Up, up, and a way and away

2009 Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta.--Fireworks and Glodeo

To prevent setting up camp in the dark we found a campground just south of Albuquerque, more like an hour south, but we did successfully find the campground and then managed to set up the tent, nice and secure and then we headed north to the 2009 Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta.

Like I said, we camped out around an hour south but the traffic made it more like 2 1/2 hours til we got to the fair ground parking. We didn't quite make it to the Glodeo but we did see the hot air balloons illuminated from the highway as we sat in traffic.

And we did make it in time for the fireworks. And in time to sit in traffic on our way out.






I figured we would have to wake up around 4:30 to get to the Fairgrounds in time for the Mass Ascension.




I was wrong. We really needed to leave at like 3:30. This is after we had already been in traffic for around an hour and still a long way to go. You can see a balloon in the background.



Our first balloon sighting.




And a few more.....




Until the sky was full of balloons.







Of every shape and size. And this was just from the car.



Hurray we finally made it. ... More balloons.






A scare crow will rise among us



We saw Pink Elephants little before all the balloons had lifted away.




Looking up into the belly of the "beast"



Up, up and .....not away.




After checking out every last balloon until the field was empty, we went to find out more at the balloon museum. Who knew that the history of hot air balloons could be so interesting.
During World War II, the Japanese launched thousands of balloons rigged with bombs. They floated to the States on the Gulfstream. Balloons made it as far as Michigan. Interesting little tidbit.



What is he carrying????




By the time we got back from the museum, much of the fair had packed up, taking a break from
crowds and maddness, except those who still had Darth Bader pins to sell.

And of course, the chainsaw scultping competion.



Because is there really any better way to pay respect to Native Americans than using a gas powered chainsaw to carve out images of them from enourmous logs.

The Mad Dash Home

We had planned to camp out for a few more days and enjoy more of what the southwest has to offer but we were both done. So after grabbing some carnival snacks we beeline home.

Although we passed many more worthy and redeemable sights along this last leg, we did make time to see our old the Ostrich friends.








Maybe more like acquantencies.



The place was too surreal for words.





A final goodbye to Arizona,,,,Hello California.

Return to Hotsville

A Week Ago Today

After our amazing hike to the Top of Texas, we headed down to our friends in El Paso.
This marks the first time we retraced our steps.

Last time we visited, as fate would have it one of our hosts got horribly ill on our arrival, hopefully we wouldn't cause a relapse.

We didn't, thank God and our friend was back to his charming self (with this blog I always am wondering about whose name and or pictures to include so pardon my oddness of not using names at times)

Upon our arrival we were whisked away to a triple art opening at El Paso University which was cool, but not as cool the former speak-easy bar we were off to next.
Back in the days of the Prohibition,( you remember that remarkable failure, no ?...I guess neither does everyone opposed to legalizing marijuana. Different times, different issues,.... not so many, really.)
Anyway, Hollywood movie stars would arrive at this wonderful spot in New Mexico on its private runway. It looks much like it would have back in the day, except for the cityscape that was built up all around it. That and some other things, but it retained much of its original charm and was ultra hip and cool.

We had dinner at another lovely El Paso dig which boasted a wide selection of beers. And then off to bed, for we had a long day ahead of us on Friday.

Back to Hatch

We had a lovely brekfast, (I finally got the juevos rancheros I had been searching for) at a local joint amidst cotton fields and then headed north to Alburquerque and hot air balloons, but not before a quick trip through memory lane.

Last time we were in Hatch, New Mexico was on a Sunday at around 5 am, the weekend after their big annual celebration. Then it looked like, well a small tourist trap the weekend after its big annual celebration.

Now however, the mess had been cleaned up, the posters had been stowed away and it returned to its semi-quiet stature of being an off the main drag tourist trap. During the day all the shops were open and the wonderful aroma of roasted peppers floated through the entire town. There all things of chili, everywhere. What a difference it makes to visit a place when it's open.



Hatch, New Mexico Chile Capital of the World



I especially liked the added effect that drying the chili's on the roof had.



Fields of fire




This looked very much like one of the installation pieces we saw the night before at the art opening, a piece called "Snagged".

Don't know how I really felt about the piece itself, but it did spark several conversations on cotton and its place in the Rio Grande Valley and how legalizing marijuana would be the best thing that could happen to Ciuad Juarez, El Paso's sister city in Mexico, juat across the River and also currently the most dangerous place in the Western Hemisphere.

So perhaps it reached its goal, at least in part.

Guadalupe Peak

Car Camping

So watching hundreds of thousands of bats busting out of that ridiculously deep cavern was more than awe inspiring.

On the map Carlsbad Cavern and Guadalupe Mtn National Park looked pretty close together. Given that it was night time and the road was somewhat less than an Interstate, in regards to size and speed, well lets just say that the lightning and thunderstorm didn't bode well.

When we rolled into the campground at Guadalupe, it was dark, really dark, I guess. It was hard to tell with the tumultuous downpour and the hail. Hail? Are you kidding me.

I did get a glimpse of our surroundings with the flashes from the lightning storm that was crackling and zapping.

We Would NOT Be Setting Up the Tent In This Weather!!!!!!!!!!!

Welcome to the Hotel Prius, which was much more comfortable than I had imagined.....
that being said I hadn't imagined too much comfort crammed in the driver's seat under the steering wheel.

Guadalupe Peak--Texas High Point-- 8,749 ft elevation

One of the reasons we endured the rough sleep was so that we could get an early jump of the hike.

