Mystery in the Open Space

A few weeks ago while hiking in the open space I noticed something light blue on the side of the mountain where nothing light blue should be.  The next time I walked that way, I brought the binoculars, but could only determine that there was something light blue there and it sort of looked like metal.  I brought Stephen out to show him, and he couldn't determine any more than I could.  I couldn't see a path that would take me anywhere near the thing, and I don't like to go off-trail in shorts because my legs get all scratched up.  But I just HAD to know what is there.  So I waited until it was cold enough to wear jeans, a windbreaker, and gloves (for climbing) and for a time when Stephen was home in case I ran into a problem and needed to call him.

I set off after lunch, walking to where I could see the blue spot.  I started to climb, and very soon lost sight of the spot, so I had to estimate where I had last seen it while picking through the rough terrain, moving left and right as I climbed to avoid huge rocks, cactus, slippery sandy spots and other impediments.  It was steep, and I had to use my hands to help me climb.  I was starting to wonder whether I would make it when I turned my head to the left and there it was!

I still can't fathom how a truck got here.  Unlike the other old truck chassis I found in the open space, this one is nowhere near any of the off-road trails.  It has no engine or transmission.  Its presence is a complete mystery to me.  Stephen looked at the photos and said it looks like a late 70's model, judging from the taillight area.  But it has no drive line at all, no axles, no wheels.  We looked on google earth, and there is no road along the ridge, so it didn't get pushed from above.  I guess a group of strong guys could carry it if there was a path, but not over the terrain where it is.  How I would love to know the whole story!

I was quite tired of going up by this time, so I decided to work my way down.  I had to stop first and get all the prickly things out of my shoes.  There were times when I needed to sit down and sort of slide on my butt so I wouldn't lose my footing, and a few small leaps to make.  I had to duck under some branches, and crawl through a couple of openings.  It was pretty fun!  I did stop a few times to turn around and take pictures for context.  The second picture below was taken looking down toward the highway.

I finally got to a road, or at least a trail where folks with four-wheelers had been trail riding.  It curves to the left and turns downhill.  The truck is about half way up the mountain behind it.

From the vantage point of the truck, I had seen this off-roading trail connect to a housing development between the open space and I-40, and I decided to walk that way, knowing I could call Stephen to come get me if I was tired by the time I got to the road.  I came out in a new development with what must be million dollar houses.  I walked down this paved road toward 333, which runs parallel to I-40.

Fairly soon, the road turned to dirt and the houses turned to trailers and cinder block shacks with chain link fences, "No Trespassing, Deadly Force" signs, and mean-looking dogs who barked at me.  I walked past this awesome cemetery that I blogged about once before,

and down into a little valley by a stream that crossed the road among cottonwood trees.

 Just past this church, I came out on 333 and called Stephen who came to pick me up.

I was out for less than 2 hours and I'm so excited that I found the blue spot!  What a blast.

Osterhout Visit Nov. 2014 part 3

Monday was a work day.  The O's went to the Science Museum and came to our house for dinner, where we celebrated Dad's and Stephen's birthdays.
I had Tuesday off, but Stephen didn't.  I rescheduled my lessons at the studio so I could have the whole day off to go to Santa Fe.
We arrived in time for the Veteran's Day parade, and then had lunch at the Plaza Cafe.

 After lunch we walked to the Georgia O'Keefe museum.  The last time I visited, they didn't have many of her New Mexico paintings on display, but this time there were quite a few in the gallery.  I love her Ghost Ranch period!

Leaving Santa Fe, we took the Turquoise Trail so we could stop in Los Cerrillos, a former mining town turned ghost town turned artist community.

 Wednesday was a work day again, and I had to teach at the studio, but we all met for dinner at El Patron and had amazing New Mexican food while a pair of guitarists/singers serenaded us with Spanish folk songs.  It was a great way to end our week together.

Osterhout Visit Nov. 2014 part 2

Saturday was a long day, so we decided to get a later start on Sunday.  We met at the hotel again, but this time we headed East on I-40 to visit Santa Rosa, NM.  Formerly a popular stop on Historic Route 66, the town features Santa Rosa Lake State Park, The Blue Hole, and The Route 66 Auto Museum.  We checked out the lake first.

 We went to lunch next.  Santa Rosa is not a very happening place.  Picture Radiator Springs at the beginning of the Cars movie.  The eateries that are still open are diners and drive-ins left over from the heyday of Route 66.  Knowing that my dad wanted to visit Santa Rosa, I made a trip out there during the summer to scout it out, and after rejecting a few lunch spots (not accessible, not clean, etc.) I decided our best bet was the Santa Fe diner.  Unfortunately, I neglected to check to make sure it was still open in November, and it was, in fact, closed for renovation!  We went to the Sun 'n Sand instead.  If you ask my dad, he'll say it was great.  He had chicken fried steak for the first time and had a ball talking with the owner and the friendly waitress.  If you ask me, I'll say... well, it's better left unsaid.  Good thing I brought snacks for the car.

 After lunch we went to The Blue Hole, a mecca for scuba divers.  There were three divers who had just gotten out when we arrived.  My folks talked to one guy who said it's a great place to explore.  There's not much to see from the surface, and the Visitor's Center was closed.

 Our next stop was the Route 66 Auto Museum, which was great!

Before we headed back to Abq, we drove 10 miles South through beautiful country to see Puerto de Luna, and on the way we stopped at this cemetery to photograph the church ruins.

Osterhout Visit Nov. 2014 part 1

Stephen and I are grateful that my family was again willing to brave the rigors of air travel with a wheelchair in order to spend a week with us in Albuquerque.  With no direct flights, this is not an easy thing to do!  It took all day Thursday for Mom, Dad, and David to get to Abq, pick up the rental van, and get settled into the hotel.  The adjacent rooms (one accessible) they booked were under construction when they arrived, complicating the check-in process, and making the hotel stay more difficult.  Systems for transferring David in the hotel room and in and out of the van needed to be worked out, and I'd say they pretty much had everything working smoothly by the time they went home!  We certainly appreciate the effort that is required to come visit us.  It is not a small thing.

Stephen and I had to work on Friday.  The O's visited Old Town, where they did some shopping, and then met me at school for a tour before coming to my house for dinner.  Mom and Dad went for a short walk in the open space and Mom and I went for a walk in the neighborhood to look at all the interesting houses and landscapes.

My room at school.

My school.

My house.

The next day we met at the hotel and headed West on I-40 to visit the Painted Desert and Petrified Forest in Arizona.  Dad had read an article in the Albany Times Union about the interesting architecture of the Painted Desert Inn, and when he did some additional research, decided it would make a good day trip.  He was right!  We started at the Visitor's Center where we had lunch. 

 Then we stopped at an overlook to admire the Painted Desert.

These formations are called the Teepees.

David was amused to find this fire hydrant in the middle of the desert.

The Painted Desert Inn was really cool, and the volunteer park ranger entertained us with stories of the original inn and the WPA restoration.

Our next stop was the Petrified Forest.  During the Late Triassic, downed trees accumulating in river channels in what became the park were buried periodically by sediment containing volcanic ash. Groundwater dissolved silica (silicon dioxide) from the ash and carried it into the logs, where it formed quartz crystals that gradually replaced the organic matter. Traces of iron oxide and other substances combined with the silica to create varied colors in the petrified wood.
The Petrified Forest looks like a Star Trek set -- my idea of a distant, marginally inhabitable planet.

On the way home, we had dinner at the El Rancho Hotel in Gallup, NM.  We discovered it on the way home from the Grand Canyon with Liz, and had so much fun that we had to experience it again!