Just look at that! The Rio Grande is way the hell down there somewhere. If the Comanches had had wingsuits, history might have been different. I took this photo standing in the same spot as before, by the way. Just did an about-face and boom, there it was. Los Alamos is across the valley up over those wrinkly mountains in the background (to the left). I think.
The things you’d see if you lived here, oh man
About an hour from where we live is the impossibly high village of Truchas, NM at a little over 8,000 feet. This is one stupendous topography we have in northern New Mexico. I’ll never get over how one can drive from sagebrush mesas to roaring mountain streams in under 30 minutes! And of course, there’s hardly anyone here, just miles and miles of mountains and trees. (Truchas means “trout,” by the way.)
Most of the place looks a little grimmer than this, kind of fitting when you consider the history. In 1754 twelve families from nearby villages received a Spanish land grant to establish an outpost community there. At the time, the Comanches made regular raids on Santa Fe by coming over the mountains: it’s a steep winding drop to the valley below (facing 180° from this photo), and from there an easy run down the Rio Grande. The village of Truchas was meant to stop all this, and I don’t know how it worked out. Any raiders approaching Truchas would likely have already hit Taos, as they were wont, and simply come along the High Road. You can see that the land grant wasn’t exactly philanthropy, anyway.
I’m sure most people in America have no idea there are places in New Mexico like this. I can hardly believe it myself.
Taos Mountain two days ago (morning telephoto shot)
Well, let’s see: plenty of firewood? Check. Grocery shopping done? Check. Decorations up? Check. Presents, cards? Check—well, those that got done, at any rate. I’m gradually learning that the key to this is to try but not too hard. Anything that increases emotional pressure of any kind is out, and I mean anything.
My wife and I didn’t exchange gifts last year, just didn’t need to. We’re not doing that this year, either, but we do have an overnight trip planned very soon to go see sandhill cranes at a couple of wildlife refuges south of Albuquerque and then fun in Duke City the next day. If you’ve never been to Two Fools Tavern, you don’t know what you’re missing—I like the “bangers & mash” with real English sausages and mashed potatoes, along with a pint of Guinness. And of course we’ll hit the Apple Store.
This year the weather isn’t bone-breaking cold over Christmas, only down to 7 °F tonight and up to 40 tomorrow. I guess I’ve been here long enough to call seven degrees acceptable, since the lowest we’ve seen in this location is 27 below!
That will still be plenty cold out at the Pueblo this evening. Bonfires and gunshots, folks, with matachines dancers this time. My wife had a female acquaintance (new to town) ask her this morning when the processions starts. Tee-hee.* I wonder how the lady will feel parking in a pasture and knocking burning embers off her clothes.
* Answer: After the church service, post-sunset, but really “Indian time.”
The river was running so fast and clear
Here’s another photo from yesterday’s wonderful trip along the Rio Grande near Pilar. We often find migrating Canada geese down in the canyon. Never very many at one time, though. I especially like these because of the clear water they’re resting in.
Farther north from here but still within the new Rio Grande del Norte National Monument, in a section with much higher canyon walls, a fly-fisherman and guide I know happened to be looking for a goose to shoot for dinner once. (It seems strange to me to think of someone doing that in the terrible high desert, when back in Maryland there would be huge flocks of hundreds or thousands of geese in the corn fields, but that’s what he was up to.) In fact, he’d spotted one flying downstream and decided to hike in that direction in hopes of encountering more. After a short distance, he looked up to see the same goose flying back up the river at a high rate of speed and couldn’t believe his luck. As he readied his shot, however, he spotted something else: right behind the goose came a bald eagle in fast pursuit!
Needless to say, he lowered his rifle and just took it all in, as the pair zoomed past and disappeared around a bend. When Nature gives you a show like that, you don’t go crazy in the theater.
Had no idea there were so many colors from the back
Behold the male mallard exploding into flight! Beautiful day on the Rio Grande north of Pilar today, with tons o’ ducks (mergansers, goldeneyes, mallards). We also saw Canada geese and a heron. The river is where the action is, all right. And to think that just 800 feet higher and out of the gorge, you’re back in rolling sagebrush country. The rio always blows our minds.
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