plenty of water and energy bars. Around a curve, and away out here, in the middle of no-where, the pigs and slobs among us had been at it. A pickup load of trash ! ! ! Assholes……………..

From sun position and all, I figured I was south of the car, but to be sure, I climbed the highest point around and pulled the powerful Canon 10×30 Image Stabilized binoculars out of my pack. A very careful scan from far south to far north showed no car. Aha…..my IT friend, Robert, in Houston will certainly be able to call up the screen for the SPOT Locater, which was riding on the back of my pack. Hmmm………..no cell phone signal. Well, it were a good idea. The GPS, still working, showed Hwy 371 just over ½ mile due west. Just Beautiful. Some ½ mile…….

Seriously tired now, I had no interest in climbing this thing. The ‘Runner was parked on a several mile long gravel side road at the Wilderness Entrance, and if I got to the highway, which way to go ?? I’ve never gotten lost like this, in all these years, and it’s an awful feeling to turn around and see nothing but the same ragged terrain in every direction and I didn’t see another person all day. Not One ! ! ! I did do some things right - I had plenty of water and energy bars, as well as a large poncho for shelter and in case of rain. I always carry fire starting materials, etc. of that nature, but I was most definitely lost away out in the middle of nowhere.

Walking toward the cliffs above, I saw a rounded roof to the south about ¼ mile, so decided to swallow my pride and go and ask directions. Turned out to be a Native Methodist Church, and a couple of volunteers were on property - the only people in miles, and they only for a short time. They pointed me South ! ! ! instead of the north I figured on. OK, I hope they’re not fooling me, and I headed south. A long, footsore mile later I came around a curve and there sat the 4Runner, and was I ever glad to see it.

All’s well that ends well, but it could easily have turned ugly. I do carry the SPOT Locater (google it) and it does have a 911 feature that will call emergency personell and give them my exact location. If I become ill or in-capacitated, it’s a good thing to have, and is one reason I bought the thing, since I’m older now and hike alone……….but to use it to bail myself out of a mess caused by my own careless-ness…..?? Naw, I don’t wanna. I hope you enjoyed my little story, and take a lesson from my mistake.

Lar.

Santa Fe, New Mexico

www.gogittum.com

www.gogittum.com/blog

Posted: June 30th, 2008 under 08 New Mexico, 08-06-29 Bisti Badlands.
Comments: none

South and West of Santa Fe, the country flattens out into the Caja del Rio plateau, and it goes about 10 miles south of the airport. Then, suddenly, it drops 100’s of feet into the plains below and continues another 40 miles south to Albu-Quirky. The old timers had quite a time getting down that huge drop-off, about 500 feet of lava cliff and fought it for some 400 years. Then, between 1923 & 1924, convicts blasted out a wider route for the increasing motor car traffic. From 1926 to 1932, this was part of Route 66, and was known as one of the worst, if not THE worst portions of the route. It’s said that 1,000 cars a day drove this road. Un-believeable. For interest value, take a look at: http://www.cart66pf.org/66caravan/roadlog18.htm for more on the subject.

Several times, people have told me I should take a look at the old route, by-passed years ago by an improved road, and now the freeway. OK, today I did, and what a ride it was ! ! ! Once again, all this is close to home, and it all ties together. Remember last year when I climbed Tetilla Peak ?? ( http://gogittum.com/blog/?cat=25 ) Here, we go right past it……………

The road is pretty rough, un-maintained, and almost zero traffic, but it IS fairly straight. Here, you can see the beginning of the end…………

On the way, small birds kept jumping up and flying alongside, then veering off. Tried several times to get shots, and finally lucked out. Looks kinda like the Horned Lark from Valles Caldera last winter doesn’t it ??…………..

But, that little guy was small and dumpy looking. Cute, but still. This is a far larger and leaner bird. Then, I got a better look from a different angle. Not much arguing here, is there ?? This is a Horned Lark for sure…………….

