Last year I got to exploring out on the Caja del Rio plateau, about 6 miles west of Santa Fe in Der Bug.  On the map I’d spotted an overlook across the White Rock Canyon of the Rio Grande River to see the huge Frijoles (fr-r-r-ee-HOH-lays) Canyon (refried beans canyon) in Bandelier National Monument, home of extensive ancient Indian Pueblos, up to 1,000 years old.  I’ve talked about Bandelier quite a bit in the past.  If you go to the left - east - as you come down the hill into Bandelier, there’s a trail leading down canyon from the lower parking area, following Frijoles Creek down to the Rio Grande River.  ( http://gogittum.com/blog/?cat=41 )

 When I took Der Bug out onto Caja del Rio, I got as far as a steep, rocky grade far short of my goal, and couldn’t go farther.  At that time, the dual Weber carburettors on Der Bug were out of whack and the car had no power and would die on a steep hill.  I’m sure the car could do it now, with the freshly rebuilt carbs, but being alone don’t want to chance getting stuck…………so the mighty Quad comes to the rescue.  On the way in, I passed Montoso Peak, only about 700 ft high, but there’s really 5 peaks here, so last year I climbed all 5, just to say I’d done it.  You can see 3 in this picture.  What a view from up there……………

Continuing on, the Jemez (hay-MAYZ) Mountains are clearly visible on the other side of the Rio Grande.  Road is getting rougher……………….

Farther on, we come to the edge of a ridge and the road goes phooey in a hurry.  This is where I “almost” got Der Bug stuck last year……………

This is far steeper than it looks here, and those ledges are very difficult for Der Bug.  Designed for such stuff, Suzy the quad walks right on down……and right back out again………….

Around the next corner it was much steeper and caution was needed, even on Suzy.  You can see the extension of the road far below and a smaller ridge that must be climbed to reach the main canyon on the other side………………

On the other side of that ridge the main canyon finally comes into view.  It’s huge.  The white spots in the center and right distance are some of the facilities at Los Alamos National Laboratories - home of the atomic bomb in WWII……………..

I pulled Suzy out onto a great Juniper covered hump and the trail petered out, so started walking.  It didn’t take very far to come onto a tremendous view of Frijoles Canyon.  This is spectacular.  What a sight……………..

Walking - carefully - out to the edge, it’s a looooong way down, baby.  Book says the canyon here is 1,000 ft deep, but I doubt it’s that much.  Looks to me to be more like 700 or so…….but still wouldn’t like to slip.  Most of the canyon is steep - this portion is vertical………………..

A look up-stream shows Los Alamos - you can see one of the huge tracking antennas at upper left - and to the right, out on the point is the bedroom community of White Rock…………….

A look downstream shows where the canyon ends at La Bajada, ( http://gogittum.com/blog/?cat=57 ) the great dropoff to the flatlands below on the way to Albu-Quirky far in the distance………………..

Finding another “road” (actually, I found many roads that need to be explored :-) I went south a ways on the ridge and got a look a little farther up the canyon, and could see the trail I’d been on 2 years ago.  The falls are hidden by a shoulder of rock on the right side of the canyon……………….

This was a easy, enjoyable 1 hour ride each way on Suzy, compared to beating myself to death in Der Bug or beating up and scratching the 4Runner……tho’ the Runner could easily make the trip.  Having Suzy available makes a big difference, and there’s much more exploring to be done out there.  What amazes me is that this afternoon traffic on Cerrillos Rd in Santa Fe, coming home, was plugged solid.  Out on the Caja, just 6 miles away, after riding a total of 23 miles round trip, I didn’t see another person all day.  Not one.  Yes, I like that.  :-)  (and it do make me glad I’ve got the SPOT)                    Lar.

    –

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

Posted: May 17th, 2009 under 09 Santa Fe, 09-5-16 Frijoles Overlook.
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