Thanks to my friends, Pat and Kevin, I saw everything in Los Alamos. I was pleasantly surprised by its small-town atmosphere and its WOWWIE WOW scenery. Also its library book sale where I found three books I've been looking for.
Pat and Kevin have great friends; they were very warm and welcoming to me. An evening in a hot tub - watching shooting stars in the dark New Mexico night and drinking wine - was a special highlight. Thanks, Jeannie!
You're looking at the ladder that stopped my hike. I made it to the second rung, thank you very much.
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| The Rio Grande, north of where we start mocking it. |
Kevin gave me a geology lesson here, which I will now pass along to you. About 1.25 million years, a nearby volcano erupted, shooting lava rock as far as Kansas. Some stayed here and became scenery. Since we were talking about it, he said
Let's go to the caldera!
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| Valles Caldera |
It's like this: a volcano gets fired up and erupts, then it collapses on itself and has a beer. One and a quarter million years later, elk frolic and people camp. All is forgiven.
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| Fenton Lake State Park |
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This is Fenton.
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| Jemez Mountains looking dapper. |
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| Jemez ("HAY mez") Springs |
We had lunch at
Highway 4 Café. They knew what I meant by "vegan," which always makes me feel like I'm not so alone. I had a fairly delicious sweet potato burrito. Among the three of us there were three different dietary requirements, and they managed to work with all of them. No-frills dining.
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| Do not adjust your set. |
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| Soda Dam. It's not how it sounds - bring your own beverage. |
From there I headed toward Datil (where?) and my friends, Betty and John. This is another small and welcoming community. We're cooking up some mischief here. Details to follow ... maybe.
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| The Land Porcelain Forgot |
