Bay Area- May 2014

In 2014 I took a little trip...  Yep - but not to New Orleans down the "mighty Mississip". I spent a week in the San Francisco Bay area. I didn't have daily Internet service so this is just a long summary --- after the fact.

I attended a wedding in Livermore in what I guess is called the East Bay. After the wedding weekend I headed over to Sausalito  and spent a couple days with my cousin. My last stop was in San Jose visiting one of my oldest friends...going back to 2nd grade. This was a week-long counter clockwise circuit of the bay.

I flew Southwest Airlines both ways and stopped in San Diego each way. I guess I haven't flown since my trip to Peru so I was a little put off by the changes. This was like flying in an Otis elevator compartment crammed with people. For reasons never explained I had to change planes in San Diego when it was supposed to be a continuation flight. There was a musical group on board and they must have had priority seating because they put their instrument cases in the overhead storage and everyone else was left to figure out how to stow their stuff around saxophone and trombone cases. It doesn't work very well.

Of course I got to stand in three lines and jump through hoops in three different cities just for the privilege of flying. They provided me with peanuts, pretzels and a coke...I hate peanuts. I got to sit with my feet crammed around a carry-on. No one was fit company by the time we were airborne. The baby in front of me pooped in her diaper and I was hoping the oxygen mask would drop. The other passengers plugged in to their mobile devices and avoided eye contact. And...get this...the company charged me a hefty fee for this experience. Airline travel is no longer a rational way to move around the country.  Unfortunately, train travel wasn't an option on this trip.

I arrived on Friday, May 9th, at the San Francisco airport at about 2 PM. I figured that would be early enough and I'd make a fairly easy drive in my rental car over to Livermore. There was a rehearsal dinner that evening so I figured I'd make it in time to relax a little beforehand....it was only supposed to be a 40 minute drive. Since you can't just hop off a plane and drive away in your rental car it took longer than I expected to get away from the airport. You have to ride the little train over to the rental car offices after you find your luggage.  It was about 3 PM when I started out and the drive took almost three hours. Traffic was insane and there really wasn't any good reason for the delay other than too many cars.  No wrecks or construction and only one long bridge over the bay.  I arrived at the hotel as folks were leaving for the rehearsal so I made it barely in time.

The rehearsal dinner was an informal gathering at an indoor bocce court with a bar and bar food. We had lots of finger food and some great pizzas and the guests had a chance to meet each other. We played a few games of bocce but the court was a little odd. It was covered with a carpeting that was almost a suede-like material. That's better than AstroTurf but still a little strange. We all had a good time.

Saturday was the wedding day. This is Gene's and Karon's wedding...some of my readers know Gene. Karon seems very nice and they are a good match. There were a few errands and some last minute details. I went along for the ride. We were driven to the winery (Crooked Vine) in a limousine. I think that might have been my first ride in a limousine not associated with a funeral. Anyway -- the wedding at the winery was a nice outdoor affair that was very well attended. The reception was what I would consider tapas...lots of little grazing dishes served as a buffet. Maybe that's a California thing -- whatever it was it worked out well for the group.

There was a DJ who played music during the sit-down buffet and then played again during the dancing that followed. The dance was in the barrel room where wine barrels are stored and events are held. We all had enough wine that there was a lot of dancing...even by me. I got the DJ to do the Duck Dance...you had to be there to appreciate that. We all got home in one piece thanks to the limo driver.

George R

Sunday the fun continued with a winery tour for out of town guests. We only made it to three wineries but that was enough. We liked the George R winery the best and George was our host and was very gracious and informative.  I managed to make it all the way home with an excellent bottle of George's port for sipping when I read in the evening.

On Monday morning I said goodbye to some new friends that I made during the wedding and got on the road to Sausalito.  It was an easy drive on I-580 around the eastern and northern shore of the bay -- through Oakland and Berkley and past San Quentin. There was a $5 toll on the San Rafael bridge but traffic wasn't really too bad. I managed to get confused in Sausalito and kept missing my turn. My cousin (Jim) walked out to the road to finally direct me in...I was making it harder than it was. Jim lives on a houseboat so I was looking for the entrance to the dock area...I found it on the third pass.   I've been there before and thought it was more complicated.

