Sandia, Trinity,Jemez Pueblo, Bandelier NM,Colorado, Chaco Canyon

I have not posted anything since the end of March and much has happened it seems.

I forgot to mention that I found a kindred spirit in Bill when I stayed with Bill and Liz. He is a forester and has a lot of the same background as I do and we enjoyed talking about trees and silviculture and timber cruising which I never learned. He even had some of the same books as I do and he attended forestry school at Clemson.

We also reviewed his extensive rock collection and I really enjoyed the fascinating minerals he had on display. I got to read a pile of old Popular Mechanics from the 50’s which looked just like I remembered them when I was a kid. The ads were ridiculously corny of course.

March 31^st.

Worked at the Roadrunner Food Bank in Albuquerque which is a food distribution center for many charities. My job was in bread where I had to sort out tons of old bread from every supermarket that donates bread to Roadrunner. The bread is out of date but still edible so it goes to hungry people. There is also a ton of pastries and cakes which are handled separately. I worked sorting and boxing for three hours and was really tired and glad to finish. It is a good feeling to help others I find and is part of my goal on this journey.

I checked in with Rose and Gary on Thursday and spent the next three nights there as a couch surfer.

April 1^st

I had planned to visit Southwest Sufi Community stating on the 1^st but when I called it seems there had been a tragedy there and one of the members was murdered by a jealous lover. As a result the entire community was devastated and could not receive any visitors so I had to make other plans. I still would like to go there and volunteer at some time.

Some of the commentary I am offering might appear to be a travel documentary but it is more than that. It offers insight into my being and thoughts and is a way for me to expand my horizons and increase my depth of understanding of myself and all those that I encounter along the way.

I met Carolyn on Friday and we had a nice lunch and went off to the Rinconada Petroglyph area which was just like South Mt in Phoenix. The petroglyphs were washed out in the noonday sun making it hard to see them plus it was really hot. At 3:00 PM we left and headed for Sandia Crest where we bought tickets and boarded the tram for the summit. It was very cold up there and there was some snow and we had a great time wandering in the snow and taking lots of photos. Later we had dinner at a restaurant at the base of the tram.

A view into the great wide open with me on the cliff

Carolyn my companion at Sandia

Brian at Sandia

I found Carolyn was definitely a kindred spirit and a very easy conversationalist and we had a wonderful visit. We are both on similar spiritual paths I am noticing.

April 2^nd

I was invited to visit the Trinity site at White Sands with my host Rose and her sister and daughter went too. It is far from everything and when we got to Trinity it was very busy. This will be the last free visit and previously there was only one day a year when it was open. I had always wanted to see this place of stark beauty and having read the book “American Prometheus” it was a moving experience. Not much remains of where the bomb was detonated except an obelisk in the sand. I few bits of trinitite are visible and these are fused sand from the bomb blast. There is very little radiation noticeable on a Geiger counter.

Because of the implications of what this science experiment eventually revealed I can now see why Oppenheimer who was deeply spiritual professed,” I am Shiva, destroyer of Worlds” as he quoted from the bhahagavita.  And so we see even today what happens when the results of this test run amok.  My hosts bought the book mentioned above at the White Sands bookshop on my recommendation. 

Little lumps of trinitite at the Trinity Site- Note the bootprint for size

Me at the obelisk at Trinity where the bomb was detonated

April 3^rd

Carolyn met me this afternoon and we drove off to Jemez Pueblo where the red rocks resemble those in Sedona. There are any number of beautiful formations some shaped like a woman and we found the spot where Carolyn likes to meditate. After taking pictures I sat down in this beautiful spot to meditate and put aside all other thoughts. It is lonely and beautiful and just perfect where we sat. Carolyn gave me a sample rock from the red formations to remind me of our visit here. Although this place is reminiscent of Sedona, it is a Native American site and must be respected accordingly. Anglos are only allowed into certain areas and we were fortunate we could visit the meditation spot and partake of the energy and beauty that is embedded in this wonderful scenery.

The large red rock leading to our meditation site at Jemez Pueblo

Our meditation site

The lady in the rock at Jemez Pueblo

We drove up to Jemez Springs where I found the bath house that shows up in the guidebooks. It is sort of expensive to visit so we did not go in and instead drove over to the falls at Soda Dam which is a beautiful spot then back to Jemez Springs for dinner. The bar was rowdy and old and full of character. It was the only place in town open on Sunday Evening. Food was fairly good at this roadhouse.