A short distance from the edge of the precipice, the road “Y”s, and that’s not on the map or the GPS, so I went left to take a look at the smaller road. When it went phooey, it really went phooey, and didn’t look good at all. Yah, the road goes right, past the fence post, then behind that big bush……………

I got out of the ‘Runner to take some wider view pictures……………

Then a couple came up the hill in a Jeep and told me they’d made a mistake, and the main road was the one on the right fork. “This one is very bad,” they said. OK, I went over to the main road again, and got to the edge. Some very nice dry stacked stone work here, and signs of a huge amount of work………..

There were a couple of people here taking pictures and notes, but no car. I asked how they got here, and the woman - big, heavy outfit - stuck her nose in the air and allowed as how they were researchers for up-de-up university and their documentation was going into the Library of Congress. “OK,” I said, “but how’dja get here.” “We walked in from so-and-so to avoid damaging the road,” she sniffed. Man, ol’ Lar ain’t too smart, but he knows B.S. when he hears it. If that big woman ever walked 100 yards in her life I wouldn’t believe it. “Oh, fine,” I said, “never heard it put like that before.” You bet. Solid lava rock road and they don’t want to hurt it ?? The road itself got interesting right away. Glad I didn’t try the other track. Notice Tetilla Peak thru the powerline tower, and Cochiti Lake at center left. Sorry ’bout the tilted picture. Only way I could get it all in…………….

And awaaaaaay she goes. Man, this musta been a mule killer, back in the day……………

It’s steep, and it’s rough and it don’t quit. This was fun, but hadta pay close attention…………….

That 4Runner is a shiny, pretty outfit, but I did a lot of research before I bought it, and chose well. Under that sleek skin this thing is all heavy duty truck, and walks easily thru this stuff. I had a ball today………….

Out on the plains, the little village/ranch of La Bajada…………

But the road isn’t done with me by a long shot. I had to put the transfer case into low range and just walk down this - slower than a man’s walking speed. Haven’t seen a road like this for a while…..well, yah, Bland Canyon a few weeks ago was pretty rough, too. ……………

Almost to the bottom now, and the road had one more shot at me. YeeeeeeHaaaawwww………………

Looking back up at the road, it even looks rugged. That was quite a ride………………

Looking to the East, you can just about see - just above center left - where the other choice of roads comes down. Man, I’m glad I didn’t try that one……………

One day, just for the hell of it, I might just try coming in at the bottom and going UP that thing. That’ll be a 4 wheel drive chance, for sure. I did come home on the freeway - much easier.

Lar

Santa Fe, NM

www.gogittum.com

www.gogittum.com/blog

Posted: June 22nd, 2008 under 08 New Mexico, 08-6-22 La Bajada.
Comments: none

Last year on my trip to Monastery in the Desert ( http://gogittum.com/blog/?cat=1 ) I made a comment to the effect that on the way to the Chama Canyon, there were some canyons in the Ghost Ranch area that looked like they’d make a neat hike. So, today I took a look. About a mile past the turn-off to Abiquiu Reservoir the highway goes over a divide where, in the distance, you can see the beginning of the Chama Canyon, and to the left the 1st look at the reservoir. When coming out of the cut at the top, be ready. Immediately on the right there’s a long turnout, with the 1st canyon “right there.” Yup, park, and figure out what to do. Going down into the canyon isn’t an option. It’s only about 30 feet down, but you’d certainly break your neck getting there. Ahhhh…Haaaaa……..there is a trail. See it ?? Starting at lower right and angling up to the center…..hug tight to the cliff face, please………

…….

Actually, it wasn’t all that bad, I just like to dramatize things. The trail was at least 8 inches wide. That’s OK, after a short scramble of about 100 feet, it opened out onto a multi-colored rock-scape and became much easier going……………

The colors are great, and tho’ it’s very rugged, it’s actually fairly level, not much altitude gain, and the trail is well defined. This is obviously a popular hike, tho’ I saw nobody all day. Farther up the trail, I saw a rock spike in the distance, and as I approached it, I thought I’d been transported to the South Pacific. Scenery is great…………

When you get closer and look the thing over, it looks (to me) for all the world like one of those statues on Easter Island. Or am I delusional ??

