Finally, The Wave, Part 2

We crossed Sand Wash and stood at the base of the Navajo Sandstone escarpment.  Basically we were less than a half-mile from The Wave but about 240 feet below it.  Just a short distance in LOOSE SAND, and then a climb up the rocks!  

The Wave is only about 1.5 acres . . . very small.  But the sights are packed within!

Entering The Wave

In particular, there are several places that show dry soft sediment deformation - where the dunes were stressed by "something from above" - wind, more sediment, Jurassic animals, etc. - and the angle of repose turned into a sand slide!  One area west of the Classic Wave showed this phenomena only too well.  Even above The Wave, one could find sediment deformation.  Because of the deposition environment, there were no tracks - nothing - but the deformation was present.  What could be the cause?  Probably wind and sand saltation.

Sediment deformation above The Wave

The classic Wave picture

Above looking into The Wave

At the top of The Wave

Ron & Maureen in The Wave

Illusion

 By 3pm, it was time to leave.  We had not covered all we wanted to see, but then again, there will be next year and a new lottery!  As we left The Wave and descended to Sand Wash, it was a little sad.  We had to leave. 

But when we were just above the Wash on the way down, a dead juniper bush showed our feelings of leaving - just a few are picked and just a few survive.

We did make a major mistake as we hiked out.  We didn't continue drinking enough water!  Yes, we were in too much of a hurry to leave because of the time.  If you ever make the hike, or next time we make this trip, be sure to drink as much water leaving as you did entering!  Our trusty Garmin Monterra GPS and topographic map showed us the way to leave, but the party of 3 behind us were not so lucky.  We had left them photographing some final shots, and as we talked with Cara, the BLM person, we saw them descend and enter the Wash.  They started a lower path, so Cara broke our conversation to intercept them.  We left heading to the twin peaks and the way out.  Cara started hiking to the Toadstools and Hoodoos to stop the party of 3 and send them to higher ground.

Toadstools and Hoodoos

By 5:30pm, we were back at the truck.  It was 6:45pm before we were back in Kanab at the RV.  And by that time, it was WAY PAST puppy dinner time!  We were in so much trouble!

The Wave, Part 1

There are only 20 people allowed per day to The Wave.  Ten people are allowed in by an online lottery held three months before the actual month of visitation.  Ten people are selected the day before the allowed hike at the Grand Staircase Escalante/Paria Visitor Center in Kanab, UT.

At 8:30 on a Tuesday, we were at the Visitor Center to apply for two slots in the lottery.  At 9am, the lottery is held - all applications are placed in order, numbered, the numbers are called for each party, and then numbered wooden balls are placed in a bingo cage and drawn until all 10 slots are awarded.  We did not win.  Boo!  

At 8:30am on the following Wednesday, we were back at the GSC/P Visitor Center.  As we applied the day before, all I had to do is tell the Ranger, Cara, my previous day's number to be placed in the new lottery.  Same procedure.  First number out of the bingo cage - a party of six!  Depression set in on the crowd!  Second number out of the cage - a party of three!  Leaves only one slot!  True depression swept the crowd of 153.

And the last number . . . . Number 8 - Ron Nichols for a party of 2!  I half-heartedly held up my hand.  There was only one person who could go.  Cara stands and smiles.  "Upon special circumstances, the BLM has granted special permissions, so as this is a party of 2 with only one slot left, we will combine these two into one and Ron Nichols please stay to pick up your permit for two."  Maureen and I could not believe it!  We were in!

Thursday came early, but by breakfast and getting the dogs out and situated in the RV, we left for the parking area around 10am.  It was a 35 minute drive to House Rock Valley Road, then another 30 minutes to traverse the 9 miles down the washboard, rutted road to Wire Pass Trailhead.  So we were at the parking area about 11:15am.  The hike started, down Wire Pass and then the marked and signed turn-off to The Wave.  Not to be lost, I had a Garmin GPS, a Brunton compass, and a topographic map!  It is not unusual for hikers to "find" The Wave but become lost on their hike out.  (Happened to a party of 3 the day we visited!)  Must not have ever taken Field Geology!  Actually, Maureen and I were surprised at some of the people in the lottery process - we wondered how these people would even make the hike one-way!  