Russian River Brewing

That afternoon Jim and his wife, Paro, took me up to Santa Rosa to visit Russian River Brewing. This is a famous California brewery -- famous for Pliny the Younger and Pliny the Elder, two signature beers. "Younger" is only available about two weeks a year and folks wait in line for 6 1/2 hours (or more) for a 10 ounce glass. We had "Elder" and then a flight (sample) of about ten Belgian beers.  About half of the sample beers were 'sour beer' which is a Belgian thing and maybe a California thing. It is an acquired taste and I haven't yet acquired it.  It was all good and probably good examples of the Belgian styles.  We had a lot of beer discussions during my stay. We have different opinions on some beer issues. Coming back to Sausalito we stopped at Moylands brewery in San Rafael and continued our friendly debate.   We headed back and had supper at a Mexican restaurant in Mill Valley.  Paro had to leave that night for a tour she is leading so we dropped her off at a hotel in San Francisco. Paro is a tour guide for German tourists and takes them around the Southwest.

Houseboats in Sausalito

BEER TALK
Jim is a local expert on Bay Area beer...not a beer snob but very focused on the Bay Area beer scene. Jim knows a lot about beer in general as a patron or consumer. He gives lectures on craft brewing at a local pup. (yeah, must be a California thing) I'm a patron as well but I look at things as a brewer. Since I've moved to the Southwest from the Midwest I'm very conscious of regional styles and tastes in beer. It's my opinion that craft beer drinkers are too enamored with hops and it seems that they think that more is better....way beyond the standard for the beer style. I think that, too often, heavy hopping is a crutch for bad beer. When I talk to brew-masters they tend to agree but they have to make what sells. So - that was the general debate between Jim and I until we got into the Belgian sour beer. I've had sour beer before but I've never liked it. If I made a beer that tasted like some of the sour beer we had at Russian River I would think that something went horribly wrong in my brewing process. The Belgians strive for that taste, which is achieved by allowing wild yeast or bacteria to intrude (infect?) the beer while brewing. This is yet more proof that there are regional preferences and tastes in beer.  Apparently, in the Bay Area, there are sufficient numbers of brewery patrons who have acquired a taste for sour beer because it is generally available at local breweries.  (To be continued...on Feral Chats)




Sausalito and San Francisco

On Tuesday, Jim and I stopped off at a local bakery and visited with some of his friends. One woman mentioned that she spent time in Jemez Springs, an interesting little  town about 35 miles from where I live. After the bakery we went up to the top of Mount Tamalpais.  Mount Tamalpais (Mt. Tam) is a very prominent feature of the geology and landscape of Marin County just north of the Golden Gate Bridge. We drove most of the way to the top and walked up a short trail to an observation area at the top. I was psychologically influenced by the notion that I was climbing a mountain and was struggling a little as we reached the top...then I realized that the top is only at about 2,600 feet elevation. I live at around 5,800 feet elevation and there was no real reason for me to be struggling.  The view from the top is impressive. You can see almost the whole bay and San Francisco looks quite small in the distance. We spent about a half hour at the top...Jim was pointing out different landmarks. We saw a lizard sunning on a rock doing what looked like push-ups. At first we thought that was an aggressive behavior but before long we noticed a lady lizard  not too far away. The first (guy) lizard was showing off. He got next to the lady lizard and proceeded to do push-ups. She wasn't too impressed...if you've seen one push-up you have seen them all. She wandered away with him following and doing more push-ups at every opportunity.

Godzilla

That afternoon we went and picked up Tomas, Jim's friend, at the bus station who was coming to the dock to stay with friends for a while. Tomas joined in the beer debate a little and we enjoyed a couple beers back at Jim's houseboat. That evening we went to a weekly meeting at the "Man Cave", a workshop/studio, and shared some new and different beers with some other friends from the dock. It was a fun and enjoyable evening. Everyone brought a different beer to share.

The dock is a close community with friendly relationships and people living in close proximity. With one way in or out, everyone knows who is coming or going or what the neighbors are doing. There is some window talk at times and friendly waves from doorways. The dock is something of a tourist site and tourists will stroll along the dock and even come inside the houseboats...uninvited.  Jim says that Italian tourists are the most brazen...I wonder why.

On Wednesday morning I said goodbye and left Sausalito behind and headed south to San Jose to spend time with my long-time friend, Bill. The trip south was uneventful...the Golden Gate Bridge (southbound) now has automatic tolls and for folks driving a rental it is expensive because the rental company adds a "convenience" charge that is higher than the toll. To get around that, I pre-paid on-line and that seemed to work OK. The drive through San Francisco was nice...that is still one of my favorite places. The way south to San Jose was mostly freeway driving through silicon valley communities. I found Bill's house without any trouble.

