Hardwired

Chama

New Mexico Book Settings: Abiquiú

Jul 13, 2017 | , , , , ,

As you near Abiquiú you enter a landscape rich with vast vistas, multicolored sandstone canyons with towering red and yellow cliffs that soar to fifteen hundred feet, and rocky, table-topped mesas in sharp contrast to the lush grasslands and the waters of the Rio Chama, a major tributary of the Rio Grande. It’s no wonder famous artist Georgia O’Keeffe fell in love with the land. The village will make its debut appearance in CLON-X  book four in the Darcy McClain and Bullet Thriller Series.

I first set foot in Abiquiú in 1986 and was instantly captivated with the desert landscape, and my love for the region has never waned. The town is located eighteen miles north of Española on a terraced, rocky mesa at an elevation of over six thousand feet and overlooks the Rio Chama. The Abiquiú Genízaro Land Grant was given to the Spaniards and the genízaros (Native American slaves) jointly, and is one of the last Spanish-American community grants still functioning and owned by the residents. Photo: Bed and Breakfast in Abiquiú.

Abiquiú was the gateway for pioneers headed west on the Old Spanish Trail, the historic trade route that connected the northern New Mexico settlements of Santa Fe to those of Los Angeles and southern California: seven hundred miles of high mountains, arid deserts, and deep canyons, and one of the most arduous pack-train routes in the entire United States—an exhausting eighty-six-day trek. In the 1750s a new church, Santo Tomas El Apostal Church, and a convent were begun. Upon completion in the 1770s, the community was placed under the spiritual ministry of the Franciscan friars.

Santo Tomas El Apostal Church on the Abiquiu Plaza,

In and around Abiquiú are several interesting attractions, something for almost everyone. Abiquiú Lake, a reservoir, was created by damming the waters of the Rio Chama. The recreation area is managed by the US Army Corps of Engineers, and the activities include camping, hiking, swimming, boating, and fishing.

Prefer seclusion? Then head for the Monastery of Christ in the Desert, a Benedictine monastery set amid miles of undisturbed wilderness. Their guesthouses and ranch houses are available for a two-day, two-night minimum stay with a suggested donation of ninety dollars per night. Meals are simple and mostly vegetarian fare, and are shared with the monks in the refectory. All meals are enjoyed in silence, except during table readings by the monks.

Since water sports and solitude weren’t on my agenda for the day, but photography certainly was, I drove to the Echo amphitheater, about four miles up the road from Ghost Ranch, only to discover that the natural amphitheater was closed due to filming of Hostiles, a frontier epic. Disappointed, I motored back to Ghost Ranch where the film crew had set up camp, but the ranch was open to tourism, so we stopped to take photos and enjoy the scenery.

Ghost Ranch was part of the Piedra Lumbre Land Grant given to Pedro Martin Serrano from the King of Spain in 1766. When cattle rustlers started hiding their stolen cattle in the box canyons, they discouraged nosy neighbors by spreading rumors that the land was haunted by evil spirits. Rancho de los Brujos (Ranch of the Witches) evolved into Ghost Ranch. In 1936, Arthur Pack, publisher of Nature magazine, bought the ranch. Today, most people associate it with Georgia O’Keeffe.

 

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Hiking in Northern New Mexico

Jun 15, 2017 | , ,

This blog post is a segue from the flora, fauna, and miscellaneous glossary into the next series of posts which will be titled New Mexico Book Settings–locations used in Brainwash and Gadgets and two that will appear in CLON-X.

Taos Valley Overlook Trails

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Over the years, I’ve backpacked a lot of New Mexico, from Chama in the north to Las Cruces in the south. For me, the hardest hike was Wheeler Peak via Williams Lake Trail. David, my husband, Shotz, our first giant schnauzer, and I were in good shape and young, so age and physical condition had no bearing on how difficult we found the climb. It was the weather that was against us. It can be unpredictable at those altitudes. We made the 6.2-mile trip in August and had just reached the summit when a violent electrical storm erupted. The dangerous lightning, rain, and sleet drove us back down the mountain. Even veteran hikers tagged along. The trail, best used from June to October, is rated “difficult” and is heavily trafficked out and back, so go early, bring water, and be prepared for changes in the weather. You can pick up the trail near the Taos Ski Valley, and you can bring your dog or ride your horse. And remember, if you bring it in, please pack it out. Some visitors leave enough trash behind, and the wilderness doesn’t need any more.

One of our most recent hikes was the Rift Valley Loop Trail, which is part of the Taos Valley Overlook Trails. The trails are located six miles south of Ranchos de Taos on NM 68. The other two trails in the area are West Rim Trail and Petaca Point Trail. The Rift Valley Loop Trail is 10.5 miles long, and as the name states, it loops back to the trailhead. The level of difficulty is intermediate. Most visitors use the trail for mountain biking, but it is also used for hiking and horseback riding, and is dog friendly. Great views of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, the Rio Grande River, and the Rio Grande Gorge. In wet weather, it can be muddy, and nothing sticks like New Mexico mud, and nothing dries as hard—great for making adobe bricks. Although the trails are moderately trafficked, the best time to hike is early morning: fewer cars parked at the trailhead, fewer people and mountain bikes on the trails, and in the summer months, cooler, not to mention quieter. Savor the peace and solitude, and snap lots of photos.

Rio Grande del Norte National Monument

The Rio Grande del Norte National Monument spans approximately 240,000 acres of public lands in Taos County, New Mexico. It was declared a national monument in 2013, primarily to protect the Rio Grande River. The area is a critical habitat for elk, bald eagles, peregrine falcons, and great horned owls. Towering over the region is Ute Mountain at 10,093 feet. Fun activities in the area are: rafting (only for those with excellent white-water skills, due to the intense rapids), mountain biking, fishing, hiking (note, some trails are steep and treacherous), camping, scenic driving, and wildlife viewing. We were here to hike and take pictures.