Hiking out across loose sand (I hate trekking through loose sand!) for a half-mile to the first slick rock, then in a southerly direction to The Wave when fresh on the hike is not a problem.  However, coming out that afternoon . . . that last half-mile of loose sand was torture!  The rocks along the way are spectacular! 

We sat under one off the few large juniper trees we saw and ate lunch.  Then to the right of the twin peaks, and the goal was in sight!

 

There is a "crack", actually an eroded fracture that appears as a dark line - the picture does not do the actual sight justice - and The Wave is immediately under the crack.

But we still had a distance to go and plenty to see.

A two and a half hour hike, plus about 30 minutes for lunch, we reached The Wave about 2pm.  But that is for the next post!

Interrupt

There have been so many interrupts that have made posting to the blog difficult.  So instead of trying to catch up with past posts, I have decided to use my own interrupt to restart.  I will try to post some of the older "thoughts" as we go along.  But for now, it is "present" time!

Chaco Canyon, Part 2

When we visited Chaco Canyon in 1974, the southern-most Great Pueblos were not "on the map".  That is, the Pueblos of "Una Vida" and "Hungo Pavi" did not have trails or guides.  Today, there is a trail and a trail guide to Una Vida from the Visitor Center.

In 1974, if one wanted to visit either of these ruins, one would have to get an "off trail" permit from the visitor center, then hike down the road and across the valley floor to the ruins - no trails, no guides.  Both of the pueblo ruins are largely unexcavated.  Una Vida has only had a few rooms excavated, so the ruin remains archaeologically untouched.  Because we only saw Una Vida and Hungo Pavi from the road, we never realized the size and complexity of these pueblos.

Of course, our visit to Chaco Canyon wouldn't be complete without revisiting Pueblo Bonito.  

As we walked along the south wall of Pueblo Bonito, we saw one of the familiar corner doorways.  Corner doorways are fairly unique to the Chaco culture.  This particular doorway, if I remember correctly, was one of the significant doorways that Dr. Jonathan Raymond focused on in 1974 and his preliminary archaeo-astronomical studies and measurements.  

We walked the trail up the remains of Threatening Rock which collapsed into the side of Pueblo Bonito in 1941.  

There are just so many other pictures of Pueblo Bonito, but it might be best seen from a different perspective.  

North of Pueblo Bonito and Richard Wetherill's grave is a late-built pueblo of McElmo origin - Kin Kletso.  

To the right of the above picture, in the canyon wall of Cliffhouse Sandstone, is a large fracture crack that has served as a stairway from the canyon floor to the mesa top for more than 2000 years.  We climbed up that ancient stairway to reach the mesa top and the trail to take us to the point above Pueblo Bonito.  It's not that difficult of a hike, and the views are breath-taking!  And, after about a mile and a half hike, the view was rewarding.

Pueblo Bonito from the mesa top!

Chaco Canyon!!! Part 1

As a "preview", we spent 3 days in Chaco Canyon!  Many memories and many adventures returned from the past!  So, with this and the next few posts, the past and present will be the topics!

Some 41 years ago, come this June, I dragged my wife and 2 year old daughter out to a remote area of New Mexico called "Chaco Canyon National Monument".  There were two roads into Chaco Canyon - one from the south from Thoreau (pronounced "throw" in New Mexico) and Crownpoint, only some 38 miles of washboard dirt road, and one from the north, some 43 miles of rough, washboard dirt road from north of Nageezi at Blanco Trading Post.

The preparations for that 1974 trip were thought out and planned.  We would have to camp. So, we bought a very used, basic pop-up tent trailer that was light enough to pull behind an Opel Station Wagon.  I had found a 1960 Cushman Super Eagle scooter which we rebuilt at the Archaeomagnetic Lab that could be disassembled and put inside the pop-up trailer.  We also purchased poor, used, propane refrigerator that fit inside the pop-up.  This plus a 9'x12' tent, card table, 10'x10' awning, and 10 square yards of used carpeting (25 cents a yard) for under the awning completed our "haul".  We packed all this up, plus clothes, Coleman stove and lantern, etc., Crystal's car seat and headed out for the unknown.

