May 18, 2003. Sunday
452pm
Taos Ski Valley, NM
I should've known
that after such a great day yesterday that the other shoe would fall and that
the entire weekend couldn’t be so wonderful.
Yesterday started
slow and non-eventful as we toured the Plaza--cheaper, smaller version of Santa
Fe.
There were some art galleries, but only a
handful of bw pics, but more than a fair share of tourist shops.
We left the plaza, went across the street
to the Animal Fair. There were some great looking rescue dogs.
Across the street was a door shop--but
these verged on antique doors, in various styles, made to be more like gates to
SW homes' courtyards. I found some good pictures (10) and expensive doors
(~$4000). I'm hoping for 1-2 shots to come out. (Dunbar & Dunbar Antiques)
Meanwhile, Jess and Ryan went further up
the street and we finished our separate excursions at the same time. They found
a place that sold records and I bought a Simon and Garfunkel LP.
(since my condo's
amenities include wood-panel walls, a comfy futon I just awoke from a nap on,
and a record player)
Upon Taryn's
suggestion, (and some searching) we found the 2 culverts which started into a
dry gorge leading to the Rio Grande.
That, too, started slow and unworthwhile
until we explored further down the gorge, rock-hopping and spotting bones.
We found a small deer's leg, a fox/dog's
skull attached to much of the spine, and other ribcages.
It could not be told whether animal died
and was discarded with the rubbish in the gorge, or if a flash-flood had caught
the animal off-guard.
I snagged the lower jaw-bone of the canine
and its currently soaking in peroxide. I am contemplating going back and
retrieving the upper skull/spine, but morbid value and the intactness of flesh
and fur restrain me. It would look kinda cool bleached white and hanging from a
wall head down, base-spine up, but definitely morbid. And I'd have to clean
that whole thing, a process I know nothing of.
The internet suggested peroxide vs bleach
to improve the integrity of bone.
I climbed down an extinct 10-ft waterfall to further explore the tremendous junk pile. There were:
- Several cars, rusted out
- Shot-up newspaper boxes
- A Big Wheel
- Assorted appliances
Starved, we grocery
shopped--I spent too much money, but will eat well: pork chops, salmon, pasta.
and drink well: New Castle 6-pack and a
wonderful bottle of Robert Mondavi wine, very similar to (if not identical) to
the bottle I had in Denver--nice apple undertone.
Once home, Jess and
Ryan set about making pizzas for dinner while I figured out how to work the
record player.
It was a great day--the adventure and
finds in the gorge, the record, the wine…the atmosphere couldn't be beat. There
was definitely something grand in the air and we all shared the same attitude.
Today, the
unthinkable and unheard of occurred: I was bested on a trail. I have never
turned back from a destination. I always make it there and back again.
However, a 4-mile round-trip to William's
Lake beat me. It wasn't the altitude (10,000') and definitely note the length.
But the snow--I've hiked in snow before--Clingman's Dome, Gem Lake. And I know
I'm from FL, but I know deep when I'm in it. At first it was calf-deep, the
knee-deep in parts. At thigh depth, I was tiring and wondering. Finally, when I
took 2 steps and sunk to my cajones, I decided that no lake was worth the
struggle. I had no deep-snow experience and was, per usual, solo and didn't
want to end up a human popsicle. On the way down, further reaffirming my
decision, I once stepped and a broken branch scraped my shin and I once almost
lost a boot in the fork of another branch. Snow trails, even frequented, are
unpredictable and it didn't seem worth it after only 1/3 of a mile. I was using
too much energy and was sure it would only get deeper, and downhill was no
cake-walk either.
I felt overcome and lost all hiking
momentum, esp after checking other local trails here and found them to be very
steep (2000-3000' elevation gain in 3miles). Combined with snow, that's not
much fun.
So I came back home, sat around till Jess
and Ryan came back, chatted, and took a 30 minute nap.
Pork chops are on
the menu tonight, and the rest of the that bottle of wine. Ah, comfort food…
My Hemingway book,
Islands in the Stream, is a really good read. As well as being good literature,
there's that direct correlation of reading/writing, so I've got 3 starts on
that hiking story, 3 being the best so far I think.
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