New Mexico trip

“I just returned Tuesday from a trip to the Albquerque, New Mexico area. The main portion of the trip was -- say it with me know -- FREE!! It was a "fam" (familiarization) tour of the area, put on by the Rio Rancho Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB).

However, I paid my own transportation and it cost mucho!! And was screwed up at every point it could be. (Don't even ask about my "Deliverance" cab driver from hell who could barely talk out of his barely there teeth... who asked if I had No-Doze... and who slapped himself to keep awake. And who then charged me $45 for one-way fare to the Best Western in Rio Rancho, 22 miles from airport. GRRRRRRRRRR!!!!)

And did I mention the extra, unplanned-for stay-over in a motel near the Denver airport? Courtesy maintenance problems of Frontier Airlines?? GRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!! Cost me a days pay.

Anyhoo... Now I'm done with griping and will hit some high points.

Upon arrival I got a VERY EXPENSIVE RENTAL CAR and headed north. Bypassed Santa Fe and went right through stinkin' downtown Taos. (There's no choice. You have to. It's probably 20 miles slow driving. Pretty, but SLOW. Taos needs a bypass, too!!)

After 3 to 3.5 hours I ended up at Wild Rivers Recreation Area. There's a plateau and about 800 feet below is the Rio Grande (or "gran-day" as they say there) on one side and the Red River on the other. They coverge at the end of this area.

I got there fairly late, so just set up camp on the rim. Very pretty and peaceful. Sign said to beware of bears, so no eating in the tent for moi!

The next morning I looked forward to a peaceful hike down into the gorge. Lo and behold, two white vans pull up. Some group that takes paying hikers on trips. Around 15 people get out. UGHH!! Also, I see another couple and a guide.

I ran into a ranger, who told me where some petroglyphs were in the gorge that are not marked on the map. I later found them. Very cool. I love petroglyphs!!

Finally I head down. Taking a good pace, soon I pass the threesome on a good stretch. I get to the monstrous group, they start letting me by as they're able.

They say, "My, that's a big backpack. Looks like you're going down for days." I said, "Nah, I just have my big tripod in there and some other stuff." (JUST WANT TO POINT OUT **BACKPACK** USE HERE. lmao!!)

Finally, I get near the head of the group, lead by a blonde. A b\tchy blonde, might I add. She stops the group and tells them to move to side and let people by as they're able to on the rocky path. I am right behind her. I figure since she is saying this, she knows I'm there, right? I duck by her and she says in the most snotty tone possible, "Well, you could have let me know you were there." I said, "I did." Ok, it was kind of a fib, but geez, what with her speech, I thought she knew I was there.

So I started booking and got to the bottom. To go left would take you to a set of four shelter/campsites on the river. I thought from my Net research that there were campsites on the river, but got there too late the night before to check out thoroughly. I went left.

On my gawd! It was gorgeous! While the plateau was scrubby.. and there were mountains not so far away.. this gorge had fragrant pine trees and aqaumarine blue water (sometimes used for fishing or rafting)

GORGEOUS!!! Wished I had camped down there. I hung out, ate a snack, found the petroglyphs and soon enough thought about the long hike out.

I got back to the trail intersection. I had stayed at Little Arsenic Campground on the rim... and saw that going upriver on the trail would take me to Little Arsenic Spring in under a half mile. So I did that. Nice little spring. (I originally hoped to hike to the confluence. The drive to the trailhead for that trail, La Junta, was closed. But... I had to beeline it back to Rio Rancho for the conference.)

Up the switchbacked trail I headed, glad for my trekking pole. (Had 2, but could only get one to extend out, so 1 stayed on the rim.)

Took a slow pace and stopped every so often. Once when I got up from sitting on a rock, I saw a huge, hairy spider. After realizing it wasn't jerbear (LOLOLOL!!) I said, "EEEK!! Tarantula??" Took some pics of it. People later told me it probably was, but that their bites are not deadly.