OK, I know I’ve got an imagination. Ahead, it keeps getting better, and more rugged…………

Remember my wonderful climb up Cerro Pedernal last September ?? ( http://gogittum.com/blog/?cat=10 ) A look back from up here, across Abiquiu Reservoir, and there’s mighty Pedernal, dominating the skyline. That was probably the most satisfying climb of my career…………

Look a little more to the right (west) and there’s where the next canyon down merges with this one. I was tempted to try going down this one, but changed my mind later on…………..

Moving right along, it gets much rougher in the canyon, but the trail goes around the right side, fairly high up, and isn’t bad at all…………..

But then, come around a corner and there was a surprise. A natural formation, but what a formation………….

Yup, it looks very spooky, and is about 8 feet across…………

Someone, long ago, went to enormous effort to build this fence and pour this slab on this steep, loose hillside. It were a tough climb, must’ve been a heck of a job, and I wonder what it might have been ??……………….

Now I’m really up there, and the view is tremendous. At the right side of this panorama, (try scrolling it left and right) by the spikes at the end, it looks like there’s a big natural bridge…………

But a closer look shows it to be an illusion………..

Still not in shape yet, I was feeling the pull on my legs and in my feet, and was debating how much farther to go, ’cause this is pretty much a decision point. From here, you’re going to get into some serious terrain, and get a Really Good Workout. Seems like I was about a mile or so in, so reached for the GPS in my shoulder strap pouch to check for sure, and…………no GPS. Gone. $350.00 worth. HoooooBoy. That kinda took the fun out of it, so I decided to go back and look for it, before someone else came along. When I lost my neck warmer on Chicoma last November, ( http://gogittum.com/blog/?cat=39 ) I used the GPS to help find it. What do I use to find the GPS ?? Eyeballs, old son, keep ‘em peeled. About ½ way back, there was a wonderful blue gleam beside the rock at lower right……………

That put a lift in my step, and I hustled right on back out……..but how do I get to the car ?? Actually, it wasn’t too bad…………

And even a local resident came out to encourage me on. This guy is all of about 4 inches long…………….

Before descending to the 4Runner, a look to the west shows the farther canyons (to explore next time) with Georgia O’Keefe’s Ghost Ranch in the distance………….

Look closer & slightly to the right of that for a whole different outlook……………

What an absolutely beautiful place, and only about 40 miles from home. A nice, easy, half day trip.

Lar.

Santa Fe, NM

www.gogittum.com

www.gogittum.com/blog

Posted: June 22nd, 2008 under 08 New Mexico, 08-6-21 Abiquiu Canyons.
Comments: 2

I officially retired at 3:45 PM on Thursday, May 29, 2008, with the idea in mind of being free to travel and do my own thing. Right ?? Nope. I’ve got a “to-do” list 2 pages long and growing all the time. Fix the truck, fix the car, get rid of junk, prepare to travel, etc., etc., ad nausaeum. Finally, today, June 8, 1½ weeks later, I said “Enough ! ! !” I jumped into the new (to me) Toyota 4Runner, went for breakfast at the open air patio in Tesuque, about 6 or 8 miles away, then headed north in search of adventure.

When I was in this area for 6 weeks in 2002, I did the Taos tourist thing and wasn’t overly impressed. It’s nice enuf, but Santa Fe is nicer, and has everything Taos has and much more besides, so I haven’t bothered going that far in the 18 months I’ve lived here. Then again, I’ve heard about some canyons and mountains that might just be interesting, so with those in mind, I headed north.