We arrived at Chaco Canyon after two days of driving. Then we found out that "the telephone calls" that were supposed to be made . . . had not been made. Superintendent Harriman was quick to respond - "No problem".  The year 1974 was well into the "big dig" at Chaco Canyon.

So, we set up camp.

And some 41 years later.

My first collection site was the Garden Fields at Chetro Ketl. These samples yielded "OK" results.  But the second site was very interesting and yielded excellent results!  The second site was an abandoned oxbow of the ancient Chaco River near the garden fields and out from Chetro Ketl almost to the modern day erosional Chaco Wash.  I dug two 6' shafts into this abandoned oxbow, sampling every 12 inch interval, and dated the sedimentation of this oxbow related to the occupation of Chaco Canyon.  The first and shallowest sample set dated around AD 1680, while the deepest sample sets dated from around AD 500.

Now, the collection process utilized Plaster of Paris to encase the samples.

So, some 41 years later, and with Ranger Don Whyte as an escort, we walked out to the abandoned oxbow for that nostalgia trip.

Under our feet is the first collection pit.  The white disks and chips in front of us is Plaster of Paris left over some 41 years ago from my collection!  From the weathering of the plaster, I wouldn't doubt if that Plaster of Paris won't still be there in another 41+ years!

Farmington

Some 41 years ago, Maureen, our daughter Crystal, and I spend some two months at Chaco Canyon while I gathered my research data for my Master's thesis.  Each weekend meant a trip to Farmington for groceries, fill the fresh water jerry cans, laundry, and have a "store-bought" lunch!

Farmington was an eclectic mix of New Mexico country, Navajo, petroleum industry, and tourist.  The downtown was a busy place.  And it was a small "small city" that just captured the imagination.  In those "our early days", we wanted to find jobs in Farmington and move!

Fast forward to present day!  We had set up camp in Angel Peak RV Park and couldn't wait to drive through Farmington "to recall".  That was a mistake!  Downtown was a ghost town.  All the area around downtown had become very economically depressed!  On the drive into Farmington, it was just oil supplier lot after oil supplier lot - and some of those were vacant!  Down right depressing!  But it did seem as though Farmington had grown.  So where was "downtown"?

As we drove the highway through downtown, we kept wondering, where was the "shopping area" that supported Farmington?  Luckily we kept driving the highway instead of heading back to the RV.  What used to be the "old road" heading to Aztec was now "THE" area.  What the downtown had lost, the new northern area of Farmington had found!  Beyond this area, the road returned to just oil field supplier lot after another.

As hindsight is usually 20/20, though for as much as we wished to move to Farmington, I have to say that I'm glad we didn't.  Farmington is great to visit today!

Just a quick update

I have so many posts I want to make . . . so why haven't I posted them?  Excellent question!

Not only did Maureen contract a touch of the flu (yes, we both had flu shots in October), but I contracted either a low grade sinus infection or perhaps a cold.  We have both been sick.  Several of our nights were spent either coughing or sneezing much of the night.  On those occasions, we ended up and slept most of the morning. Yes, we have been boring, and yes we have both been sick.

Our paid time at Trailer Ranch RV Park was coming to an end, and honestly, though we certainly enjoyed our time in Santa Fe, we also wanted to move on.  So we did, sick or not sick, we moved from Santa Fe last Saturday to Bloomfield, NM near Farmington and Chaco Canyon.  I can definitely say, even a 200 mile drive with a 19,000 pound fifth wheel is not pleasant with one doesn't feel good!

Today, we spent most of our time "getting well" - got up late morning, did a few errands, and back to bed.  And I do believe it is working.  I am feeling better, and though Maureen is still coughing, her cough is not as deep in her chest.  I have high hopes that by tomorrow, we will be feeling better!  And maybe I can post some of those thoughts of the past couple of weeks!

As a note, I have had a couple of friends ask why they cannot post comments to this blog.  I think that the problem may lie with the fact that one needs a Gmail (Google Email) account to log in and post a comment.  If you-all don't have a Gmail account, try setting a free Gmail account up and try to post.  If that doesn't work, please let me know.

Santa Fe Week

There are other posts to do for the past week, but just wanted to update to current time.

