When we left Carol and Kurt's home in Los Alamos at 8:15 a.m., the bank in town read 26 degrees. A white band of mist settled in the valley at the base of the mountains, but the sun blinded us. The windsock at the airport lifted slightly and two jets puffed out straight white streaks in their paths south.
A.V.Kidder, the father of Southwestern archaeology, established research and recording techniques at Pecos Pueblo. The National Historical Park preserves 10,000 years of human habitation, including the ancient Indian pit houses that date back 1,200 years; the pueblo, four to five stories high from 1,000 years ago; the remnants of the first Spanish mission church, completed after the Franciscans arrived in 1598; the adobe walls of the second mission church, built in the 1700's after its predecessor was destroyed in the Indian Revolt of 1680; and wagon ruts from the Santa Fe Trail, when trade began flowing past the ruins in 1821.
A.V.Kidder, the father of Southwestern archaeology, established research and recording techniques at Pecos Pueblo. The National Historical Park preserves 10,000 years of human habitation, including the ancient Indian pit houses that date back 1,200 years; the pueblo, four to five stories high from 1,000 years ago; the remnants of the first Spanish mission church, completed after the Franciscans arrived in 1598; the adobe walls of the second mission church, built in the 1700's after its predecessor was destroyed in the Indian Revolt of 1680; and wagon ruts from the Santa Fe Trail, when trade began flowing past the ruins in 1821.
As the only visitors along the 7,000-foot high easy mile loop trail, we followed the numbers, read the visitor guide brochure, and said good morning to a healthy coyote who crossed the path about 150 feet ahead of us. The museum explained the varied history of the area, including the coming of the railroad, the Civil War controversies between Union soldiers and Texans, and the years of control by Mexico. Today, the park stands as a tribute to the Pecos people, about 2,000 strong at their climax, who developed a stable and thriving farming/gathering civilization along the Pecos River and Glorieta Creek. Knowledgeable in the ways of the land, these native peoples harvested and stored three years worth of corn when Coronado came in 1541 and fortified the village by 1450 against Apache raiders from the north. Practical and spiritual, they passed on knowledge of the natural and cultivated world through story and dance, the wisdom of centuries that stemmed from a religious belief that bound all things together and counseled balance, harmony and fitness as the highest ideals. It's sad that their civilization fell to disease, domination and drought. But it's probably the descendants of these Ancients who moved to Jemez and practice their crafts of pottery and weaving even today.
South of Albuquerque, the Rio Grande Valley opened wide with mile after mile of grass and sage. A sign said, Land for sale, starting at $195 an acre. "At that price you could buy 20 acres here for less than $4,000," said Andy. We passed a defunct vineyard, its acres of vines withered and dead. Water makes all the difference, and there isn't much along Route #25.
Closer to Socorro, South Baldy at 10,783 feet in Cibola National Forest, rose up dark against a white sky. "I wonder if that's a forerunner of rain," I mused out loud.
"I think the prediction was chillier than normal with a storm moving in for the weekend," said Andy, "but by then we'll be farther east."
On the southern edge of the city, Andy pulled Little Red into the car wash to clean off some of the accumulated mud. Cost? $1.00 for a six-minute wash.
Unfortunately, our next stop, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, covered about ten miles of dirt roads. Little Red wasn't clean very long, but the tourist-nature lover stop was certainly worth the sacrifice.
At Eagle Scout Deck we watched coots swimming on the partly frozen pond near the Rio Grande River. A low flow conveyance system kept much of the area flooded. From the road we saw hundreds of snow geese and at least 30 great blue heron feeding.
Mallard ducks glided on the pond near Chupadera Deck and not far away Canada geese waddled in the tall grass. At Willow Deck we saw the great blue heron close up and then the snow geese took off overhead in circles above us, hundreds of them cooing and trilling in flight.
At Eagle Scout Deck we watched coots swimming on the partly frozen pond near the Rio Grande River. A low flow conveyance system kept much of the area flooded. From the road we saw hundreds of snow geese and at least 30 great blue heron feeding.
Mallard ducks glided on the pond near Chupadera Deck and not far away Canada geese waddled in the tall grass. At Willow Deck we saw the great blue heron close up and then the snow geese took off overhead in circles above us, hundreds of them cooing and trilling in flight.
Thousands of sandhill cranes browsed for food at Farm Deck where a field of corn had been chopped as feed. White crowned sparrows flew in and out of the trees at Phil Norton Blind, but most exciting was spotting two bald eagles perched together on a tree branch at Flight Deck.
Farther up Route #1 we stood near Gravel Pit Road for the evening flight, a nightly homecoming to favorite ponds when thousands of herons, cranes and snow geese swarm, circle and alight on the water. As temperatures dropped, we stood frozen, literally and figuratively, Andy with the binoculars and me with the camera, for the wildlife spectacle. And from the bushes on the other side of the pond, three elk watched too.
Farther up Route #1 we stood near Gravel Pit Road for the evening flight, a nightly homecoming to favorite ponds when thousands of herons, cranes and snow geese swarm, circle and alight on the water. As temperatures dropped, we stood frozen, literally and figuratively, Andy with the binoculars and me with the camera, for the wildlife spectacle. And from the bushes on the other side of the pond, three elk watched too.
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