Friends

One day in Williamsburg, I was in Maria's Restaurant at the same time as Rex and we struck up a conversation. I'd passed his house several times on my way between Albuquerque and Deming and the Mercedes 220 had caught my attention. He invited me to stop by anytime.

After retiring from teaching at a university, he'd taken up ranching. Eventually he'd succumbed to the drought but manages  to get by.

With Blue Dawg

Robin dated his son and during that time they'd become friends. Tired of living in the Northwest, she rented out her house and moved down to help out around the "ranch."

Their house is the only one on highway one between T or C and Socorro. They've shouldered the responsibility of assuring lost Easterners that T or C is just down the road, Socorro DOES exist and there's a freeway access ramp not too far in either direction. They've even saved a few as more than one foolhardy hiker has shown up without enough water.

Los Ocotillos de las Quebradas (Backcountry Byway)

Here at N34.11855, W106.81048, we're at the northern most range of the ocotillo. And this is the fuzziest (see last photo) I've ever seen...evidence, along with signs of recent grading where the arroyos cross the road, of the wet summer. 

They claim we're in a drought, but the truth is it's a desert and the years they tho't (they call that thinking?!!) were normal were actually a period of unusual wetness.

Now that they've documented the (still unpredictable) weather for 40 years there are a few iconoclasts who're hinting that maybe *this* is normal. Of course, those who've grown accustomed to their entitlements don't want to hear it. 

Oh, and while yer at it, how about bailing out all us other "artisans?" Whaddya mean you only do banks & S & Ls?


Fuzzy! (probly my cataracts)

vertu - Art Fix Socorro Style

It's hard to find an art fix in the wilds of New Mexico....especially for a post-moderne enthusiast. But I always stop in at 113 Abeyta Avenue, Socorro.

Recently reincarnated, vertu Fine Art Gallery is now owned and operated by Mrs. Georgette Evans Grey, herself an artist. She had two weeks notice before being abandoned by the former co-op's members, but she did it! She's opened up the former studio spaces so there's lots to see.

Please tell her I said hello.

Quebradas Backcountry Byway - New Mexico

Desert Solitude At Its Finest

To the West - The (snowcapped) Magdalena Mountains

It's a little-known area about an hour and a half south of Albuquerque. Solitude and slightly warmer temperatures make the 24-mile-long Quebradas Backcountry Byway a great Fall and Winter destination. Getting on the Byway is a bit tricky; it's worth a look at Google Maps.

A link to a free pdf with geologic information and directions...

http://geoinfo.nmt.edu/publications/fieldguides/quebradas/


DIRECTIONS

The 24-mile-long dirt road can be accessed from the north via I-25 or from the south via Highway 380. It is most often accessed from the north end, via Exit 152 (the Escondida exit) off I-25, just a couple of miles north of Socorro. After exiting the freeway, turn right (east) about 1,000 feet to the "T." Turn left (north) toward Escondida Lake. In just over a mile, turn right (East) again at the Escondida Lake sign. Continue East past Escondida Lake (anywhere else on the planet this would be called a puddle) across the Rio Grande. At the village of Pueblito (a T-intersection with no stop sign) turn right (south) and proceed about a mile to the junction of the Bosquecito Road with the Back Country Byway (A-152). This is mile 0.0. Follow the road to the left at this junction.

From the south: The turnoff from 380 is 11 miles east of the village of San Antonio (380 is accessible from Exit 139 off I-25). Turn north onto A-129 and drive 3 miles to the junction with A-152. Turn left here; Stop 10, the last "information stop" in A Geologic Guide to the Quebradas Back Country Bywayat the southern end, is just west of this junction. You may notice the cautionary bit in the Geologic Guide about the need for four-wheel-drive and/or high clearance. The image below shows what it's like. I doubt if yer cadillac will even wince.

Former winter R.V. -- when a mudroom was a desirable amenity