Our time, again, in Santa Fe has been great.  Santa Fe is the oldest state capital in the USA, and there is just so much history . . .   One just has to sit in the cantina of La Fonda and realize that Oppenheimer walked these halls, Groves stood there, and that an Inn has occupied this spot for 400 years!  A $9 glass of chardonnay is only an excuse to gawk!

But last Thursday, something started going wrong.  It first appeared that Maureen might have a case of bronchitis.  A quick visit to the doctor on Friday with meds to the local CVS, all is OK, right?  No!  By Monday, it was apparent that this was not just bronchitis but probably a touch of the flu!  Another visit to the doctor confirmed our thoughts.  Viral!  A touch of the flu!

So now, we are trying to get Maureen well, but this is a chore.  It is painful to watch how much stress is involved in clearing the deep congestion.  There is just no fastrack method to this, especially since the first clinic doctor missed the diagnosis, so Theraflu is not an option.

So, again, ski season is over.  We are now hoping to get Maureen well by the end of the week so we can move on to the Bloomfield/Farmington area.  There we will set up camp to be a base to visit Chaco Canyon, Salmon Ruin, Aztec National Monuments.  We will probably stay a week there and move on to Cortez to explore southwest Colorado and southeast Utah.

Who left the north door open?

Wait!  What happened?  The 10 day forecast suddenly changed!  Cold fronts arriving from the east.  The east?  At first, it appeared that these cold fronts would only touch northeastern New Mexico, but the forecast changed.  Jet streams changed and changed the forecasts.  Dynamic weather!

And change it did!  Suddenly the ski areas were cold again.  Wolf Creek was cold again and it was snowing!  Over the weekend, Wolf Creek received some 34" of snow in one day - Sunday!

What to do?  What to do?  Our first thought was go abandon Plan B and go back to Plan A.  But Winter Weather Warnings and Winter Travel Warnings started appearing on the weather reports.  At first, we thought perhaps Wednesday, February 25th might be the best travel day.  That is, until Chama received 2" of snow on Tuesday, roads were reported to be icy, and overnight temperatures were forecast to be in the teens.  Somehow, pulling a 19,000 pound fifth wheel behind a dually pickup all the while watching for icy patches and slick roads . . . no!  And the forecast after Wednesday?  Terrible.  Snow, sleet, and below freezing temperatures everyday for the next 7 days in Pagosa Springs.  Now we were kept out by weather!  Decisions!

Another problem was that by the time the weather was to clear enough to travel to Pagosa Springs, Spring Break would be upon Wolf Creek!  Not the time we wanted to be on the slopes!

OK, stick with Plan B.  Stay another week in Santa Fe, then head to Farmington and beyond.  Oh well, get caught up on this and that, and maybe even start doing taxes.  Ugh!

Back in Santa Fe

We returned to Santa Fe and Trailer Ranch RV Park on a sunny, 60+ degree day (Wednesday, February 18).  The 10 day forecast did not bring any change to the temperatures.  Ski season for us was over.

The truck . . . again.  On Thursday we headed off to Chalmer's Ford in Albuquerque.  Ah, there was one "tiny" problem . . .  on the way back to Santa Fe, the engine brake had worked perfectly!  But John said bring it in, and they would check it out!  John even gave us a loaner car this time!  Because there would probably be a "diagnosis" within an a couple of hours, we stayed in the Albuquerque area.  We headed out west on I-40 to Camping World for a few items, and then up Coors Boulevard to the Petroglyphs National Monument.

Petroglyphs National Monument is literally inside the city limits of Albuquerque and Rio Rancho.  Basalt flows covered this area some 200,000 years ago.  As the basalt weathered, a weathering patina developed on the surface.  The Ancient Ones carved images into this patina, and thus the petroglyphs.  However, "modern" man has also carved images into the patina also, and though technically these images should be known as petroglyphs also, they are more commonly called "illegal graffiti".

Of course, Bootsie came along on the trip also.  And in the background on the rocks, one can see both ancient and modern petroglyphs.

Click on the pictures to enlarge them and look to the left side for petroglyphs.

But our trip to Petroglyphs National Monument was interrupted by a phone call about the truck.  So, off to Chalmer's Ford!  And the verdict?  Nothing.  That's right, the service techs, and even a visiting regional service tech who happened to be in the shop, could not find anything wrong.

Get the truck and head back to Santa Fe.

