Inactive Blog: June 2007

We Muled the Canyon!

On May 31, 2007, Brendan and I embarked on the adventure of a lifetime - riding mules down into the Grand Canyon. Frankly, we were terrified, but determined to see it through. We did, and it was totally worth both the sheer terror and the serious pain.

Mule Operations boss Casey Murph puts the fear of God into us at orientation. I don't know if anyone from our group backed out after this, but I wouldn't blame them if they did. We met two ladies at breakfast the next morning who did back out after Mr Murph's speech, the poor things. (Seeing how we were suffering probably didn't help matters.)

I can't believe I took this picture on the way down. I'm pretty sure I was grasping the saddle horn with both hands. The trail was steep, and it took great effort to stay upright (heels down, toes up!). Hikers gave us the right of way, and this hiker (Brendan noticed he was wearing a Lobos hat) was no exception.

Brendan astride Gizmo on the trail down. We got more comfortable after the first terrifying moments, and were able to relax a little and enjoy the ride.

Brendan and Cheryl at Plateau Point, our lunch stop and turnaround point. It was about 100 degrees at this spot in the Canyon. The guides hosed us down at Indian Springs so we would stay wet and cool on the Plateau.

Rafts on the Colorado River 1400 feet below Plateau Point

Cheryl on See-More at Indian Springs just before the trip back up the canyon. A little sore but still smiling.

Our trail guide Marilyn telling us about some rocks. Or something. By this time we were pretty sore and the mules were getting hungry, so we didn't truly appreciate the educational aspect. Some of the terror returned as we paused frequently on the steep trail and had to work hard to keep our mules from bending their heads down to eat.

See-More and I gazing at the trail we just came up. Actually, See-More was probably thinking about the bush just below the trail that he wanted to eat. By this point we both (rider and mule) were ready for the trip to be over. But isn't the view spectacular?

The last 1.5 miles were tough. Brendan, Angie and Benny (a couple from NYC) commiserated with one another on the way back up.

Back at the Stone Corral at last, Brendan happily posed with his new best friend and noble steed Gizmo. We could barely walk, but we were totally proud of our accomplishment.

Cheryl posing with her hero See-More. It was an awesome trip. We were very sore for two days afterward but it was an incredible ride and we would definitely do it again!

On the Sandal Trail

On the way to the Grand Canyon, we stopped for a short visit at Navajo National Monument, and were rewarded with a very nice hike and a scenic view of an ancient pueblo. We took the Sandal Trail to an overlook of the ruins of Betatakin, a village nestled in the canyon wall far below us. On another day we might have signed up for the guided (and strenuous!) 5-mile hike to the ruins and back.

Betatakin far below

Tsegi Canyon

Exploring New Mexico - Chaco Canyon

After leaving Jemez Springs, we headed to a part of New Mexico previously unknown to us - the Four Corners region. Although our original plan was to go up into Colorado and visit Mesa Verde, we revised that plan after realizing that we preferred a more leisurely pace, and that we wouldn't really have enough time to do justice to Mesa Verde. Instead, we turned left off highway 550 and headed down a dirt road toward Chaco Culture National Historic Park. It turned out to be a great decision.

It's an amazingly beautiful place, and one that receives relatively few visitors - which suits us just fine. We enjoyed a picnic lunch (mmm, prune pies) at the Visitor Center and then walked the trails through the impressive ruins of four different Chacoan "great houses".

I'll let the pictures speak for themselves:

Brendan at Una Vida great house

Cheryl at Hungo Pavi great house The Great Kiva at Chetro Ketl great house
Rear wall of Chetro Ketl
Brendan at Pueblo Bonito

A Memorable Memorial Day Weekend

The big snowfall last Christmas prevented us from making our planned trip to Jemez Springs to stay at a B&B there. We rescheduled it for Memorial Day weekend, which later worked out to be the beginning of an awesome week-long vacation (more posts on that later). We stayed at Canon del Rio B&B, which we liked very much. We were also fortunate that our visit coincided with an art show and powwow at nearby Jemez Pueblo. We now happily display a piece of storyteller pottery made by the sister of one of Brendan's co-workers. I also bought a unique ring by an artist in Jemez Springs. Highlights of the weekend: a hike to the East Fork Jemez River (I took no pictures but it was quite an adventure), my mineral soak and massage at Jemez Springs Bath House, and the FOOD. We had a wonderful dinner Saturday night at old fave The Laughing Lizard, and thoroughly enjoyed the food at the Pueblo, especially the prune pies!

View from Canon del Rio courtyard

Canon del Rio

Dancers at the Powwow

Honoring Veterans

High Rollers

One of our favorite parts of New Mexico is the Sacramento Mountains and the Tularosa Basin. The town of Ruidoso is where a lot of people go, but we prefer the slower pace of the lesser known hamlets, such as Cloudcroft, High Rolls, and Tularosa. When my sister and her family lived in Alamogordo (or, AlamoGee as we like to call it), we grew to love the area and now return as frequently as we can.

The weekend of May 11 Brendan and I drove down to High Rolls to stay at our favorite bed and breakfast, run by our friends Guillian and Melise. We were celebrating two events - Brendan's 28th birthday and the successful completion of his first semester of graduate school (straight As so far!). We visited all our best spots - Casa de Suenos restaurant in Tularosa, Caliche's frozen custard in AlamoGee, the village of Cloudcroft - and also went on two hikes we hadn't tried before. The first one, in High Rolls, was a delightful, scenic and easy hike on an old railroad bed. The second one, in White Sands National Monument, was incredible in a completely different way - bright, hot, and surreal. We also made some new friends at the B&B, and our into-the-night conversation with our hosts and the other guests was a highlight of the trip.

Here are some pics.