Upon arrival in Taos, about 80 miles north, I pulled into the tourist assistance center to look at brochures and get ideas. When I explained what I was doing, the very nice young ladies there suggested the “Questa Loop,” about 25 miles further north. This is a side track that explores part of the upper Rio Grande Canyon. Hmmm………OK, let’s take a look. When I was leaving the parking lot, a local resident looked me over pretty closely………..

Prairie Dogs are very common here. On the road again, I went north to Questa, a little mining town at the beginning of the tourist loop around the ski areas, tho’ it’s not really a tourist destination in itself. On to the little raggedy village of Cerro and the beginning of the “Loop.” Out onto the plains, and it’s hard to believe there might be a major canyon anywhere around. There is - that dark line is deceptive…………

A little farther down the road, take the 1st turnout and park. Walk a short distance to the overlook………….

………and hang on tight. This is a major canyon, the Rio Grande is flowing strong and fast with snowmelt, and this is a sight to see. That was looking upstream, now a look downstream shows that the canyon gets even bigger and rougher…………….

All the way down, there are trails hacked into the cliff, and signs of much use. At this, the 2nd overlook, 2 carloads of people were preparing to carry several kayaks down this trail. Presumably, their girlfriends would pick them up downstream. I dunno, that’s snowmelt and it must be awful cold……………..

Signs tell us that the canyon is about 500 to 600 feet deep and it’s very rugged. Some hike. I was a little disappointed when I got home and downloaded all the pictures into the computer. Each viewpoint was different, all were beautiful, and I shot dozens of Unique Pictures. Trouble is, when I got them home, they all look pretty much alike, so I’ll just give some highlights…………..

Here’s my new (to me) 2002 Toyota 4Runner, Der Bug’s replacement. Der Bug is fun, great around town, and a gas on the back roads, but it just isn’t a very good highway car, overheats on long runs in the summer, can’t pull the boat, and for all its’ capabilities, it just isn’t a 4WD….not to mention needing fairly constant maintenance, being 39 years old now. On test runs the ‘Runner has already shown that it’ll easily go places with its’ 4WD and high/low range transfer case - in air conditioned comfort - that Der Bug just can’t handle…….tho’ it’s not nearly as much fun. Today, we covered 250 miles in complete comfort, and burned just over ½ the fuel the Diesel Dodge would have needed. So far, it’s working out perfectly - a great day tripper…………… (next day, Monday, filled up the ‘Runner, and it took 11.2 gallons to go 265 miles for the day.  Almost 24 mpg. Wonderful ! ! !……keeping in mind that it was almost all highway driving, mostly at 60 - 65 mph on these rough roads.  It’s been hitting 17-18 mpg around town - still quite good)

At the bottom of the Loop, we come to the Red River, flowing down its’ own canyon after coming thru the town of Questa. See the inverted triangle on the mountain just to left of center at the skyline ?? That’s the tailings dump for the big molybdenum mine that is the main employer in Questa. The Red River’s canyon is steeper, and the river is really wild, but quite narrow. Wonder if it’s raft-able ??……………..

That would be a heck of a ride, for sure. A look downstream just barely shows the confluence of the Red and Rio Grande Rivers………but what’s that splotch of color in the foreground ??……………

Now, that’s one determined cactus, growing on nearly solid rock. It sure has a view tho’, and contributes to the view for the rest of us…………

All the way around the Loop, there are fairly frequent turnouts and quite a few primitive campgrounds. Each overlook has its’ own trail down to the rivers, and all show signs of frequent use. I’m not in shape for the season yet, so took it a little easy today. Glad I did - tonight I’m just a little stiff and sore and will sleep well. Next time out, we’ll push harder. Here’s the top of a trail down to the Red River. It’s about as close to straight down as a trail can be made to go…………..

There’s a sign at the top cautioning that dogs may have problems with the ladders on the trail. Here, you can see one, way down there, and a pair of people below it……………

Here’s the confluence of the really white water Red River with the sorta white water Rio Grande. Beautiful view, this…………….

