There was a fire in the Jemez Mountains with the plume heading east towards Santa Fe which put a barrier on our plans to hike the Rio Medio where we would have had fun crossing the river and getting our feet wet... so next plan...how about hiking up the back road to the Sandia Mountains to the Las Huertas (the orchards) Picnic ground? There was some shade, and a spring fed creek to give us the illusion of cool water, and it was uphill on the way out and downhill on the way back...as all perfect hikes should be.. so Jennise led us and we had a fairly good time...after all we were hiking and not doing housework!
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| Blooms on the Desert Willow greet us |
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| The Hoofers: front row: Karen, Lynda, Annette, & Mary B.; back row: Mary M. Missy, Julianne, Jennise (our leader), Kathleen, Helene and Pat |
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| And of course me, aka Rose |
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| We parked at the end of the pavement and started walking |
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| Lynda stops briefly to check something out... after I downloaded the photos, I noticed I captured a UFO just above Lynda's head!! |
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| Scarlet Penstemons |
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| Through the trees I was able to capture a small waterfall along the creek |
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| Threadleaf Groundsel |
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| Selfie, the hike was four miles out and four miles back, plenty of time for conversations |
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| Along the roadway there were many old and interesting trees |
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| Another Scarlet Penstemon |
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| There were lots of these butterflies flying by us along the road, I just kept taking pictures in hopes to catch one, this one I got on the first shot! |
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| Another beautiful old tree |
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| At first I thought this was the Sandia Man Cave; then realized that the stairs to it were gone! So this is another huge cave! I saw a few more caves as well. |
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| This, of course, is Kathleen and I taking pictures of each other! |
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| Taking a break in the shade, thank God for the shade! |
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| One of the largest Ponderosa Pines I have ever seen |
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| I used our smallest Hoofer for size, unfortunately the brush and shadows hide most of the tree |
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| Fields of bear corn. You can always find these under an oak tree (notice the dead leaves) and also where bear tend to eliminate themselves as that is how they spread the seeds....so there are bears often walking along this road! |
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| A better shot of the spring fed creek and a small waterfall |
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| It was a hot day, and we made several conversation/water stops in the shade |
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| Another waterfall through the trees |
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| The higher we got the more we could see the creek, now turning into a stream |
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| New Mexico's blue skies and the moon |
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| Views of the stream |
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| And waterfalls |
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| Purple Geranium |
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| Erosion may be the death of this tree |
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| More fallen trees |
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| Annette said these hollow reeds were used for scrubbing plates as the outside of the reeds were a bit rough, they are also hollow |
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| After four attempts I gave up trying to get a clear picture of this caterpillar we saw on the road |
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| New Mexican Locust |
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| Picture not clear enough for me to ID this :( |
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| We finally make it! |
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| Heading to the Picnic tables |
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| Obligatory lunch pictures: Rose and Kathleen |
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| Everyone was impressed that I brought along a placemat...it was just my duo-purpose sit-upon |
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| Mary B. and Annette |
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| Our leader Jennise, and in her sunglasses a group picture of me taking the picture and our group at the table...my talent at taking pictures just abounds to the highest levels! |
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| Julianne and Helene |
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| Mary M. |
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| Pat telling me she doesn't want her picture taken |
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| Missy in mid phrase... |
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| At least Lynda and Karen are posing |
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| After lunch while the rest continue to talk I spend some time taking pictures of the picnic area |
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| The ordinary Dandelion looking bright and perky |
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| Spreading fleabane with Purple Geraniums in the distance |
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| Purple Geraniums |
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| Finally the Hoofers rally for the hike down to the cars! |
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| Some beautiful views along the way |
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| Another huge Ponderosa Pine and Julianne standing next to it for size |
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| We found this memorial to Carla who was murdered at this spot. She was found in her van, a young wife and mother of two |
On the evening of November 29, 1999, Simmons was driving through the back mountains to Placitas to see her friend. On the way there, she over corrected, got her front right tire stuck in a broken culvert, near the Sandia Man Cave parking lot, leaving her stranded on the dark highway.
Sometime during the evening she was brutally beaten and strangled by an unknown assailant. Simmons was left there throughout the night and eventually died of hypothermia. The next morning, a jogger found her semi-nude body, along with her van, and called police. Since the crime occurred on National Forest Land, the case was handed over to the FBI.
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| The seed blossom of the Yellow Salsify |
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| Pictures of the Sandia Man Cave |
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| Another large cave near the Sandia Man Cave |
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| Some people take tree hugging to a new level, Jennise is kissing this one! |
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| A huge blooming prickly pear on the side of the cliff |
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| Wild grapes-to-be |
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| Perky Sue |
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| Elm tree seed pods |
In spite of the heat, this was a nice hike, we were fortunate for the shade we had, as it was getting pretty hot. One just can't miss a hike as there is always some part of nature to enjoy...along with the good company!
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