Off to ski at Wolf Creek! On second thought . . .

The alarm clock ran early Thursday morning (February 12)!  We hadn't set the alarm since my last day at work!  A good breakfast,  walk the dogs, load up the ski gear, and away to Wolf Creek we went.  We went out to Wolf Creek on Wednesday afternoon to pick up our season passes and to "learn the ropes for Gray Wolf members".  But now, we were ready to ski!

Outside of the holidays and spring break, Wolf Creek never seems that crowded.  We donned our new ski boots (that was a chore), snapped on the skis, skied into the Raven Lift queue and right onto the loading position.  The view from Raven Lift was both beautiful and sad.  Sad because one can see that there has just not been the normal snowfall in the Rockies.  It seems that the Northeast has been punished by blizzards (expecting a Mumf note here), and the West has been punished with little to no precipitation.  On top of that, I suddenly realized I am sweating while sitting on the lift!  It was too unseasonably warm. 

It has been about 10 years since our last ski trip, so for the first run of the day we chose the easiest green.  It was around 10 am in the morning.  The top of the run was wet snow . . . heavy wet snow that had been groomed the night before. As we skied downslope, the wet snow turned to wet snow that had a growing number of water puddles formed on the surface.  Suddenly our snow skiing turned to water skiing!  There were so many water puddles that we left a wake as we progressed downhill!  Of the 21 years of skiing Wolf Creek, this one single run was the worst we had ever seen at Wolf Creek.  

By the time we reached the bottom, stowed our skis, and walked back into the Base Camp Lodge, our shirts were wet with our own sweat.  We talked with a few others in the lodge, and finally made the decision to call it a day - after only one run.  We gathered our "stuff" and headed for the truck.  Once in the truck and headed down the mountain, we learned that the temperature was 51!  At the ski area!  No wonder we were sweating!  

Friday came, then Saturday, and Sunday . . . and each day brought warmer temperatures and no snow.  Each day, the ski report showed a decreasing base due to melt.  It just came more and more apparent that this was not the year to ski.  A cold Monday and 1" snowfall only brought more bad news - "spring skiing conditions exist".  

That's it; that was the end.  On our way to Pagosa Springs, more truck problems - the engine brake stopped functioning.  A call to Chalmers Ford in Albuquerque, and an appointment was made for Thursday.  A call to Trailer Ranch RV Park in Santa Fe, and we had a spot.  Ski season ended as suddenly as it began.  We will leave Pagosa Springs on Wednesday, February 18, head to Santa Fe, and return the truck to the shop.  

Nope, ski season is over.  Plan B goes into effect.  Our plans now are to head off to Farmington, spend a few days and re-explore Chaco Canyon.  Might even take in Salmon Ruins and Aztec.  And maybe I can get around to tell the story associated with Chaco Canyon and Salmon Ruins from 1974 - it will bring a chuckle!

On to Pagosa Springs!

With the truck repaired . . . hopefully . . . we packed up and set out for Pagosa Springs on the morning of Tuesday, February 10.  As you might imagine, we had a certain trepidation thinking about the miles of nowhere we were to drive and a truck that had been acting up.  Every shift on every hill brought a quick glance to the control panel for the dreaded red wrench light!

But, the truck performed well!  It pulled the fifth wheel with absolutely no problems!  No red wrench light!  No wildly shifting gears.  And no "limp home" mode!  We left Santa Fe around 11:30am and by 4pm we were setting up camp at Happy Camper RV Park west of Pagosa Springs!  And the drive was beautiful!

Now, Happy Camper is definitely not a RV resort.  It is a small park west of Pagosa Springs, but it is one of two campgrounds open during the winter in the area!  Basically, it is a gravel lot with hookups and very small RV spaces. Our 38' fifth wheel with four slides fully occupies the whole camping spot!  If someone was to camp next to us, I think our slides would touch and we could probably step from our door into their door!

But it is winter, and not many people camp in Pagosa Springs in the winter.  So, we actually occupy two camping spots!  One for the fifth wheel, and one to park the truck and set out the dog fencing.  When we arrived and set up camp, we were the only "transient" campers in the park!  Yes, believe it or not, there are some "permanent" campers even in Pagosa Springs!  About a dozen permanent camping spots are occupied.  But again, this is a bare bones campground.  No picnic table.  No concrete pad for the RV or patio.  Right next to the highway.  But, it is open 12 months a year!  Besides, we are not here to enjoy the campground, we are here to enjoy Pagosa Springs and the area - and ski at Wolf Creek!

