Santa Fe and Jemez Mountain Trail

Here are pictures from our tour of Santa Fe and the Jemez Mountains. I accidentally had the camera on "video" while we were at Bandelier National Monument so no pix of the cliff dwellings! Most of them are of my feet!

Jemez Mountain Trail

My computer has been freezing up and doing a "crash dump" at the most inopportune times so we found a repair shop in Santa Fe that had 16 excellent reviews and took it there for diagnostic tests. It had to stay overnight so I am behind on my blog entry! Good news - he couldn't find anything major wrong with it; bad news - he couldn't find anything wrong with it!! For a $39 fee he adjusted a few things and "hoped that it helped." It froze up and dumped the first time I used it again! One of the downsides of traveling.
We toured Santa Fe on Monday. A great day to walk around the central plaza and shop. I bought a lovely Indian made bracelet and a beautiful "Georgia O'Keefe" design trivet/cutting board. We were told several shops had closed due to the economy and we could see why after browsing in some - very pricey! I found a gorgeous scarf - silk, felted wool, ribbon and beads - the true work of an artist - but, it was $650.00. I also found a really unique jacket for a mere $1850.00!
The Loretto Chapel, near the town square, is famous for it's spiral staircase leading up to the choir loft. Here's the legend: The Sisters of Loretto were looking for a carpenter to build a staircase but, they all said it would take up too much room in the small chapel below. The nuns made a Novena to their patron saint, Joseph the Carpenter, and a myterious carpenter showed up. He designed and constructed the circular staircase with just a saw, a square, a hammer and tubs to soak the wood. It contains 33 steps in two full 360 degree turns and has no center or side support. Then he disappeared without payment. The iron railing was added later for safety. The engineer in Roger couldn't figure it out!

We traveled about 100 miles along the Jemez Mountain Trail yesterday on the way to Bandelier National Monument - an ancient home of the cliff dwelling Anazi Indians. The drive starts out in the desert and gradually climbs to 9081 feet where the mountains are more alpine. Snow up there! Then the forest falls away and there are mountain meadows. One huge area, 175 sq miles, was caused by the volcano collapsing into itself forming a "caldera." Bandelier was packed -  spring break! - we waited about 1/2 hour to park. Not a problem for us - we had packed our lunch so we had a picnic in the car. We hiked the 2 mile loop trail up the canyon to see the cliff dwellings and the "long house." These Indians were a little more advanced than the ones at Mesa Verde - in addition to hunting and gathering, they farmed near the Santa Fe river. But, like their neighbors to the north, they vanished around A.D. 1550.
This area is near Los Almos where they invented the atomic bomb. What a difference a few centuries can make!
Staying home today. Roger needs to hook up our new water softner and solve a new problem - we apparently picked up a visitor - have seen mouse droppings - ugh!

Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument

The tent rocks are located near our campsite and Pueblo de Cochiti. I think they use the term "pueblo" to describe a small town, not just a single home. Most of the houses are small adobe type, stucco with flat roofs. All the literature asks that the public respect the privacy of the pueblos - no drawings, pictures or videos of tribal reservations. There are so many different Indian tribes in this area that I couldn't begin to name them  but, they all have a casino!
The "tented" rocks were formed by volcanic eruptions 6-7 million years ago. We hiked the 1.2 mile loop trail through the canyon. Passed on the 1.5 mile, 630 foot elevation trek to the top of the mesa! The walk was more difficult  due to the altitude and dry air - we were parched! Being the good boy/girl scouts that we are we have decided to "be prepared" and leave our hiking boots and water in the car at all times so we are ready to explore at any time.
I have embedded our web album in this blog. Click on the picture to view all of our pictures from our hike and then close the tab to return to the blog. Enjoy!

Lake Cochiti Campground

We traveled about an hour north of Albuquerque to this remote campground today - our new home for the next few days. We are really enjoying our new big windows with all this beautiful scenery to look at! Imagine the stars will be nice and bright. It is a Corp of Engineers park and with Roger's Golden Age Pass it cost us $6.00/night! Gotta' be some advantage to being old!