Picture I would have taken
if I had my camera

Our afternoon activity was a drive over the coastal ranges and along Highway 1 to Santa Cruz.  We stopped at Alice's Restaurant, a roadside biker spot, and had a couple beers and burgers. At one spot along the coast we saw a mother Gray Whale and her calf swimming along the rocky shore. They were only about 100 feet out in the waves and I got a good sense of how big they are. The calf was the size of a small school bus.  Of course, I forgot my camera but got a picture on my cell phone, which I will share if I ever figure out how. We walked out on the pier in Santa Cruz. It was really hot...up around 95 degrees.

Bill suggested we go to a sushi restaurant for supper. I don't eat sushi but Bill had his heart set on it so we went. We sat at a bar and I ordered a teriyaki beef dinner while Bill ate sushi out of the little boats that went by in a little trough.  I have always avoided sushi but I tried some and actually liked it. We were using chopsticks so that was a challenge (I used to be better at chopsticks -- what happened?)  We ate our fill and headed back to Bill's. His wife, Donna was home from work. Bill is mostly retired but Donna works for the school system. I met their parakeet, Charley, who is very talented but a little under the weather. They have to give him meds from an eye dropper and Charley doesn't like it but he doesn't hold a grudge. We talked and visited until about midnight. I haven't seen Bill in about 20 years or more so we had a lot of time to cover.

Anchovies

Thursday morning Bill and I struck out for Monterrey to visit the aquarium. He bought a membership there and I can see why...it is really a nice  aquarium, mostly focusing on the Monterrey Bay area. I enjoyed looking at the Jelly Fish.  Feeding time at the open ocean tank is fascinating. They have to keep the sharks and big fish fed so they don't eat the little fish. The turtles and rays have to be fed separately because they are slow. Then the tunas and dorados and other speedy fish get fed so the action really picks up. Finally the anchovies get fed and that turns into a fish tornado with thousands of anchovies swimming as one huge mass.  Everybody takes their appointed turn.


I have a short video on Youtube... click on the link to go there
http://youtu.be/a0mSTz3KrSY

Otter

The aquarium was not busy with visitors so we stayed about 2 1/2 hours. We got our lunch at a local pub and then drove along the coast highway stopping off at a few spots to look at the tidal pools. At one spot we watched an otter eating his lunch.  There was a lot of people enjoying the day but it wasn't crowded at all.

After we left Monterrey we headed back toward San Jose. We made a side trip to see Mission San Juan Bautista. The mission was built around 1793 and is still used but is a state park site. The mission served the local Indian population and several hundred Indians are buried in the old cemetery.

Me with my camera

I was set up to stay at a motel near the airport  that night so Bill and Donna made a nice dinner and we sat on the patio and enjoyed the end of my visit. I get antsy about airports and timetables and it was a 50 mile drive to the airport. I made it to my hotel OK and started to chill out for my trip home.   I got a message from Watson's vet where he was staying. He seems to be in remission from his diabetes and they stopped giving him shots...that's the good news. They think maybe he can manage on a weight loss diet...that's the bad news.  Sorry buddy.

On Friday I got to the airport and turned in my car...surprise, surprise...it cost more than what I expected...as usual. But it was a good car...a 2014 Impreza. We took off about a half hour late and then things started to bog down even more. The San Diego airport is nothing to write home about...crowded and also crowded. It is close to the city center so you fly in and get a nice view of the downtown and the ocean front. We also got to see about eight forest fires burning just north of San Diego. The wind was blowing from the ocean so the smoke was drifting inland and over the local mountains. We were about an hour late leaving San Diego -- I think Southwest Air ran out of planes and we had to wait for one to free up. I finally got into Albuquerque -- still late -- and it was a bumpy ride coming in due to storms in the area. It seems like turbulence is pretty normal due to winds and the mountains.

Forest Fires north of San Diegoption

Jemez Mountains

Trip into the Jemez Mountains
...cross posted from I Spy With My Little Eye.

The Jemez Mountains are located about 40 miles northwest of Albuquerque so that makes it pretty convenient. It's not much of a trip...I can plainly see them from my house and there is a small amount of snow up in the higher elevations.  They are the remnant of very active volcanic activity about a million years ago although the most recent eruption was about 60,000 years ago. There is still a hot magma pool under the mountains which is responsible for the hot springs. The caldera is clearly visible when you look at the topography of the area. It is almost 15 miles across and was formed when the super volcano collapsed into the magma chamber.