After returning to ABQ I stayed with Carolyn and slept in my sleeping bag alongside all her plants. Her casita is small and delightful and I felt right at home. We watched a PBS documentary about the Orient Express which was really interesting even though I found myself getting very sleepy at the end of the show. We got to discuss our early years a little bit but mostly focused on our adult lives and the present and where we are headed and what we believe.

April 4^th

I left Carolyn’s place and headed back up past Jemez Springs to Battleship Mountain where I took a hike and picked up a piece of obsidian from the fields along the river. This is a wonderfully scenic and relaxing area and there was no one there that I saw.  After leaving Battleship I went on to Spence Hot Springs for an hour soak which was moderately busy but not full. The people were interesting and fun to talk to. 

Battleship Rock

A lump of Obsidian at Battleship Rock

Finally it was on to Bandelier NM where I walked thru the cliff dwellings in the late afternoon and took some photos. This is a geat place for viewing the remains of ancient Native American dwellings.  That night I stayed in Espanola.

Swiss Cheese Rock at Bandelier NM where the caves are

One of the many caves at Bandelier NM

April 5^th

Left Espanola and took a long drive up past Ojo Caliente to Tres Piedras then west across the summit and down hill to Tierra Amarilla. This was the same route I started out when staying in Taos and I wanted to see the snow country in detail which was a treat.  Then north to Chama which is a wonderful little town full of cabins and lodges and restaurants for vacation people.

I stopped at the Combres and Toltec Railroad yard for photos then on to the high mountain passes in Colorado before returning to Chama. Went west to Bloomfield to spend the night. This is an oil well area and there are wells all over which was a surprise to me.

A snow field near La Manga Pass CO -it seems to call to me to explore these beautiful mountains

April 6th

On to Chaco Canyon ! This was not too far a drive from Bloomfield so I was there in a couple of hours. A long 15 mile dirt road which was washboard got me to the campground where I checked in with a lovely host named Cindy. She gave me the tour and let me pick a campsite since there were plenty in the tent camp area. I got one near the big rocks which I thought was pretty neat. There were plenty of RV people there too but I wonder how they made it thru the washboard road.

Later that day I went over to the Pueblo Bonito ruin and had a guided tour with a great Park Service Ranger named Lauren she seemed to know everything about the site in as much as there are a lot of questions about this mysterious place that may never be answered. Our group asked a lot of questions and the tour was an hour and a half long.  

Pueblo Bonito at Chaco Canyon- just a partial view

After the tour I went to the visitor center and checked out the displays then back to my tent. By then the wind was blowing terribly hard and it was a portent of things to come. I staked my tent securely but not everyone did and tents went flying down the wash. I prepared some dinner on my stove and sat on the rocks til about sunset and visited the other campers too. Someone left a big pile of firewood there, what a surprise! I built a big fire after dark and got out my lantern to read by until about 10 PM when the fire went out. I got in bed only to hear rain hitting the tent at 11 PM. I did not place my tarp properly and the rain went between the tent and the tarp forming a big pool under the floor of the tent which wicked thru the floor and soaked a lot of my stuff. Fortunately my clothes were spared and I slept on a foam rubber pad so the sleeping bag stayed dry but the foam was wet. It was still raining in the morning and trying to take down a wet tent and pack it up along with everything else that was soaked was not fun. I threw it all in the truck and will deal with it later. Had a cold breakfast and decided to leave after telling Cindy I would like to return when it is not pouring! There are some good hikes in the area but not when it is raining.   I asked the park ranger if I could go out on a road thru the wilderness and he said I should try it and see. Due to the rains the road was muddy and I thought 4WD might be best due to ruts and mud. Got back to a paved road after two hours and was still tired from the mess at Chaco so headed out to Holbrook to get a room for the night. It is not raining but the winds are terribly strong here. I am going home tomorrow after a month of being away.

In spite of the inclement weather at Chaco Canyon, I am drawn to the beauty and mystery of this place. It has a great deal of serenity about it and the spirit of the ancients are there and can be felt by those who are willing to listen.

I will summarize my thought that this journey revealed for me after I return home. It has been a wonderful trip and I now know that I managed to complete most of what I set out to do.