Hiking the Main Loop Trail in Bandelier National Monument

October 29, 2019

I spent a night at Bandelier National Monument before picking up Julie and then we spent two more nights there while exploring between there and Albuquerque. We finally got around to visiting the Visitor Center and taking a short hike after breaking camp.

Our camp at Bandelier National Monument

I kept my cooler cold by taking out the gel packs and laying them on the car every night to freeze- Julie thought she needed to keep her creamer cold - it froze solid. 

Bandelier had about seventy miles of trails but we only hiked a bit more than a mile. But it was a mile through a pueblo and where we could occasionally take wooden ladders up to get inside a living quarter and also get stunning views.  So it took a while. even though it was a very easy trail.

This is a place I'd like to see more of

One of almost constant spectacular views

This shows most of the beginning and last part of the trail which came back behind the trees 

The hike begins just behind the Visitor Center and soon passes the pueblo structures,  kiva and center area

The first part of the trail at the pueblo rooms

This portion is accessible

But soon we were hiking up along a bluff

Julie at the first place we could climb up to check out the living quarters

A couple came along and took my picture - the wife got brave enough to try it herself but the husband didn't - I took the overview picture from here

Can you find the easy trail?

This was definitely a strolling trail....

....With highly rewarding views

The golden cottonwoods mark the creek that supplied water for the pueblo - The three figures are staff taking the Frey trail that climbs out of the canyon to the camping area

Another room carved into the bluff

Even the colors served to give me joy

The rugged terrain contrasted with the easy trail

More living quarters

I think there were rooms that have fallen down - these are post holes for supports. 

View from the other side of the loop - across the creek

The last view I took, just before the end of the hike 

On a personal note, I've been having fun, fun, fun with my Houston friends.  I couldn't find time or energy to sit down and write a blog, and now I'm MANY blogs behind. I was so excited to get to try to paddle yesterday with several friends. They brought tow ropes in case I couldn't make it but I did and survived with almost no pain. I also threw a supper party, went to a Canoe Club meeting with a group supper before, and watched another friend compete in a Barn Hunt, where dogs find rats in hidden tubes along hay bale trails.

Now I'm turning my thoughts to getting cataract surgery and planning a birding/photography tour with a friend.

Touring the Bachelor Loop with Natalie

August 16, 2019

Natalie and daughter, Ellen decided to take a short break from triple digit heat in Houston, Texas  and come visit me a few days. Natalie has an injured foot and Ellen is not much for hiking, so we mostly did auto tours.

I had been wanting to go on the Bachelor Loop tour of historical mines in Creede. We decided that would be fun and that we would pay to go underground at the Last Chance Mine. Natalie was tired from the long drive, so we made a leisurely start.

Creede has lots of mines, most of them for silver. In fact, we found that amethyst was a byproduct in some of the mines.  The mining boom was between 1889 to 1893, although some mines stayed open until 1985.

Upon the advice of the Creede Visitor Center, we ran the tour backwards to make it easier to traverse the sometimes steep and rough dirt road in our car. This made our first stop the cemetery. There we learned good people were buried facing east, while the criminal types were buried north-south.  We looked for north oriented graves but didn't find any before a few cold sprinkles drove us back to our cars.

Natalie and I both enjoy taking pictures

\

I enjoyed the wildflowers as much as the historical aspect of the grave yard. 

A beautiful site with interesting tombstones. 

The little church by the graveyard. 

As soon as we left the church and made the turn up the hill, we were into a steep climb with switchbacks. We got to the rim of mountains above the town of Creede with a huge view of the valley.

The Valley and the town of Creede

We wound through woods and meadows, with long views long and short,  before getting to the Last Chance Mine, where we planned to go on the underground tour. However, the man who owned it and led the tours was called away on an emergency. His daughter was the only one around, so tours had been canceled. We enjoyed wandering around and talking to the lady.

There was a little gift shop, of mostly rocks, in the top floor of this building

View downhill to another mine

Artifacts from the mine

Displays of artifacts used in the mine and living quarters

This little ground squirrel came begging then gave up and got a drink

Ellen by the hard hats we would have had to wear had we gone underground

Not far after the Last Chance Mine, the road took a sharp turn to come down the other side of the valley. There we saw ruins of several other mines.

This was the next place we stopped after we made our sharp turn.  None of this can be seen from the road.
 It always amazes me that so many people seldom stop on these drives. 

A view across the valley of the Last Chance Mine

We had to stop to see lots of stuff, including this little white water stream

The road wound through the sometimes very narrow valley

Derelict mine

The dark brown "fences" are part of another mine

Closer view of a mine

Can you find the mine building clinging vertically to the rock face?

I guess this helped hold something - maybe a bridge

I had to take these lovely little flowers - please comment if you know them

Ellen took our pictures in front of a HUGE bear - she didn't quite get all the bear

Our other tour was to Great Sand Dunes National Park where we walked in the creek - now at least a quarter of an inch deep, hiked the short nature trail, and drove up to Zapata falls to enjoy the views and eat lunch in the day use area. Natalie  also helped me clear more weeds from my yard.

I wrote this blog August 24 while I also edited pictures from my first adventures in Rocky Mountain National ParkStay tuned for several adventures with my friends who I'll pick up in Denver Sunday evening.