It was another 8.4 mile hike, 4.2 up and 4.2 down, just like the one we did in Oklahoma, except this one was marked strenuous and at the trailhead, it was suggested that you give yourself between 6 to 8 hours to complete. What follows is the description from the National Parks newsheet: "Difficulty:Strenuous. Approx. 3,000 ft elevation gain, steep, rocky path....Hike to the "Top of Texas" at 8,749' for spectacular views. Avoid the peak during high winds and thunderstorms. During warm temperatures, carry a gallon of water per person."

We were down in 5 1/2 hours and pretty worn out.



Just heading up. As fate would have it, on our toughest and most picturesque hike, my camera battery ran out and it was one of the first times ever that I went out without a back-up battery



Along the way up, we came across these most amazing looking grasshoppers, in the midst of what they might of wanted to keep private.

Maybe they put a curse on the camera and sucked out the batteries energy, because this was the last photo we were able get.



Thank goodness for the Iphone. Looking out over a little bit of Texas and a whole bunch of New Mexico and some Old Mexico.



It was cold and windy and views that went on for ever and ever. Our hardest and most grueling High Point to date.



Skye takes some of the pictures of me.




The Guadalupe Mountains as we hit the highway heading towards our good freinds house in El Paso, with a fresh battery.

Not of this World

Roswell

The previous night we drove deep into the night, listening to Twilight (yes the teen pop sensation), under a full moon on our way to Roswell. We got pulled over by a really nice Arizona cop, never thought those words would come out. He pulled us over for a faulty headlamp. We have taken it in to the shop, but it always works when it is at the mechanics, you know one of those "phantom" repairs. Anyway we got a fix it ticket and a helpful warning on local deer activity.

We had 4 hours to get the car fixed or off the road. We obviously weren't gonna find a mechanic for a Prius where we were at night, so we had to weigh our options.

Find a suitable place to bed down or try to make it to Roswell, our intended destination within the 4 hour allotment.

Of course we went for it.

We pulled into Roswell a little before midnight, a good hour before the cut-off.

After checking in, I tried to go online, but the aliens would have none of that, so we basically just chilled and planned for the days ahead.

The plans held for a couple of days, which was remarkable in of itself.

The International UFO Museum and Research Center

With such a long and lofty title I was expecting something big. I mean everyone knows "Roswell", but the "museum" was barely above the level of a high school science fair.

We did the audio tour, which usually is quite entertaining, but this one droned on and on. We didn't even finish it, out of boredom, mind you, not how crazy ridiculous the whole incident is, sorry for those believers out there, but really?




I was impressed by the number of people that were there.





Pretty fun and funky art and displays.



The horse was somewhat of an art project, but it works out well in the venue.





Finally there was a display of props used in a movie shot a couple of decades ago. Skye was less than impressed.


Carlsbad Caverns




Into the belly of the earth.




The caves were beyond impressive. We hiked for ever and the caves just kept on going.



It was a geological wonderland, to be sure.


We of course hung around for the famous, Bat Flight. A few hundred thousand bats exit the caves. This mass exodus can take any where from 20 minute to 2 1/2 hours. Cameras and electronic devices are not allowed so I had to search the web for a boot leg copy.

Please click on this link, it does show the bat exodus but the presentation is to die for. Is that still even ok to say, not to mention its non-hipness, maybe non-hip enough to be retro and therefore cool and hip.


The bats have left the belfry or the cave in this matter

Where lines collide

Not Wheeler Peak, Not 13,161 ft.

After reaching another high point, we directed ourselves towards our most ambitious high point to date, New Mexico, Wheeler Peak, 13,161 ft.

Only problem we went the wrong direction.

Which was cool cause we accidentally landed at the place where Colorado, New Mexico and Oklahoma meet up.



Standing atop 3 states



Lourdes of all she surveys



A little Karate Kid action

Had we gone the "right" way we never would have crossed paths with these Big Horn Sheep



On the other hand we saw many pronghorn sheep over the course of the day, both on the right path and wrong route.



After going the wrong way again, we ended up with this after miles of rough dirt road on a "short cut"

We opted to toss out the high point of Wheeler Peak, another trip.

We turned ourselves south, to Carlsbad Caverns and the Guadalupe Mtns of Texas via alienville Roswell.

We brake for ...........butterflys?

After nearly being blown back to LA the night before, we arrived early at the trail head and went after yet another high point. Keep in mind that prior to our Florida diversion several days into the trip we had no idea about high points, now they were leading our destinies.



Some friendly visitors in the morn.




One of the nicest trail heads and best maintained High Point to date.


This bench overlook happened along at mile 3. They had placed benches as mile markers all the way up, 4.2 miles. It ended up being and 8.4 mile jaunt. I was really impressed with how easily Skye handled it.




Skye came upon this little butterfly on the way up to the summit. It had a broken wing and didn't look so good, but Skye was determined to help it out and ended up carrying it to the summit and back down to a nice spot. I think she probably carried it for 2 or 3 miles.

Yes, it did slow us down.





The summit calls..




Really in the middle of nowhere, but to date the most beautiful marker yet, in fact all in all the best high point trail yet.



Beautiful and with so much info, too.



Yes, another high point reached.



So official looking.



Heading down.





The butterfly "whisperer"




Anybody know what kind of fruit or plant this is??




This guy, I know you can't see anything but my shadow, which is why we almost stepped on




This rattlesnake.

We stood in awe and let this little guy pass. Skye was more than a little freaked out by our encounter.

I admit it, so was I.





Small world.

The car next to us had New York plates and was camping next to us, the night before.

Only person for miles, pretty weird, sort of.