On the way home, for a change of scenery, I took hwy 64 west across the Rio Grande bridge west of Taos and to Tres Piedras (3 rocks) then south on 285 and on home. Of course, crossing that huge gorge on the bridge called for a stop on the far side and a walk back out onto the span for a final look at the river. Hmmm………..what’s that I see in the distance ??……………….

Why, it’s a group of rafters, heading south. You know, cold water or not, that does look like fun. Maybe later in the year ??………….

‘Course, there wouldn’t be as much water in the river then, so it wouldn’t be as exciting. Hmmm…….maybe next week ??………

Lar.

www.gogittum.com

www.gogittum.com/blog

Santa Fe, New Mexico

Posted: June 8th, 2008 under 08 New Mexico, 08-6-8 Questa Loop.
Comments: 1

I moved into my 30 ft Travel Trailer 3 weeks ago, and it turns out my next door neighbor has been here for many years and is a part time trip and fishing guide for a local company. When I told him about the great time I’d had last weekend coming down the rim of Cochiti Canyon, he told me of a road that goes up the bottom of the canyon, following the stream; and also about other canyons in that area. Good Deal, so yesterday, Saturday, May 3, 2008, I set off in the Diesel Dodge, but this time with Der Bug in tow. Dropped the truck off at the store in Cochiti Lake Village, and headed uphill in Der Bug.

Remember last week near the end of the canyon, where I mentioned the neat little farm far below ?? This time the road took me straight up thru it, and it turns out to be a nice little apple orchard. Cochiti Canyon isn’t the notch to the left, it’s behind the fold to the right of center……………

Thru the orchard, and on to an unexpected, and unpleasant surprise……………

What a revolting development ! ! ! Neighbor Don had told me to also check out the next canyon south - Bland Canyon - so maybe all is not lost. Backtrack a bit, turn left, and soon I was at the entrance to Bland Canyon. Nothing “bland” about this’n……it turned into a heck of an adventure…………

Very soon I was seeing the big lava formations on both sides. Red rock to the right…………….

………..and a big burn to the left……………

Remember my on-going quest for pictures of an Abert’s Squirrel at Bandelier ?? I was headed up this road when I saw an animal galloping down the road toward me. What is it ?? Thing looked as big as a Rabbit, galloped like a Marmot, but didn’t quite fit either. Was I surprised to see that it was an elusive Abert’s Squirrel. Jammed on the brakes, pulled the emergency, killed the engine and waited. It came within about 100 ft, then veered into the trees and kept going on past me………way past me, so I jumped out with the camera and started paralleling it on the road. Finally it stopped in some brush and looked me over. I very quietly and carefully - tho’ in plain sight - eased up on it and got a shot. Lookit those ears……………..

Not good enuf for picky Lar, so I eased around a bit for a better angle and it took off again. Scheiss ! ! ! Off I went again, and got 1 more shot, then it spooked for real and went up a tree. I went round and round that tree, but never did see it again. Here’s a little better pic, but still not what I want………………

Those have got to be the prettiest - and spookiest - Squirrels out there.

About 6 miles up the canyon is the old ghost town of Bland, NM, but there’s a gate there, and no admittance. I’d met a man with his teen aged son and daughter on the road - all 3 on motorbikes - and they’d told me to turn right at the gate and go up the hill. Once on top there’s a viewpoint where you can look down on the old hotel. OK, sounds good, so I did as they’d said, but goofed on directions. Never did see a viewpoint, tho’ I went for miles. I got distracted, and had a big grin on my face, and did Der Bug ever shine ! ! ! This turned out to be the toughest road I’ve ever been on, and for sure the toughest I’ve ever tried in the VW. This “road” started up, and got rougher……………….

Then it got much steeper and Very Much rougher……………..

