Tiempo Perfecto

The Spring weather in Albuquerque is phenomenal. The sunny skies would put a smile on anyone's face. Capturing bad weather in a photo seems to express its danger or dreadfulness easily, as seen in photos of thunderstorms, tornadoes, or hurricanes. Great weather is not so apparent in photos, as seen in my attempt above.

Believe it or not, the sun was shining brightly this day. The heat of the sun was complemented by the dry breeze that occasionally and politely passed through everything in its path. The desert brown was overshadowed by the contrasting bright greens of the trees and the blues of the sky. The mountainous backdrop topped off the scene.

I got a call from someone in the Midwest and received a report of the rain in the region. I was so lost in the perfect weather, I had forgotten that bad weather even existed. It was difficult to imagine a stormy day at the time.

I also decided that Albuquerque in the Springtime is the best time to eat M&Ms. A bowl of M&Ms left in the house with no air conditioning, just fans and windows, will give just the right crunchiness to the shell. Just wonderful.

Cacti

The prickly pear cactus is my current favorite cacti in New Mexico. I struck gold in Carlsbad when I stumbled upon this wild garden of prickly pears on the drive to the Caverns. It was an incredible sight. Despite its name and its spikey hairs, these cacti seem friendly. The shape reminds me of oven mitts I want to shake hands with or pancakes I could take a bite from (both bad ideas). Look at how social they are too. They congregate together ensuring no one gets through them. It's like they know its own expensive listed store price and proudly shines with the Southwestern sun.

Skiing

People always talk about the uphill battle. I discovered the downhill battle last month called skiing. Unlike most people in the world, skiing is just okay for me. I'd rather be enjoying other activities. The risk versus fun factors don't work in my favor. The important thing is that I tried it and not only once, but three times now.

For those who have never skied, let me break down what is needed.

Clothing
Warm pants (i.e. sweat pants, thermal underwear)
Thick socks (i.e. wool socks, apparently wool handles moisture better than cotton but not a big deal)
Snow bibs
Warm top (i.e. hoodie)
Ski coat (These things have SO many pockets. It is wonderful.)
Hat or helmet
Ski goggles or sunglasses
Sunscreen (for the face)

Equipment
Skis (Short skis are also available. They allow easier control for beginners. On the opposite end of the spectrum, experts may also use short skis to perform tricks. I rarely have seen short skis)
Ski boots
Ski poles

Tips That Make Life Easier
-Carry your skis over your shoulder.
-When walking downstairs with ski boots, walk backwards. Ski boots are difficult to walk in!
-Use the lockers. It's $0.75 each time it's accessed, but it's worth not walking from the car to the lodge in ski boots. Packing lunch and storing in the locker is also a bonus. The food at the lodge is typical, expensive, cafeteria food.

Ranking System
Bunny Hill: For learners
Greens: Low difficulty
Blues: Medium difficulty
Blacks: High difficulty
Double Blacks: High high (like Phelps at a party) difficulty. This might involve hiking to get to the start of a double black.

The Slopes
I've been to four ski slopes and skied on three in New Mexico. Each place has its own strengths.

Pajarito in Los Alamos
I took full day lessons here. The instructors were excellent and encouraging. The slopes are steep. The bunny hill would easily be ranked as a green in most other places.

Santa Fe
The slopes are more manageable than Pajarito. The bunny slope is incredibly tame. Snowboarders would have difficulty learning on the bunny, since it is fairly flat. I've been told that boarders need some slope to keep their momentum. The indoor lodge has more space than Pajarito, but at about the same quality. Out of state visitors enjoy Santa Fe, probably because of what the town offers outside of skiing.

Angel Fire
This is a great ski resort. The slopes are very manageable, and I was comfortable going down all of its greens. The view here is pleasantly striking. The greatest strength Angel Fire has over the other ski valleys is that they label all their slopes with clear signs, so people like me don't mistakenly go down a blue when the intent was to ski a green slope. Snow tubing is an option for people in the afternoons. The three lane runways are great for racing with friends, and a conveyor belt takes all the tubers right back to the starting line.

Taos
I can't speak much to the actual skiing, since I bailed on this adventure. I have heard that Taos has steep and narrow slopes with deep drop-offs. A more advanced skier would have a greater appreciation for the Taos Mountain. I spent some time at St. Bernards having coffee and tapping onto the hotel/restaurant's wireless internet. It was a warm place with a free-roaming dog, typical of the Taos culture. I highly recommend St. Bernards for the ones that decide to skip on skiing with their buddies and just enjoy the resort. Another option is snowmobiling with Big Al. It is a 2-hour tour of the Taos mountain on snowmobiles. I haven't decided if it was worth $70, but I do know I enjoyed it.


Finally, for the non-believers, here's evidence of me skiing.

Taos

I haven't done justice to New Mexico. The natural backdrop here is beautiful. It is easy to forget to look and appreciate the mystic-looking mountains. That's when I know I'm getting comfortable here. It sometimes takes a rainbow spanning the mountain peaks to remind me. There were three rainbows in one week too.

There is more than mountains. The towns here look and feel local. Taos is a great example. My friends and I rented a house for the weekend in Taos a few weeks ago. Here are some pictures of and around the house.







Besides being a skiing town, Taos has a magnificent view of the Rio Grande Gorge. A fairly simple bridge runs across the gorge. The best part is seeing the initial drop off. The image hit me so suddenly when driving up to it that the moment deservedly got a long "Wwwow."



For the ones that love being green, Earthship demonstrates a model home that is constructed from recycled materials and is self-sufficient. This detour was certainly interesting. It offered solutions for people that have wondered how to build such a home. The challenge is wondering if one could substitute modern conveniences for such a simple life. Earthship homes have been built internationally, and several neighborhoods exist within New Mexico.




I haven't even tapped into the art scene in Taos. Metal sculpture, painting, pottery, jewelry, and even a Taos drum factory outlet store can be found in pockets of the town. Small bed & breakfasts inns give the Best Western and Days Inn tough competition. At first glance, I thought Taos was a sleepy town revolved around skiing. After two trips to Taos, its hidden charms are growing on me.

Hiking the Sandia Mountains

It's been about a month since I've gone on the Old La Luz Trail Hike, but I had to share some of the photos I took. It was a gorgeous hike during the fall season. The 7-mile trail led my group and I to the top of the Sandia Mountians, where we took the Tramway back down. It took the group and I about 4-5 hours to complete, including lunch breaks. It was the first time I truly felt the effects of altitude on my breathing.

This shows the Donald Duck rock formation. It was definitely the comical relief during the uphill hike.

This was taken after the lunch break. It was a very memorable portion of the hike. The fallen yellow leaves contrasted so well with the white tree barks, and the occasional green plants accented the scene. Nature's soundtrack was just as fitting with the crunching leaves as the hikers walked and the water brooks in the background. It was a poet's dream.
The fall season can be easily detected in this photo. The scenic mix of mountains and trees definitely portrays the Southwest flavor of beauty.

Now we're getting so close to the Tramway, we can see it. Thank goodness.

Here is a top view of Albuquerque from the peak of the mountains.