The Las Conchas fire of a couple years ago burned a huge part of the mountains.

El Morro -- We Passed This Way

Go west of Albuquerque about an hour on the interstate and then another 45 minutes or more south and west on two-lane blacktop and you are in what appears to be a deserted part of the state. Not exactly mountains and not exactly desert and not exactly forest...it's a grassy mix of scrubby junipers, Pinon pines and rocky bluffs.  This is Indian country...the Acoma and Zuni pueblos and Ramah Navajos live here. It is pretty country because it is so empty. There are lots of Elk crossing signs on the road so there must be Elk in the area. You drive through the western reaches of the Malpais...a large area of old lava that flowed across the land eons ago. The lava is so sharp it will cut up your shoes if you aren't careful.

The Ramah band of the Navajos are a separate group or "chapter", not totally connected or located with the main Navajo Nation. They have been living in this isolated state more or less since the middle 1500s when they came to the aid of the Zuni pueblo people who were struggling against Coronado and the Spanish. The name 'Ramah' comes from the Mormon settlement established under orders of Brigham Young in the 1870s.

All very interesting but I digress.

I'm supposed to be focusing on El Morro...a large rock outcrop that served as a landmark to travelers for centuries. The remoteness and dryness of the country made El Morro important because it was an oasis of sorts thanks to a perennial pool of water at the base of the cliffs. Prehistoric nameless Indians stopped at the pool of water and left petroglyphs on the face of the cliffs. These were pecked into the solid rock and depict various symbols and pictures of animals. There are human hand prints engraved on the rocks showing that people passed this way for centuries.

 

 

 

At the very top of the cliff there are two pueblo ruins...one partially excavated. Park Archaeologists think that there were as many as 1,500 people living at El Morro and farming the land many centuries ago. The country side was mostly a grass land at that time and it supported crops for the Indian population.

In the early 1500s the Spanish first pushed their way into this remote area. Coronado was looking for the cities of gold. They didn't find any but they did find a native population that they viewed as a source of labor and who were in need of salvation through conversion to Christianity. The Indians were less enthusiastic than the Spaniards and resisted cooperation and conversion. there were several groups sent north to convert the local Zunis but they wouldn't cooperate.

 

That didn't deter the Spanish -- they kept coming north from Mexico with priests and plans for missions and settlements. El Morro was important for the early exploration and conversion efforts because of the water and the fact that it was a landmark on the trail between the various Indian pueblos. The reliable water source made this a popular stop on the trail into the remote interior of New Mexico. Apparently the spot was sort of a resting place and the travelers stayed long enough to record their passing by engraving their names and various messages on the face of the cliff.

 

At least two Spanish governors of New Mexico passed this way and had their names and messages carved on the rock. This seemed to be a PR job of sorts with glowing accounts of their deeds and often that they were paying for the trip out of their own pocket. One had his deeds recorded and that he was a Christian gentleman...but someone came shortly afterward and scratched out the word "gentleman".

 

 

 

 

 

Some of the inscriptions are in poetry. Given that literacy was somewhat rare in the 1600s it is interesting that some inscriptions were from common soldiers. There are over 2,000 inscriptions on the face of the cliff -- some in Spanish and many in English.

 

As the American pioneers arrived in the area after 1850 they also camped at El Morro and recorded their passing. Most were on their way west toward California and many didn't make it. Indian raids were frequent as they moved into Arizona and a few names  have been traced to people who were later casualties or survivors of Indian attacks.  Miss Bailey was one traveler who was wounded but survived to eventually complete her trip to California.

 

 

The US Army sent expeditions into the area for exploration and peace-keeping purposes. One group was a cavalry troop travelling with camels as an experiment to see if they would be more reliable than horses in the dry climate. These military groups also stopped at El Morro and recorded their passing. The camels came and went without a trace, apparently. One group included an artist who recorded all of the inscriptions that he found on the face of the cliff...quite a task.

 

 

 

El Morro became a National Monument in 1906 and there was a change in attitude. Apparently, you can't carve your name on a national treasure. Some folks did from time to time but the Park Service has removed the offensive graffiti from the rock.  They do have a couple of large boulders out in front of the visitor center where you are allowed to scratch your initials in stone.