Bandelier again!

While the truck was getting fixed, we visited Bandelier National Monument again.  When we visited previously, we did not have the time to take the trail to Alcove House.

The unseasonable warm weather made the hike and climb to Alcove House easy and enjoyable.  This is not a trail to take in July!  And did I mention climb?  It is a 140 vertical feet up ladders and very few stairs to reach the alcove that holds a kiva and some caveates (carved hollows in the tuff).

You will need to click on the image to enlarge it to appreciate "the view".  

Off to Pagosa Springs . . . ah, maybe not.

As the early February snowstorm passed, we decided to stay another day to let the roads thaw "just a bit more".  Especially let US 84 between Chama and Pagosa Springs thaw just that little more!  So, Wednesday morning, February 4 found us in a flurry of activity getting ready to leave with thoughts of skiing at Wolf Creek running through our heads and discussions!

Last minute details delayed us until a noon departure.  We turned right out on Cerrillos Avenue and headed to the Santa Fe by-pass NM599.  About half way around Santa Fe . . . the truck started shifting up and down the gears, the dreaded red wrench light appeared, and the truck went into "limp home" mode!  I have to admit, a little panic hit me . . . followed by relief.  Why was the truck acting up again?  And thankful that it started acting up while still within the Santa Fe city limits and not out on the road between Espanola and Pagosa Springs!

Maureen called the campground in Pagosa Springs and cancelled our reservations.  And as I turned around at an intersection, Maureen called Trailer Ranch and asked for our camping spot back.  We limped back into Trailer Ranch RV Park to what seemed now to be "home".  Another call to Don Chalmers Ford in Albuquerque, and by 5pm the truck was back in the shop and we were driving a Prius.  (Note: Going from driving a F350 dually pickup to a Prius is quite the monumental change!)

We settled back into exploring Santa Fe and the surrounding area.  Late Friday afternoon found us sitting in the cantina at La Fonda drinking wine and marveling at the history of the lobby and hotel.  My phone rang and gave us both a start!  Of course it was Chalmers Ford, and we had a very sick truck.

John, the service advisor, told me that the new programming did help, but transmission parts had to be ordered.  There had been so many diagnostic codes generated that it took them almost an hour to look all of them up!  Turns out that there were three solenoids and associated parts in the transmission that were bad.  And our sick Beast of a truck would stay in the shop until at least Monday.

And Monday it was, February 9, before that magical call came . . . "Your truck is ready"!  And I was just getting familiar with driving the Prius!  But we sped down to Albuquerque to get our truck!  Thankfully, the extended warranty covered everything, so a quick exchange of $100, and we were driving back to Santa Fe with high hopes of leaving for Pagosa Springs on Tuesday . . . and no further truck problems!

Bandelier National Monument

It might have been a little cool, but the sun was bright.  Basically it was a beautiful day to visit Bandelier!  (Sunday, February 1)

I knew Bandelier from the archaeomagnetic samples that we had in Dr. DuBois' archeaomagnetic dating lab at the University of Oklahoma.  Doc had visited Bandelier several times during their investigation periods during the 1960s and 1970s.

There are several theories about the settlement of the Frijoles Canyon area where Bandelier is located.  It is well recognized that the Frijoles Canyon with its constant flowing stream served as a camp and/or planting for the roaming groups before the BasketMaker culture.  As my own Master's Thesis area was Chaco Canyon, I have my opinion as to the origin of the "permanent" inhabitants.  As it appears that the Frijoles Canyon started being "permanently" settled around AD1150, I agree with the thoughts that the inhabitants who built the circular pueblo and the pueblos along the Bandelier Tuff cliff were immigrants from the Chaco Canyon, Mesa Verde, Hovenweep, etc. areas.  As the climate changed in the western area, the Ancient Ones moved further east and southeast, eventually becoming incorporated into the Pueblo Indians who live along the Rio Grande River rift.