………..and rougher……………

Near the top it got silly, and I thought, “No Way, Jose ! ! !” The laugh was on me. Der Bug grinned at the hill, dug in it’s claws and went up over the culvert, thru the washouts, over the rocks, and in 2 places went over humps on 3 wheels, with 1 wheel in the air. Couldn’t get out to take a pic cause it was too far down to get out……………

This was an absolute rush and I was grinning like an idiot. At the crux of the climb we wallowed thru a series of huge washouts and in a couple of places the front end would go up into space, then teeter over and spin the wheels, then claw on up over the next one. What Fun ! ! ! What a Car ! ! !…………….

What a reward. Here’s the canyon I’d just come up, where I’d seen the Squirrel…………………

OK, where’s this viewpoint they’d talked about ?? I kept on going, but now I was on the ridge looking down into Medio Dia Canyon. This is a rugged piece of real estate…………..

A lot of brush and timber, but good views thru them……………..

And still more vistas, but no viewpoint…………….

I finally hit a pitch that was so steep and so rocky, with a hump to climb over that even Der Bug couldn’t do it - the carburetors flooded out, and I was stopped. If I’d spent the extra money when I built the car and bought fuel injection we could have done it. Sighhhhh…………….

When I was clambering around looking for a solution, a spot of color caught my eye……………..

OK, OK, bite the bullet and start back down. It were getting late in the day anyway………………

On the way out, the views were different, and the canyon walls so high that even the wide angle lens couldn’t capture it all, so I tried a couple of vertical panorama shots. Here’s an example. This is a 3 shot wide angle pano……………….

And this is a 5 shot, not quite so wide angle. Which do you like better ?? I think I like the 1st……….that wide angle lens is great……………….

What ?? Oh, Yah, the viewpoint at Bland……….when I got back down off the mountain some people told me that I should’ve stopped about ¼ mile past the top of the big climb, parked, and hiked up onto the ridge. That would look down at the old ghost town. OK, next time.

So, even the disappointment at the beginning was more than compensated for by a great adventure day. What Fun ! ! ! Lar.

–
Larry Bourne
Santa Fe, NM
www.gogittum.com
www.gogittum.com/blog

Posted: May 4th, 2008 under 08 New Mexico, 08-5-3 Bland Canyon.
Comments: 1

During the long, cold Santa Fe winter I’d been playing on the computer and mooning over maps and planning trips for the coming season. Finally, in mid-April, the weather started warming up, so on Saturday, April 26, 2008 I headed for the hills. I’d read about deposits of Obsidian - black volcanic glass up on - you guessed it - Obsidian Ridge on the southeast flank of gigantic Valles Caldera. Remember me getting the Diesel Dodge stuck there last winter ?? ( http://gogittum.com/blog/?cat=46 ) It turned out that Obsidian Ridge is on the far side of a major canyon from the “road”, and would not only be difficult to access, but dangerous as well. This is rugged country. Luckily, I had also read of a site near the 289 road that supposedly had Obsidian as well, so I tried for that. This is high country - over 8,000 ft elevation, and very rugged, but also very scenic……………….

I had correlated GPS co-ordinates with the National Geographic topographical maps of the area and entered a waypoint in the little Garmin eTrex Legend that I love to hate, and it took me right to it. There was a large parking area near where the GPS said to stop, so I pulled in……………

Jumped out of the truck and found that I didn’t hafta search any more. Obsidian was everywhere……………

Some was of fairly decent quality, too, and some pretty good chunks - up to about the size of a lemon. It’s a little different, and some was fairly clear…………………..

Obsidian breaks with a “conchoidal” fracture and can be worked with flint knapping techniques. I’ve read that it can be flaked to an edge sharper than a scalpel - almost a molecular edge, so, for my next trick, I’m going to find some heavy gloves - so’s not to cut a finger off “when” I slip, and see what kind of a job I can do. A quick test on the mountain, just whacking it with another rock, got me a quick edge that was most definitely very sharp, so we’ll see. (no, I didn’t cut myself

Since I’d accomplished my excuse for the trip so quickly and easily, I decided to keep on going down the mountain for a way to see what I could see. A viewpoint a little farther down the road looked promising……………….