 

 

 

Ruidoso, White Sands, Guadalupe Mountains, Marfa TX, Big Bend

My daughter, Jill, is visiting this month (November) and we decided to take a week and head south to Big Bend National Park. We have been seeing a lot of New Mexico (go to I Spy With My Little Eye) and wanted to go  a little farther for a few days.

I have a timeshare and I can trade and book into different places so we decided to use Ruidoso NM as our base and starting point. We only had occasional Internet service so I didn't post anything along the way except a few pictures on Facebook.

RUIDOSO, NEW MEXICO
It rained for most of the 3 1/2 hour drive to Ruidoso. We got there just in time for the wind to blow at 30 mph and gust to over 50.  Next morning it was still raining and blowing and the electric was off. We went out for breakfast and it seemed like most places had power. Ruidoso is a nice place and I'll come back here in the summer or spring for fly fishing or horse racing at Ruidoso Downs.

Since the weather was bad we went to see the Hubbard Museum of the West. This is essentially a large exhibition space that has a large collection of horse-drawn carriages and wagons. I was interested in the "formal" carriages and the variety of utilitarian wagons and carts. The museum has a photo exhibit and a number of saddles and other donated items.

We watched a video of a man "breaking" a horse that was wild in the morning and would allow him to ride it after a few hours of persistent reasoning and communication using body language and some basic guide tools and a lariat. Jill thought it was inhumane and unnecessary but his method was fast and painless except for the apparent fear the horse had at the start.



WHITE SANDS NATIONAL MONUMENT
The weather cleared up on Sunday so we took a drive over to see White Sands National Monument south of Alamogordo. It was a pleasant drive but we saw a little more evidence of the huge forest fire - the Little Bear Fire - that went through here in 2012.  Much of the forest we drove through on the way into Ruidoso was burned with thousands of dead trees as far as you could see.

 

Snow-capped Sierra Blanca in the distance

 

White Sands is a gypsum sand desert covering a large portion of the Tularosa Valley. The park is surrounded by White Sands missile range so it is shut down occasionally when the military is launching test missiles. The park is fairly large and offers a great opportunity to explore and photograph the unique plants and what few animals are evident. If you are a geologist this would be your kind of place just to see the different types of dunes and how they change and move. This is a place to come back to and spend a couple days...and nights...but it closes one hour after sunset.

White Sands is relatively young...only about 10,000 years old and the local animals are not totally adapted to living on the sand so there are fewer animals here. They seem to come out at night and leave their tracks showing they have been there but you don't usually see them in daylight.

Coyote tracks over the dune

GUADALUPE MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK

On Tuesday we headed south and east through Roswell and Artesia to Carlsbad. This was not a very scenic route and there seemed to be a lot of chemical or oil related air pollution in Artesia. We had lunch at a restaurant in White City, close to Carlsbad Caverns. We opted not to go to Carlsbad Cavern on this trip...not enough time.

Just a few miles south of White City we crossed into Texas and encountered the Guadalupe Mountains. Most of this range is in New Mexico but the most prominent part is in Texas. Guadalupe Peak is the highest point in Texas. The Guadalupe Mountains National Park is fairly new and isn't all that big but it offers a lot of back country for day hikes or longer backpacking. Although the mountains appear to be dry and stark, the back country is lush and green...according to the Ranger we talked to.

We were on a tight schedule so we only stayed about 45 minutes and took some pictures. We took a short detour to see some local salt flats. There has been so much rain that the salt flats were a shallow lake that offered unique reflections of the looming mountain range a few miles away. My friend, Betty, has a family owned ranch next to the park and salt flats...it looked very green compared to the local desert.

MARFA, TEXAS
This part of west Texas is sparsely populated with many miles between towns. It's 64 miles from the park to Van Horn and then another 74 miles to Marfa with nothing much in between....except for a Prada store sitting all alone out on the deserted highway.  You have to have a sense of humor to survive.  This is a local art project...a fake Prada store in the middle of nowhere.

We finally made it to Marfa and El Cosmico, our "glamping" destination for the next two nights. We reserved two safari tents for the first night and a tepee for the second night. The safari tents were nice, equipped with a queen size bed, side tables and a chair all on a raises wooden floor. There was a hanging pendant light as well as a reading light. The best part was the heated mattress pad. It was pretty cold -- down in the low 40s -- and the heated bed was great. My problem was with my CPAP (yes, my sleep apnea rears its ugly head). Each tent has electricity but the cold temperature caused the vapor to condense from the CPAP and it kept dousing me with water every few minutes. That made sleeping impossible.  Jill had a much better experience.   I opted to sleep elsewhere and made plans to stay at a local hotel the second night.