The Ancient Ones discovered that a certain layer within the Bandelier Tuff was easy to carve, excavate, and form into bricks.  As one project, they used bricks of tuff to build a circular pueblo with three kivas.  However, against the tuff cliff, the Ancient Ones carved rooms and caveates, then built long pueblo-type structures in front of the cliff.

This is such a great place to explore!

The pueblo from the cliff face.

Maureen in doorway of carved room.

Standing on the bridge above Frijoles stream.

Bandelier Tuff cliff from base of bridge.  Notice the carved rooms

 and the carved log supports in cliff face, plus the reconstructed

pueblos at the base of the cliff.

Face of Bandelier Tuff cliff from across the stream.

Los Alamos

The road from Espanola to Los Alamos if most interesting . . . geologically interesting.  As one starts up the flanks of the Jemez Mountains, one starts seeing the Upper and Lower Bandelier Tuff and basaltic lava flows.  The lava flows primarily came from volcanoes to the south and southeast of present day Los Alamos.  However, some 1.4 million years ago, a large volcano exploded west of present day Los Alamos.  This eruption was some 600 times larger than the 1980 eruption of Mt. St. Helens.  Huge pyroclastic clouds and flows were associated with the eruption to form the Lower Bandelier Tuff.  Most likely, a caldera was formed a this time and eventually secondary volcanic vents formed until some 1.1 million years ago, another explosive eruption, again some 600 times larger than Mt. St. Helens, that sent huge pyroclastic clouds down the slopes to deposit the Upper Bandelier Tuff.

Tuff View

Upper and Lower Bandelier Tuff

The final eruption was the last big eruption.  The Valles Caldera was formed which is the basis of the Jemez Mountains.  It was on these steep volcanic slopes that the Los Alamos Boys Ranch and the Los Alamos Lab and city were established - an isolated, sometimes harsh environment located tens of miles from "anywhere"!

This is not the first time we have been to Los Alamos, but it is the first visit in more than 20 years.  The Norris Bradbury Museum has changed but yet still maintains some of the past history.

Los Alamos basically exudes history.  The Bradbury Museum has one room devoted to the past of Los Alamos during World War II along with a theater with a 15 minute film, but one needs to read every exhibit to understand the basis of Los Alamos.  Other rooms provide interactive exhibits for spurring young minds as to the realm of science.  And then another room exhibits the warheads, bombs, and technology of "explosives".

Such as the model of "Little Boy" which was dropped on Hiroshima.

Little Boy was a Uranium-235 bomb which used the "shotgun" method to create a critical mass for a fission explosion.

A model of "Fat Man" was right next to "Little Boy".

Fat Man was a Plutonium-239 bomb which used implosion to create a critical mass for a fission explosion.  The test of "The Gadget" at White Sands near Alamogordo just some three weeks before the "Fat Man" was dropped on Nagasaki.

Then just a short distance down the road is the museum that documents the years of the boys school turned into nuclear lab.  Fuller Lodge and the Guest House are the only remaining buildings from the Boys Ranch and the early Los Alamos times.

Years ago, the museum at The Guest House centered only on the Boys Ranch and School which the Manhattan Project took over.  However, today the museum not only incorporates the Boys Ranch, but also the Ancient People of the Frijoles Canyon and the times of the Manhattan Project.  It is an excellent museum for the Los Alamos' area and its past.

Santa Fe

There are several areas of the United States which makes one realize the past times of North America, and Santa Fe ranks up there with all of them!  The history of Santa Fe spans from before the Ancient Ones (the ancient Pueblo Indians formerly called "Anasazi"), to the establishment of a permanent settlement in AD1610 to the Atomic Age and World War II and into the present day.  Santa Fe is the oldest state capital city in the United States.

There are so many parts of Santa Fe to see and explore.  In the past, we were just tempted by what we could see in the limited time we were here.  With this stop, we started exploring parts of Santa Fe with more time.

Have you read "109 East Palace Avenue"?  If not, it is a very interesting story about the "Manhattan Project" from a civilian's point of view, Dorothy McKibbin.  Dorothy was "personally recruited" in the La Fonda Hotel lobby by Dr. Robert Oppenheimer to serve as the "front" for Los Alamos at 109 E. Palace Avenue.  From 1943 until late 1945, this was how everyone came to Los Alamos, including Einstein, Fermi, and Bohr.