Yes, it was steep - 100’s of feet straight down. Cousin Guip would love this. :-)………………..

I enjoy teasing him, but he does get even, believe me. According to my figuring, this is the upper reaches of Cochiti Canyon………………

That’s a difficult name to pronounce properly. Native New Mexicans call it “KOACHeee—TEE, with almost a stop or break before the T and a hard accent on the T. Hard to get just right. Navigation is surprisingly difficult here. Maybe I should re-phrase that to “locating just where you really are is difficult.” There are many viewpoints, and figuring just which one you’re at isn’t always easy. Altitude and contour lines help, but I’ve got more learning to do, and probably switch the GPS to a different scale system. Farther down, rock walls became common…………….

See why I wasn’t real crazy about crossing the canyon to Obsidian Ridge ?? That would be a fair hike……………..

The 289 road is also known as the “St. Peter’s Dome” road, and off to the left is a huge burned & meadow area with 8463 ft St. Peter’s Dome in the middle. From left to right, these peaks are: Boundary Peak, St. Peter’s Dome, and Cerro Picacho. (Picacho seems to be a very common name in this area)……………..

But wait - there’s a funny looking bump on St. Peter’s Dome. A closer look shows it to be an old Forest Service fire lookout. Hmmm……gotta be an excuse for a future visit, eh ?? That’ll be a trip for Der Bug, tho’. The road was far rougher than I want to take the poor camper over………..

The road hadn’t been too bad up till now, and I’d seen a reference on the topo map saying that the 289 road exits down near Cochiti Lake, close to Tent Rocks, so I went for it. Farther down, well past where I would have wanted to turn around and go back, the map showed the road as a series of thin dotted lines, instead of the thicker dashes I’d been following. Did I ever get an education ! ! ! The road went completely to Phooey, and I had the Diesel Dodge down to less than walking speed for long stretches and still beat the hell out of the camper. That Lance camper is tough ! ! !…………….

Down toward the bottom was a very picturesque little farm at the exit of Cochiti Canyon……………..

But first, there was a creek (called a river in this country) to cross……………..

More bouncing, bucking, and splashing finally brought me out to the paved road leading to the lake, and as I came around a curve, a familiar sight - Tetilla Peak, that I climbed last year. ( http://gogittum.com/blog/?cat=25 ) ……………..

To the left of Tetilla Peak is my favorite stomping grounds of Caja del Rio, so once again, I haven’t gotten outside the 50 mile radius of Santa Fe that kept me occupied all last year. At the farthest point, up in Valles Caldera, I was only about 40 miles from home. Great country, this. Lar.

–

Larry Bourne
Santa Fe, NM
www.gogittum.com
www.gogittum.com/blog

Posted: April 27th, 2008 under 08 New Mexico, 08-4-26 Cochiti Canyon.
Comments: 1

Last Sunday, April 6, 2008, I spent most of the morning moving into my new RV travel trailer and finally said “phooey” with it when my back started complaining. I’ve been cooped up by weather for the last 2½ months, so played hooky by heading out to Bandelier Nat. Mon. to see if I could get some shots of the elusive Abert’s Squirrel. Here’s a poor shot from last year…………….

Also called the “Tassel Eared Squirrel” because of the long hairy fringes on its’ ears. Pretty little guys, and very spooky. I took some peanut butter with me this time to smear on a log, hoping the fragrance would entice one to come and investigate. Nope. Sat there for 1½ hours and no joy. While sitting, in desperation I got to reading the map and pamphlet they hand out at the entrance. Turns out that on the way home, just before coming to the little town of White Rock there’s a separate portion of Bandelier - 14 miles from the main one. Hmmmm………..Lar being Lar, I just had to investigate. Found it OK, and wasn’t too impressed - till I got about ¼ mile from the highway and things changed fast. Suddenly, colorful rock walls framed beautiful Lake Peak and Santa Fe Ski Area (on the right) that I climbed last year ( http://gogittum.com/blog/?cat=9 ) and massive Santa Fe Baldy (on the left) that I’m determined to climb this year. This is Tsankawi, only about 20 miles from Santa Fe - - - as the crow flies……………….

