Embudito Trail, Sandias, NM, 3/22/15

 This is a great training hike: 8 miles round trip to Oso pass. We did not make it quite that far today, as we had great difficulty finding the rerouted trailhead and spent 45 minutes finding it.  Here is the marker indicating the start of rerouted trail 192. 

 Yesterday was first day of spring and we were rewarded with balmy spring weather, very little wind, and plenty of sunlight.

Turning point, 2-3 miles in.

Ellis Trail Snowshoe Hike, Sandias, NM, 1/4/15

Late afternoon hike.  Headed out on the spur of the moment about three days after a snow fall. Although the snow already compacted and icy, we had a enjoyable time being on the mountain and savoring the views.

Big Bonito Trail, Ruidoso, NM, 2/21/15

We spend a wonderful weekend in Ruidoso with our friends Katie and Marlin, relaxing, enjoying the pine forest and attempting some hiking.  Our first choice was South Fork of the Rio Bonito. As we arrived at the trailhead, we found it closed due to damage to the trail caused by the 2012 Little Bear forest fire. We regrouped, and found access to another section of the trail, Big Bonito Loop.

It was the hike of stream crossings!  We counted about 23 crossings in all, round trip.

Cerillos Hills State Park, NM, 2/15/15

Cerillos Hills is New Mexico's newest state park.  Located just south of Santa Fe off route 14, it preserves the area that knew a brief mining boom in the mid 1800's.

An additional attraction was the Analemma sun dial similar to the sun structures at Chaco Canyon.

Note the pointer, or gnomon, at the top of the circular south-facing opening. The center of the gnomon acts as a pin-lens to project the rays of the sun on the floor. 

A figure eight, an analemma, is formed by the trajectory of the sun.  Both the time of day and the date can be determined by noting the trajectory of the sun.

Rozamiente Trail, Sandias, NM, 12/25/14

Christmas day stroll! Rozamiento Trail, also called Jaral Canyon Trail or Spring Creek Trail, provides access to Tramway Trail.  It is used by horseback riders and rock climbers.  Rozamiento means "friction" in Spanish and probably refers to a climbing technique called a friction climb used on the huge, steep granite boulders in the canyon.

About .6 miles into the hike we found Jaral Cabin, built by the CCC in the 1930s and in used by the forest service until the 1060s.

Short trail: 0.6 miles! To extend our hike we strolled north on Tramway Trail towards the La Luz trail head.  Headed back after about 1/2 mile because of ice on the trail.

Plaza Blanca, NM, Revisited, 12/21/14

We enjoyed ourselves so much when we visited in October (see blog 10/25/14) that we decided to explore this canyon further.

The broad canyon turns into a slot canyon.  Tried our best to find a way out but turned back after a number of attempts to climb out.

Lunch - windy and cold!

Heading back we discovered a fantastical landscape that can only be described as lunar.