The building has been around since the 1600s immediately east of the Palace of the Governors.  In 1943, the opening to the interior plaza was a doorway which was 109 E. Palace.

The plaque is all that remains of this chapter of history.  Actually, the plaque is on the wall of an area owned by a tourist store, "The Rainbow Man".  The actual address 109 now identifies the doorway to the right of the plaza entrance . . . a chocolate shop.

It is amazing, but for all the huge scientific, national, historic, etc., significance of the Manhattan Project and 1943-45 Los Alamos, very little was preserved and most nothing remains - or remains open to the public.  Of course, the lobby of La Fonda remains, but for the front office of the Project, there is only the plaque.  As we knew, and would see again, the only part of the early Project at Los Alamos that remains are parts of the old boys' ranch school.  It is documented and can be viewed that most of the school buildings used as the Project labs have been replaced by more modern buildings.  So, the history remains, but the physical historical presence is gone.  But that is actually a different day trip.

A visit to the Square in Santa Fe would not be complete without a walk along the promenade of the Palace of the Governors - where licensed Pueblo artisans display their wares, mostly jewelry, for sale.

Again! More trouble!

Early Tuesday, January 20 found us on the road by 10am heading to Santa Fe!  First leg of the trip was west on I-40 to Clines Corners.  All was going well, the truck was running fine.  Well, until about 8 miles east of Clines Corners!  I noticed that the truck's RPMs seemed to be surging.  Then suddenly, the PowerTrain Malfunction light appeared - again!  The truck started shifting trying to find the "limp home" gear.  We pulled over to the side of I-40.  We knew from the previous experience that by shutting off the engine, the malfunction would be cleared, but the error codes in the computer would remain.

Once the truck was restarted, we carefully proceeded down the road approaching Clines Corners.  We had not gone two miles before the malfunction light was back!  And this time, the truck was running up and down the gears, shaking, surging, and scaring us!  Would we make it even into Clines Corners, in the middle of nowhere, or even Santa Fe?  The truck finally settled into fourth gear, and we limped into Clines Corners.

Again, we shutdown the truck and let it cool for a while.  When started back up, all was fine or so we thought.  We started up US 285 north towards Santa Fe - very carefully.  All seemed well until about 10 miles south of I-25.  Again, the malfunction light!  We limped along until right south of I-25, and pulled off the road and restarted the truck.

Once again, with the malfunction cleared, we carefully approached I-25 and Santa Fe, minimizing the speed, shifting, and every finger and toe crossed for luck!  And I guess luck was with us, because we did not have another malfunction, especially through Santa Fe traffic.  We reached Trailer Ranch RV Park on Cerrillos Road successfully around 5pm.  Needless to say, it was a long day for a short drive!

Once set up, I contacted the Ford dealership for an service appointment, but as it was late in the day, it was not until the next morning, Wednesday, before I received an answer.  The Santa Fe Ford dealership was down to only one diesel mechanic, and he was backed up until February!  However, they suggested taking the truck to Chalmers Ford in Albuquerque.

A quick call to Chalmers Ford in Albuquerque, and we were on I-25 heading south by 11am.  By 1pm, the truck was checked in for service, and we were heading out of Enterprise Rent-A-Car back to Santa Fe.  At least, our "first stop" was to be Santa Fe, and we were there, though without the truck!

What a start to retirement!  What a start to our travels!  Why did it seem like retirement had not even started?  Was retirement supposed to be this stressful!  I had weighed myself on Wednesday morning and found I had lost 10 pounds so far in retirement!

Wednesday night, the winter storm moved in.  Thursday morning was a Santa Fe winter wonderland.

And late Thursday afternoon brought a phone call from Chalmers Ford!  The truck, hopefully, was fixed!  The service department found a recall on the transmission programming on the truck.  They had to delete the complete programming for the transmission and shifting control, download and load a new transmission program.  Let's hope this will fix the problem, for our next trip will be to Pagosa Springs!   John, the service advisor, said if we had any problems on the road to call him immediately.  That is, if there is cell phone coverage north of Espanola!

Thursday night found us both fatigued and imploded from stress, worry, and concern.  To bed early, and a long sleep to follow!