Jill had a great experience with the tepee the second night. It was much larger and had a cow hide covered wooden floor and a couch/futon as well as the chair and side tables and heated queen bed. There were three tepees and about eight safari tents as well as six or eight vintage travel trailers that were available for guests. They have a shower house that includes a claw-foot tub and a kitchen house where campers can cook their own meals.


We were hoping to see a dark night sky and thousands of stars but it was a full moon and we mostly saw the moon. We could walk anywhere at night without a flash light because the moon was so bright.

BIG BEND NATIONAL PARK

We spent a day at Big Bend National Park...about two hours south and east of Marfa. I wasn't sure what we were going to see since we were on the road four hours out of the day but we were able to get through the best part and still get back to Marfa before dark. The Chisos Mountains make up the most prominent part of the park but there are miles of desert and the Rio Grande river and valley/gorge runs along the south edge of the park...the border with Mexico.




The geology is a mix of things but a good deal of volcanic relics. There are prominent dikes where magma or lava seeped into cracks or faults and solidified and now appears as natural walls running through the mountains once the softer material eroded.




There was a small community living in the area back in the early 1900s that raised cotton on the farmable parts of the Rio Grand valley. A few ruined buildings are left behind from that era.



Rio Grande and the Mexican cliffs
looming over the river.

  
 
I was surprised to see that they did raft float trips down the Rio Grande. The park cautions boaters not to purchase items from people on the Mexican side. They are trying to establish a port of entry to allow park visitors to cross the river and visit the Mexican park on the opposite side of the river.





Santa Elena Canyon is on the Mexican side of the river but is very impressive. Apparently the Rio Grande somehow changed course and carved the canyon while the rock wall was being slowly uplifted .

We were visiting in November and most of the vegetation was going dormant for winter or because of the drought. We saw a few lingering flowers and the Ocotillo cactii were in bloom.




We exited the park over a 13 mile gravel road that was a challenge in some places. In wet weather it would be impassable.

The trip back to Marfa was uneventful except for a stop by the Border Patrol at one of their checkpoints.

HOTEL PAISANO - MARFA, TX

I already mentioned that I opted to stay at a local hotel the second night in Marfa. The Hotel Paisano is a historic hotel on the national register, built in 1930 and designed by Henry Trost. The hotel was used during the filming of the Edna Ferber classic "Giant", which was James Dean's last movie.

 

 

My room was next to the room Elizabeth Taylor stayed in during ther filming of the movie. Maybe James Dean or Rock Hudson stayed in my room?

 

 

 

The hotel is restored (somewhat) and is well maintained. They seem very proud of it and its history. The public areas are nicely kept and restored while the rooms are well maintained but in need of a little more restoration...like new carpet and some fresh paint.

 

My room was nice and roomy with some nice period (1930-40) style furniture. It had French doors leading out to the balcony overlooking a large courtyard with a fountain. It was a little too cold to take advantage of the balcony.

 

 

 

The hotel has a nice and popular restaurant. The food was good and plentiful but the prices were a little high.

RACING FOR HOME

Beginning about Tuesday we began hearing horror stories about how bad the weather was going to get starting on Thursday. Snow, ice, sleet, rain and high wind was in the forecast. When we left Marfa on Thursday morning we decided to try to get all the way home. The only problem was that we had to get back to Ruidoso to check out of the condo and pick upur other luggage. We got an early start and decided to go on the interstate through El Paso and then pick up US 54 and go north through Alamogordo to Ruidoso. The trip was OK...no bad weather. The check out process was quick and we were loaded up and back on the road in about a half hour.  We ran into deteriorating weather by the time we reached the Rio Grande valley near Soccorro and it was blowing drizzle in a few places. Of course, we reached Albuquerque at evening rush hour so it took a while to get all the way through town and then through the perpetual construction work at Bernalillo. We made it OK and were able to go pick up our cat, Watson, before thbe animal hospital closed.

 

The weather threatened all day Friday and then we woke up with a light dusting of snow on Saturday. It snowed a little until Monday morning but never amounted to much.