Finally I reached the top. There was that freakin' hiking group. They earned some points back cuz a NICE tour organizer came over and said to me, "Have you eaten? Come on over and have some food, if not. We'll just be throwing away leftovers otherwise."

So I went over there and partook of such things as tea sandwiches, pasta salad, etc. LOL!! (only with a paid tour!) I tried to be nice and take people's photos with the gorge in the background. But blondie was still acting like a total #&%!$. GEEEEEEEEEZ!!!

I drove like hell to get back to Rio Rancho by 5 p.m. Traffic was AWFUL. I was going 100 MPH on the interstate in my rental Chrysler Sebring at one point.

Highlights from my FREE tours include:

1. Seeing Native American children do dances for our group.

2. Hot air balloon ride. Nice. However, I've done this before in my area and relish seeing natural scenery as opposed to the houses of Albq and Rio Rancho below.

3. Coronado State Monument. We had a very informative Native American guide (Philly born. lol) I could have listened to him on the history of the area for days!!

4. We took in Rio Rancho's Scottish Highland games. To those wondering, we did see SHORTS on under the kilts in the men's sports competition.

5. We took the Jemez Scenic Byway the last full day there. Stopped at the Ponderosa Winery for tour and tasting. YUM!!

6. Had a Native American guide at Jemez State Monument. Very good.

7. Drove by the Valle Caldera (right, Pathman?) Tried to spot elk, which were far, far away. Our guide told us it can be hiked (it's national public preserve) for stinkin' $50!!! EEEK!!

8. Visited Bandelier N'tl Monument for a couple hours. I hiked through ruins on the main trail and then REALLY BOOKED to hike the "skeery" ladders up into the alcove, which also had a kiva. Cool!! Wasn't so scary!

9. Stopped at White Rock Overlook near Los Alamos. Saw the Rio Grande faaaaaaaaaaaaaar below.

10. Took the Sandia Peak Tram to the top of Sandia Mountains immediately to the east of Albq. Fun. One girl on the tram was really scared. We ate at the top. And the planned meeting with Pathman didn't happen. He was backpacking in those mountains, but his group was short on water. (well, JUST WHERE ARE YOUR PRIORITIES, PATHMAN??? lol :-)

11. Although the tour was officially done, the gal guide who set it up dropped me off, so I could spend a little time at Petroglphy N'tl Monument right on the western edge of Albq. and Rio Rancho. Cool-a-mundo!! (have I mentioned I love petroglyphs?? There were cool pets. and pictograms at Bandelier, too)

Ok, that's my story and I'm sticking to it. Fun times!!!”

“Oh yeah, I have to post a link to WEBSHOTS, but I have to go now and run an errand before 5!!!!”

“The photos from my digital. I don't know if I can get good scans of my slides. I shot 6 rolls.

Wild Rivers/Rio Grande”

“What, no one wants to read trip reports??????”

“Everyone is more interested in getting me banned, Lizs. Your trip report looks fantastic.

Was it a white cab or a yellow one you took from the airport?”

“Looks like a great trip Lizs! Thanks. I was in the area in Aug. with my wife and another couple. My hiking freind twisted his knee while we were playing golf on first day there. That ended our plan to do some hiking in the Taos area. Next time, hike first, golf later.”

“Very fun trip report, Lizs. Sounds like you packed a lot into that trip. I would love to hear all about Native American history and look for petroglyphs too.”

“New Mexico is cool. My grandparents used to run a hotel/motel/whatever in Farmington. I didn't get to see all the cool stuff you saw, but the area around Farmington was pretty.”

“Great tale lizs. What is it with those taxi drivers--I got stuck $50 by a guy in Denver last year. Figured out later that we had taken the scenic route. I finaly told him to let me out because I did not have that much money and viola--we were there!!”

“Can't wait to see the rest of your pics. Sounds like you had a good time in the Land of Enchantment!”