Sandia Peak

We rode the tram, 15 minutes, up to the peak of Sandia Mountain this afternoon. The wind had died down and the day was sunny, clear and beautiful. About half way up, the tram crests over a peak and there is a large canyon - gorgeous! They extended the ski season until the end of the month because they still had so much snow. It was 45 degrees at the foot of the mountain and 18 degrees at the top. It was awesome - you could see for miles! Roger asked the girl working on the tram if it ever got stuck - she said "yes, the last time was Thanksgiving Day, 2008 and I was the only one on it - it took 4 hours to bring it down." She was pretty calm, cool and collected about it, but after that conversation I was glad to disembark!
We found out the difference between Mexican food and New Mexican food. We went to a really good New Mexican food restaurant with our mouths watering for fajitas - not on the menu! What??!! We ordered enchiladas instead - the house speciality. They were delicious but not what we expected. They served them "stacked" vs "rolled" - they layer the corn tortillas with the filling and then pour red chili sauce, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes and onions on top - served with pinto beans and a special bread. No dinner for us - we were too stuffed! 
Megan & friends are shopping at the Round Top/Warrenton antique fair this week-end. Heather & I are bummed we are missing it. So is Roger - ha!ha!
Heather has been doing some consulting for Laura Mercier this week. Primarily re-configuring and analyzing sales data spreadsheets but it may blossom into something part time. Kyle went to a parent-teacher conference with Samantha's teacher yesterday - she is doing well at school. She drew us a picture while we talked - a house with a library and books in it!!

Happy Birthday, Megan

Happy 34th Birthday to Megan on March 25th! Oh my gosh, the kids birthdays age me more than my own! As I shopped around the vendors at the rally, I thought "this sure beats what I was doing 34 years ago!"

Windy City

I thought Chicago was the "Windy City" but we had 35 mph winds, with gusts up to 55 mph, here in Albuquerque yesterday! The motorhome was rocking, tumbleweeds were flying by and the blowing dust was visible. Roger wanted to hook up our new water softener but could hardly stand up outside. We worried about Gary & Anne driving home - they fought it all the way - it was even worse in El Paso! It is better here today, sunny with less wind, so we are going to take the Sandia Tram up the mountain. They are still skiing on the east side - 36 degrees up there - so we are wearing our winter woolies! Hoping to find some GOOD Mexican food for dinner!
When we first arrived we had forgotten about the altitude changes but were soon reminded. I have a 64 inch exercise ball that lays on the bed when we travel - we got ready for bed the first night and it had expanded so much that we couldn't get it through the doorway into the hall! I went to put on my make-up the next morning and unscrewed the top and it squirted out all over! Our lips and skin are sooo...dry they soak up chapstick and lotion instantly. Don't think I could live here!
Capital One sent us an email questioning a charge on our VISA card. Weren't too worried because it happens often as we travel from state to state but this one was for $2400.00 from TicketsNow! Hard to tell if it was fraudulent or just a data entry error with the number. We are not responsible, but what a hassle - going without our main credit card and figuring out where to mail the new cards. Too many places won't take our American Express and we have forgotten how to write a check! Unfortunately, it did not prevent us from spending at the rally!

