The approach to L.A. took me from Durango, southwest to Four Corners, through parts of the Navaho Reservation to Canyon de Chelly and White House Ruins, North to Monument Valley, precariously climbing the face of a 1000' mesa via the Moki Dugway up to Natural Bridges(Arches), through amazing multi-layered/colored canyons Glen, Bryce, and Zion, down through Las Vegas and the Mojave, and, finally, over the mountains and through the smog to this sprawling metropolis. Coast to coast with many stops in between, many people met, many pictures and steps taken, many gallons of gas, and many pb&j sandwiches eaten!
More pictures forthcoming...
I had a scenic drive west out of Taos through Los Alamos. This is the town where the atomic bomb was developed and where atomic research is on-going. It is a sprawling complex that nearly burned from a forest fire that came licking at its door. I could see evidence of that as scores of acres of trees on the hills just above were dead or blackened. As it was getting late(I had a difficult time leaving Arroyo Seco, was enjoying conversing with other hostel guests then composing my last blog note in a nice cafe near the hostel, then went to a hot springs nearby with Emily and Carlton on the Rio Grande, needless to say I didn't get out of the Taos area until around 3pm!) I quickly went to check out the ruins at Bandelier National Monument then to find a place to camp for the night. I wound up at Jemez Falls which is up in the mountains west of Los Alamos. I picked out a site and as I did so noticed that there was nobody else there. It was only $10/night which made up for paying a little extra at the hostel for a private cabin. Since there was nobody around I was able to pilfer some firewood from some other sites. For the first time I lit my coleman lantern, got the coleman stove going and lit a fire as the temp was starting to drop. The bark on the pine trees here is deceiving because it is a light orange, brown, and yellow and seems to glow as if reflecting the setting sun, but that evening it was cloudy with a little snow expected. JUst before crawling into the tent to sleep, it began to lightly snow, I put the lantern just outside the tent so I could map out the route for the next day. I awoke in the morning to find a couple of inches of crusty snow. I made some coffee on the stove and packed up for the next adventure. The temp was in the high twenties so I was glad that I'd brought my down sleeping bag and warm clothes!
The roads were a little icy in spots so I kept the speed way down. I returned to a spot I'd seen on my way the previous day. It was a huge open field nestled amongst the mountains named "Valdez Caldera". It was beautiful with a blanket of snow. I had planned to stop at the Jemez Hot Springs but the trail down was very muddy and my experience with the mud around here is that it becomes very slippery and cakes to your shoes like cement! So I opted to contiinue west towards Bisti.
Bisti was a wierd site much like the surface of mars. Lots of erosion from wind and water. I didn't have a lot of time to spend here as it was getting late again and I had to find a place to stay before nightfall but I did manage to get a good hike in and take some pics. After that I made my way north to Durango, CO. Durango is an old mining town that has a lot of old brick buildings and hotels as well as a narrow gauge railway that runs to Silverton about 40 miles away. I'll be heading west from here towards Utah and Bryce Canyon then to L.A. on Friday to visit Yvette and Chris whom I'd met a couple of years ago while camping in Big Sur. It will be good to see them! We are also planning to catch my cousin-in-law, Betsy Salkind, who is performing that night. She's a well known comedienne in LA.
That's all for now!
I've made my way down from the Gila Wilderness then back up north through the Apache National Forest and on up to Grants, NM. There I spent the night ina sleazy motel on historic route 66. I don't think the furnishings have been updated since the early sixties, but it was cheap and I needed a bed for the night! Sleeping in such a place can suck the soul out of you and I was craving to be around people. The following morning I headed on over to the Acoma Pueblo where I went on a guided tour of the longest continually habitated mesa in all of New Mexico. The tour was led by one of the Native Acoma's, Orlando, and was enlightening and informative. The pottery is beautiful and inexpensive as compared to buying it one of the numerous galleries in this area. I felt more energized after the tour and from there headed to the Adbonimable SnowMansion Hostel in Arroyo Seco just northeast of Taos. My craving for hanging out with people was satisfied here and I met a fun young couple from Texas. There is a community kitchen and common areas in the lodge. I opted for a private cabin that was equal in price to the sleazy motel! The couple, Emily and Carlton, were musicians. She played fiddle and he played guitar so we had a nice jam(Arkansas Traveler) outside as the sun set last night. We also went to hear a live funk band the night before. So I got my fill of people and entertainment. Today I am making my west towards L.A. stopping at Chaco Culture, Bisti Badlands, Monument Valley, Bryce Canyon, and possibly some other places as time permits
Enjoy these pictures!
Not that I was necessarily looking for a theme for my trip but it may end up being a tour of many budget and/or free hot springs of the west! Over the past two days I've been staying high up in the Gila Wilderness at the Wildwood Retreat. The $8.00/night camping fee includes soaking, showers, kitchen facilities, and is only four miles from the Mongollan cliff dwellings. It took 2 hours to drive 44 miles of twisting mountain road to get up to the hotsprings and cliff dwellings. I had no cell or internet connection which made it even more relaxing! I did a 4 mile hike after viewing the ruins. The sky is so blue here!
Hopefully these pictures give you an idea of what I've experienced.
Today, I'm in a laid-back coffee shop in historic Silver City then will head North through the mountains towards Santa Fe and Taos.
Enjoy!
Here's a description of the hot springs and history of T or C
www.riverbendhotsprings.com
And some photos
This has been an amazing past couple of days here in T or C! The stress is melting away and my asthma has retreated so much so that I haven't used my inhaler since Monday. I've soaked in the tubs a least three times a day. There are four different baths that run from 106 degrees down to about 98. They are communal and I've met some great people who've told me a lot about the area and places I should go check out. I met someone who was into photography and it was cool to share information and experiences with her all the while soaking in the mineral baths as the sun rose up over Turtleback Mountain and the Rio Grand at our doorstep. As I sit here typing away, I hear the yips and calls of coyotes across the river.
I've been enjoying heading up to Big Food Express for a bite to eat some conversation. It's located in the next town, Elephant Butte. The food is varied and inexpensive and they have Negro Madelo to boot! They have Bossa Nova on the weekends and every weeknight they play some kind of music DVD. Last night we enjoyed the Last Waltz and tonight it was Mahler being performed at Albert Hall.
Tomorrow I leave here and head off to the Gila Wilderness, Silver City, and the Pueblo Ruins.
Here are some pictures for ya!
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