Diablo Canyon to Rio Grande

Yesterday, a hike seemed to be in order. It had been cooler the past few days, and we'd been around two weeks and not really gotten out of the city.

Last week, I stopped by a "yard" sale in the apartments — a couple, moving back to Richmond, Virginia after having been here a couple years, after, of course, living in Arlington. They had a book of day hikes complied by the local Sierra Club. A few years old, but a range of hikes, difficult to easy, local to far. And all with good driving directions. We set out on the Diablo Canyon to Rio Grande: 6 miles round trip, 400' elevation change, 3 hours.

Packed a lunch, and off we went. The drive was almost an hour, the last half on bumpy, bumpy, rutted dirt road. Poor little Golf.

The trail starts off through basalt cliffs...





before coming to an arroyo that leads to the river. The sandy ground on the arroyo made for hard going; we took to just wandering off it and into the surrounding area.





In the distance, a thunderstorm seemed to be brewing. We weren't too concerned, the past few days had seen some storms, more clouds and noise than rain and lightning. And, out here it's tough to judge distances. Anyway, clouds were welcome.



We had lunch by the Rio Grande. Looked to be high and flowing fast.



The return hike, almost exclusively off the arroyo, seemed to take longer. The storm seemed to have swung way around to the other side, missing us completely.

It's a bit late in the spring, but there was a fair amount of flora:






And some fauna:



About four hours, round trip, including lunch break. Two-and-a-half liters of water each.

The Nervous-making Bike Tree

Photographed from the very chair I'm sitting in as I write this.

M&D In SF Pt. IV: Photographic Proof

They stopped by on the way to Albuquerque, after spending an hour at the flea market. We went to Bert's for lunch. A really good lunch.

M&D In SF, Pt. III: The Plaza and Beyond

Cooler today, the unusual highs of the 90s the past few days gave way, after some wind last night, to a cloudy and cooler morning.

M&D and Sandy met us at our place around 10, and we turned around and headed to the Plaza. M&D were on a mission to get some presents for folks back in Connecticut and to squander my inheritance. Circled a few stores, then headed to the Indian vendors at the Palace of the Governors. Always a selection of some beautiful art and jewelry, and Mom found a few pieces. They were already kind of New Mexico food-ed out, so passed up on The Shed in favor of their usual Santa Fe lunch spot, Geronimo. Over on Canyon Road, a respectable walk. They had their favorite, elk, Sandy joined them, and Monica and I had a terrific pork chop.

We headed back in, to a store in the newish Arcade that we had walked by. Amber jewelry, like an amber/turquoise necklace I had bought Mom for Christmas a couple years back at the Tesuque Pueblo Flea Market. As it turns out, not only was it the same vendor, but she remembered me. What followed was a kind of madcap, crowded shopping experience as Mom and Sandy kept exploring, finding, and seeking out matching pieces.

Dad, Monica and I left them behind and tried to seek out the Skeleton Art Gallery, something we had run across last fall, and really enjoyed (especially the work by Laura Brink. Seems to have moved. So we proceeded directly to Keshi, which has an amazing assortment of Zuni fetishes. Janie took us there a few years back, introduced us to the owner. We since have returned time and again for presents, a piece for us, and to just marvel at the collection. Dad found an interesting piece by a favorite (of ours, M&D's and apparently, Keshi's), Salvador Romero, who creates rougher, more abstract pieces. He'd been in that morning, and dropped of the piece that Dad found, unusual because it "bound" together two different animals.

Mom and Sandy found us, after hitting the turquoise shop across from the amber shop. We drove to The Spanish Table on the way out, where Sandy found some painted plates to round out a decorating plan she had. Then, sent them on their way back to Ojo.

Still no photos. And not for lack of a camera.

After our return, we met our across the hall neighbors, who took delivery of a package for us. The "bike tree" for the office, to store our bikes. Assembled, set up — it makes me a bit more nervous than I thought it would. It did inspire us to head out to rob and charlie's bike shop, to get Monica's tuned up and new, more road-friendly tires installed.

M&D In SF, Pt. II: Taking The Waters

On Wednesday, we headed out to Ojo Caliente to spend the afternoon at the hot springs there, courtesy of M&D.

It's gotta be one of the lowest-key, unpretentious kind of spas you'd ever run across. A local friend told us we should've seen it in the 60s, when it was ruled by hippies. It's based around a couple old, restored buildings. There are a bunch of various kind of pools fed by assorted (iron, iron/arsenic, soda) springs to soak in and a conventional pool. Two buildings, one dating from the 30s or so, I think, the other more modern, for the treatments.

Headed out for lunch there with M&D and Sandy, and hung out in the iron/arsenic pool. Kind of burned in the sun, due to lack of application/not enough application of sunscreen. Other folks went "mudding," coating themselves in mud and baking in the sun. I have to say, they didn't make it look fun, but by the time I thought I'd give it a try, clouds rolled in. Thought, cold mud, no fun. Hopped to another pool or two. Then, had a massage (to work out all the moving and sitting in the car) while Monica had the cornmeal scrub. More sitting in the pool, as the sun set.

Then, into Espanola to La Cocina, on the recommendation of the woman who helped us with our bank account at Century Bank. A ridiculously large, but great meal.

This has got to be the least-photographed vacation my parents ever took. Even had the camera for the mudding, but there were innocent bystanders who, I figured, did not want to wind up on some stranger's blog in that condition.

Home, catching up stuff. Lost track of day and time, and so missed completely the Lost season finale. Looks like they're rebroadcasting the second part on Saturday, so anyone with a synopsis of what we'll need to know, please email.