 

 

 

 

 

 

There are ten trails totaling twenty-two miles along the rim and river of the Rio Grande, and they vary from easy to moderate to difficult. On this visit we chose the challenging La Junta Overlook, a steep descent with loose rock, a ladder, and metal stairs to reach the confluence of the Rio Grande River and the Red River, but well worth the effort—although we wondered if it really was when we had to make the hike back up to the rim eight hundred feet above. We did not bring our giant schnauzer Kai, as there was no way he could negotiate the rigors of this trail, and we definitely did not want him to encounter any slithery wildlife. Do heed the signs to watch for rattlesnakes. They too call this stunning terrain home.

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A Southwest Glossary: Flora, Fauna, and Miscellaneous

Jun 1, 2017 | , ,

Aspen Trees
An aspen tree is a high-elevation, medium-sized deciduous tree, commonly twenty to eighty feet in height and three to eighteen inches in diameter. The bark is greenish-white to almost white in color.

In the US, aspens are generally found at elevations of five thousand to twelve thousand feet. Whenever I see an aspen below five thousand feet, my first instinct is to look for a house, as more than likely man planted the tree as opposed to nature.

Aspen leaves are round and the stems flat. The unique flattened stem allows the leaves to tremble or quake even in the slightest breeze. Some liken the sound to the flutter of a thousand butterfly wings. However, the sound reminds me of rushing water.

In fall, aspens put on a spectacular display with their brilliant gold leaves. At this time of year, one of my favorite things is to set out for a day trip to photograph some fall color. I head northwest from Taos (6969’) to Chama, New Mexico (7870’), on US Route 64. In Chama, I connect to State Road 17 and drive east to Antonito, Colorado (7890’), where I break for lunch, before driving south on US Route 285 back to Taos. Photo: Fall aspens with their vibrant yellow canopies and tube-like clusters of white stands, dotting the edge of a conifer forest in clusters or “clones.” Photo: New Mexico/Colorado border.

Cottonwood Trees
Cottonwoods are massive shade trees that grow throughout the US and are members of the poplar family. They have broad white trunks and bright green foliage in the summer that turns a brilliant yellow in the fall. In the spring, female trees produce tiny red blooms followed by masses of seeds with a cottony cover. Male cottonwoods do not produce seeds.

The trees need full sun and plenty of water, which is why they grow particularly well along lakes, rivers, and marsh areas. Planted in home landscapes, they create a number of problems. In spring, the cotton-covered seeds create a significant mess. Because they are fast growing, the wood is weak and prone to disease, and due to their size they are out of scale for even the largest home landscape. A young tree can add six feet of growth per year and grow well over one hundred feet tall with a canopy seventy-five feet wide, and a trunk diameter that averages six feet at maturity. Their size and rapid growth makes them an excellent shade tree, and they are often used as windbreaks.

As for lumber, the wood tends to warp and shrink, and it doesn’t have an attractive grain, so it is best suited for making pallets, crates, and boxes. Native Americans used every part of the tree. Trunks were made into dugout canoes. The bark provided forage for horses and a bitter, medicinal tea for man. The sweet sprouts and inner bark were food for both humans and animals. Photo: Cottonwood tree at Ghost Ranch, Abiquiu, New Mexico.

Juniper Trees
The one-seed juniper is a high desert evergreen that seldom grows more than fifteen feet tall. It dots the drier habitats of New Mexico at elevations between five and seven thousand feet, and is a slow-growing, drought-hardy native species that will stop active growth when moisture is limited but resumes growth when moisture conditions improve. While the juniper is slow growing above ground, it is rapid growing downward, setting down a tap root that can be as long as thirty feet. Mature trees can range from five to thirty feet and produce a tap root almost two hundred feet long. This long tap root makes them almost impossible to transplant with any success. Male junipers produce masses of tiny cones, while female trees produce berry-like seeds that are bluish-purple. 

After a good night’s rain, make a point of facing the sunrise standing west of a grove of junipers. The rising sun will bathe the branches in light, and the droplets will glow like a million tiny lights. Photo: Juniper tree to the left, piñon to the right and foreground.

 

 

Piñon Trees
The piñon (pronounced “pin-yon”) is a slow-growing, two-needled pine that at maturity seldom exceeds thirty feet in height. After sixty years, a piñon might be only six to seven feet tall, and the trees can live long lives, some exceeding six hundred years.

The piñon is the state tree of New Mexico, and it grows wild in the high desert mountain regions of New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona, and Utah in native stands along with native junipers. These vast areas of the Four Corners region are referred to as piñon-juniper woodlands.

Piñon wood burns hot, has a pleasing, smoky-aromatic pine fragrance, and is a natural insect repellent when burned. 

Despite the drought tolerance of piñons, repeated years of severe drought can stress the trees and lead to an attack by an insect called the piñon ips beetle, which caused widespread piñon mortality throughout New Mexico between 2002 and 2004. Today, the bark beetle continues to be a threat to the region, and since much of the weather pattern in New Mexico is tied to the El Niño/La Niña climate cycle—the latter is associated with dry, droughty weather
throughout the state—the beetle will continue to be a threat to the state’s piñon population until there is a shift to a strong El Niño.

 

Bosque
A bosque is a gallery forest that grows along the banks of a river, flood plain, or any watercourse. A good example of a bosque is the forest of trees that bank the Rio Grande River. Photo: Bosque in the fall, Albuquerque, New Mexico–Vanessa Ortiz.

 

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