I’ve been holding off on this last post about the trip to New Mexico because I had to locate the name of the fellow who saved our trip back from being something like a rerun of the trip out. Considering the content of the previous post, it should come as no surprise to you that – of course – the United Airlines flight was delayed. We were there super-early for an early flight. We wanted to check the monster bags…
At an elevation of 10,678 feet, the Sandia Crest (just outside of Albuquerque) is the high point on the Turquoise Trail. It was a long drive up, on a smoggy day. The summit was covered with this. The most interesting thing to me was a small plant covered with millions of ladybugs. Then we headed into Albuquerque, and prepared to fly the next morning.
We headed back to Sante Fe, in defeat. I was still very ill. After a long fast, I had recovered enough to tackle an easy trail. Michael drove us to the Tent Rocks. It was gorgeous. A black bug at the top, where I also found some small Apache Tears.
Driving out of Los Alamos, we found the place that I had been seeking at the Las Conchas Trailhead in the Jemez Mountains. If I had been hiking alone, I would have started here, and wandered for days. We saw a rockclimber there, too. But it started to rain again, and all of the camping was too far in to haul…
We had to go to Los Alamos. We almost stayed there, but I was still feeling pretty ragged. We did manage to spend some time at the Black Hole, a “recycler of nuclear waste” that sells used scientific equipment, electronics, lab supplies, nuclear by-products, surplus items and materials. We got pulled into an extended discussion….including a short video. What a place, what people, what a blast. This helmet was one of the first things that caught my eye. Cable skull….
If I don’t blog for a week or two, no worries, just some things I need to do. I’ll moderate any comments when I’m back online.