Now, things got better fast. A native style ladder……………..

Led up onto a plateau……………

On the far side of which loomed mighty Chicoma Peak that I climbed last November ( http://gogittum.com/blog/?cat=39 )
( http://gogittum.com/blog/?cat=40 ) Chicoma dominates the area and was irresistable……………

Another view of the mountains behind Santa Fe, and the return trail from the loop hike………………

It’s a dandy. For now, we’ll go up and over an ancient trail that in places is worn more than a foot deep into the soft volcanic tuff (compressed ash) that most of this area is comprised of. 1½ million years ago, and again 1 million years ago, the giant 25,000 ft volcano nearby exploded like an enormous Mt. St. Helens and blew cubic miles of ash over 100’s of square miles. The remains are 12,000 ft high and 14 mile wide Valles Caldera ( http://gogittum.com/blog/?cat=46 ) that I got the truck stuck in last winter…………….

The tuff is *comparatively* soft, (as compared to granite, etc) and the ancient Indians were able to carve their homes into the cliffs, in many cases expanding on existing caves. The entire area is honeycombed with holes of all sizes. Convenient housing, eh ?? This trail really shows the wear of 1,000’s of feet…………….

On up some more, and some more…………………….

Then over the top and look down the other side. My cousin, Guip, would love this view (he doesn’t like heights) .:-) The highway in the distance is the junction where Hwy 4 to White Rock (foreground) splits from Hwy 502 that goes to LANL (Los Alamos National Laboratory)……………..

And around to the left in a spectacular setting is Los Alamos itself - home of the Manhattan Project and birthplace of the Atomic Bomb………..

Farther around the mesa, the trail climbs some more and gives you a choice of a slot carved in the tuff, or a ladder around to the right……….

These ladders are made of authentic materials which can be iffy on strength, tho’ they’re held together with modern fastenings. Regardless, it’s wise to keep your weight to the side, rather than trusting the center section……………….

On top and on the northeast side of the mesa are ruins of a large, unexcavated town that was abandoned 500 years ago……………

Some thoughtful person(s) dug around and found some old obsidian pieces and pottery sherds that are 100’s of years old. Neat stuff, eh ??……………

There’s always an asshole, tho’. Farther along, another rock like this had been kicked aside and the pieces scattered in the dirt. Jerk ! ! I spent about 15 minutes carefully searching for them and putting ‘em back on the rock. Let’s hope that he doesn’t return.

Now, at the apex of the hike, down another ladder and a view of some really ambitious petroglyphs. This area is covered with 1,000’s of them. Here’s the rock wall…………..

And a close-up. See the snake and the bird…..and others ??…………….

Turn around and start down the trail, and there are some really cool homes, carved from the tuff……………..

A look inside the largest………….

and you can see the squared off corner and even smell the ancient smoke saturating the ceiling. They even carved petroglyphs in the smoky ceiling. These people were compulsive artists and even carved storage nooks in the walls………………..

Remember the return trail from above ?? Here’s the beginning of it, and a deep groove worn in the rock from 1,000’s of feet tromping over it for centuries…………….

More homes - a virtual apartment complex that even has steps cut into the rock………………

Those with acrophobia would do well to stay away from the edge here, eh, Guip ?? …………….

This loop is only 1½ miles, but is a real hidden treasure. No one I’ve spoken with has even heard of it, much less been there, and it’s right on the main highway leading to White Rock and Bandelier. Amazing, beautiful place. Lar.

Larry Bourne
Santa Fe, NM
www.gogittum.com
www.gogittum.com/blog

Posted: April 9th, 2008 under 08 New Mexico, 08-4-6 Tsankawi Park.
Comments: 1