“gotta watch those petrogliphs though, it's saucks when they get into your sleeping bag!”

“trip report and I'm interested 'cause I remember driving up that highway to Eagle Nest and seeing the Rio Grande way, way, way down there below and all the time thinking 'there should be some big fish down there, I need to fish that place'...... anyway I get to the end of the post and it's Lizs...... Geeezuz it's LIZS! And she even has a tent. And she has photos down beside the river ..... and it is a long way down there to the bottom.
>
Well she does say they're digital photographs and we all know what people who work at newspapers can do with digital images and PhotoShop 8.0. Yeah looks like that picture I recently saw of you climbing Everest Lizs. Faker!”

“I've caught a 2 lb rainbow trout in the Rio Grande.”

“Solly, just remember that was on the trip that Violin and I took. HE was in charge of our photos. ;-)

At Wild Rivers, that morning, 2 fisherman were there early with all their gear and backpacked down into the gorge.

Let's see, I don't think I made it very clear. At the south end of this Wild Rivers area is where the Rio Grande and Red rivers converge. I had hoped to hike to that confluence from where I reached the riverside trail from Little Arsenic Trail (which goes to the rim). However, it was 1.3 miles. If I'd had all day I would have, dang it anyhoo!!! There's supposed to be some footbridge that is not real good (??) but useable there.

Also, not far from there, the Red River fish hatchery sits. It can be easily reached from Highway 22, UNLIKE the Wild Rivers area. However, from the looks of maps, I'm guessing the confluence is just below the hatchery. Anyone here know??

Here's information on the Wild Rivers BLM area:
Wild Rivers info

The first photos on Webshots were taken between Espanola and Taos, much south of the Wild Rivers area.
Here's a link for that area. I was just south of it with my photos that include the yellow cottonwoods:
Orilla Verde info

OK, and now for a great place to eat in Albq: EL PINTO!! Yummy food, they grow their own chili. And the house margarita is a dream. YUMMY!!! Kinda hot food though, buyers with weak stomachs beware!!”

“Highqway 522!! geez!

And there is a trail called La Junta, which runs from the rim of the gorge to the confluence. It is supposed to be wickedly steep, including steps! But the road on the top which goes to that trailhead was closed for off-season repair. So I didn't get to it -- the confluence -- either on the rim or by hiking along the river. Hmmmmmm, is that a bit clearer? mebbeeeeeee... mebbee not... lol”

“Great report Lizs. I've got family all over that region. Perhaps that's a good excuse to go visit them?”

“what a wonderful tale. after reading this report, I'd say that Lizs was a true hiker and packer. So to all those that doubted her abilities...phhhhhhhttttt~~~~

great report and great pictures...no teeth...wonder if he was from SouthEast Missouri?
glad you had a good time.”

“...shoot....lizs....I would've whacked that guy upside his little pea brain skull of his..dope...and to think you're letting him drive...

Hey sounds like you have a hang-up against blondes....lol...

Anyoo (I stole that expression from you)....sounds like a great trip even though it cost you some dough...petroglyphs are cool!!Stikmon & I could show you plenty of them in the big city....only thing is...they use spray paint...

regards...SL”

“LOL! you have a good point, SL.

I sometimes have to laugh at our laws preventing things like graffiti... Although I can see the point, obviously, well... what if those pioneers hadn't allowed it?? We wouldn't see the petroglyphs and old writings today. funny....”

“Oh... not against blondes in general. Just b|tchy, hiking ones. She could just as easily have been the "b|itchg brunette" or "b|tchy redhead." lol

Regards......”

“Lizs --

sounds fun.

Did Valle Caldera, did taos, did snatne fe, did jemez, did bandilerieri, and the hike up to the cave with the kiva.

A shame you had to blow through Taos as quickly as you did. It is a nice little town, better then santa fe. The puelbo outside of town is pretty neat, as is the gorge over the riop grande beyond that.


nice area.”