FMCA Rally

We arrived in Albuquerque on Sunday - have experienced all four seasons in 4 days! It was beautiful on Monday - the guys went "desert" golfing and us girls went shopping. Cold and windy on Tuesday - snowing on Wednesday and nice again on Thursday. Roger & Gary were most upset - they came in dead last in the golf scramble! And to make things worse, they published the standings at the luncheon - all other names were in red but theirs were in black so they stood out real clear! They are convinced the handicap calculations were "fuzzy!" They were like little boys that came in last at the soap box derby! Anne & I didn't have any better luck shopping in Old Town or playing the nickle slots at the casino!
This rally is not nearly as good as the one we went to in St.Paul/Minneapolis - primarily because the camping area is at Balloon Fiesta Park but the seminars and exhibits are at Sandia Downs/Fairgrounds, about 30-40 minutes away. They have nice buses to transport us back and forth but it is time consuming and not at all convenient if you want to attend a seminar early in the morning or at the end of the day.
Roger had a business meeting with the FAA in Seattle on Tuesday so, he flew out at 6:00am and returned at 11:30pm! Gary had two wives to deal with that day!
We have been shopping with all the vendors - finding things that say "buy me" - a water softener (yea, maybe it will help keep the shower door clean!) - 2 director chairs with trays - awning clips so it won't unfurl while driving down the road - fire extinguishers for under the bed, where the engine is located, and the refrigerator compartment - special towels to wash the motorhome - peel off picture frames - a pull cart for shopping - a phone clip for Roger - and my new T-shirt that has a wine glass and says "Grandma's Sippy Cup!" Gary & Anne bought a desk unit, dining table and "magic" table like ours, in a natural cherry to match their coach, and did the same thing we did - took out the bench seat and threw it in the dumpster!
The evening entertainment was moved from the ampitheatre to the ballroom at the Sandia Resort due to the weather. B.J. Thomas performed Wednesday night - a trip down memory lane to the 60's!
We went back to the casino last night. They give you $20 in chips and a $20 card for the slot machines to get you started. All four of us lost our $40 quickly!
Gary & Anne are headed home and we are moving and staying to explore the area for another week.

I went to an excellent seminar - "Blogging - Beyond the Basics" - so stay tuned for a whole new look!!!

White Rain

We left San Antonio at 7:00am this morning in the middle of a terrible thunderstorm - rain and wind and darkness except when the lightening lit up the sky! We met Gary & Anne just north of Boerne. It is 39 degrees as we travel west on IH-10 with snow flurries! Where are my mittens??? We must have brought the wind from Brownsville because it is really whipping us around - don't have Jens with us, so we don't know its direction or strength but it is definitely not a "tail wind."
Speaking of wind, we had a whirlwind two days in San Antonio trying to get all our errands, the townhouse chores, and doctor's appointments done plus Roger spent time at work. The weather did not cooperate - too windy - so we were not able to fly the Cub - bummer! Decided we do not miss the traffic at all! Guess that's the good news about this trek to El Paso - good road and no traffic!

On The Road Again

We left Brownsville this morning, on our way to San Antonio for a couple of days and then out to Albequerque, New Mexico to a FMCA rally with Anne & Gary. Hated to leave all our friends at Winterhaven, we had a fun winter with them, but Roger had a case of "hitch itch" so it was time to move on!

Hard to get a good picture but, the bluebonnets and wildflowers were really pretty along the roadside on our way north.

How Many Men Does It Take?

How many men does it take to retract our awning? We finally got a check from Dometic for the microwave/convection oven that didn't work and got our new GE one installed. Roger breathed a big sigh of relief - all repairs were done and no more dealing with customer service about warranties! He was being  way too optimistic! On Wednesday night our awning would not retract - the problem with all this "automatic" stuff is if it doesn't work we are in a real "pickle!" He ordered a new part that  is due to be delivered today but, the wind is constant in Brownsville and at times it can be really strong - we were worried about sailing away or the awning being ruined. The guys all put their heads together and, with the help of some aluminum from a beer can, were able to force it to roll up. Crisis over! The good news is -  it did not wait to happen when we are out west, in the "boonies," by ourselves!

Happy Birthday to Me!

My gift will come from the Social Security Administration every month! But the best part of the day was Samantha and Emily singing "Happy Birthday, Tima" on their blog!

Shopping in Mexico - Not!

Last night was the Michigan potluck picnic - finally nice weather - for all those in the park from Michigan. Janet did a great job organizing it and it was fun to meet everyone with good memories of our home state.
We had planned to go shopping in Progresso, Mexico today but my passport expired in November 2009. Roger said "you can still go - you just can't come back!" Dick was pretty sure that I probably could go with no problem but I was not willing to take a chance!
So, we went to the golf driving range instead. I have an appointment with the chiropractor tomorrow so I figured today was a good day to practice swinging my golf clubs. Just in case I need him in the morning! Actually, the putting stance bothered me more than swinging my driver. Can't say I'm any better or worse than before my fall!