We have been in Tucson for a little over 6 months! And until 5/13, we lived right next door to an episcopal church in a neighborhood called Armory Park, just south of downtown Tucson. The home we rented was modest but we could cook, do laundry, sleep and hang out in the living room. A big benefit of living in Tucson is that it is a great place to visit (hint, hint).
In the 6 months since we have been here, we have seen old friends more than five times. Although we have a couple of great friends here, we do not have a big group of friends and amazing community of support (YET). A huge change from our life from Rochester, and unique especially for me. So having friends and family come through brings us joy that I cannot describe.
Old friends from college, Eve and Ken, who live in Madison. They make new friends easily!The next couple who we saw, old friends from Rochester, Sheryl and Eli. (and Chris is there on the right side.) We shared the first desert superbloom with them.An old friend, Judy, who I haven’t seen in years. Wonderful to reconnect our friendship, and to meet her husband, Sam, who was lovely to take this picture. This was my new friend (hah! just seeing if you were paying attention.)I have known Rhonda since I was in second grade!Other old friends who live outside Boston, Lealdon and Robin. We were so thrilled to see them. Chris and his sister, Annette. Again those that make fast friends! Annette helped him drive a truck from Rochester, helped us unpack while she was here and visited us in our new home!
And now we own a house here, have moved in, and feel like we are living with so much, even though we reduced our furniture by more than half before we left Rochester. We never reduced anything from our kitchen and are so grateful that we have it now. Lots of smoothies and fake healthy ice cream in this Tucson kitchen! We appreciate our bed and are liking our new smart TV that was a service gift from Paychex. A lot of furniture to buy in our future which could take ten years for the least enthusiastic shoppers you know.
Chris has always been the gardener of the family and he spends time researching plants and how to garden here. Totally different! In front of our house, most of the plants are unwanted types, and there is almost nothing in the back yard. Clean slate for him! So he got our first pup. Agave pup, people – he is still allergic to dogs. A new friend, Amy, is an amazing gardener, who has agaves in front of her house, that throw off “pups’.
This pup is about the size of my thumb.The pup is connected to a root that is about 12 inches long. Someday the pup will grow into this amazing agave which is almost as tall as me.
So I am going to show you some house pictures. I want to remind you that once you see the card table in the dining room with folding chairs, it will really hit you that we sold a lot!
Heading into the front courtyard. Dining room, off the kitchen and out to the back yard. Both images of living room connected to dining area. The only finished room in the house but what else do you need?
If you are looking for our new address, email me or Chris! We hope to see you in Tucson soon. Travel is awesome!
“Do this, don’t do that, can’t you read the sign?”
If you recognize these lines, you probably grew up when I did, or you are an amazing music fan. (And if you don’t, go listen to it on the Internet!) Some of us grew up when signs were taking over, and now we just don’t really notice them. But when we started moving around, we noticed they were unique.
This first set might not be so different but since protest signs are important to me, I have to show you the best of them.
These are from some different protests that I attended.
This one is “duh.”
There was quite a lot of hiking signs that we had never seen before. Some of them really surprised me because I thought everyone knew about these!
I may have hiked and camped too much in my life so I know all the safety rules, but who is stupid enough to feed bears or other wildlife?Another one that seemed kind of self-explanatory. I guess rattlesnakes need to be protected. I still have not seen one, but Chris has seen two while biking. They just hang out on The Loop, the Tucson bike path. He is thrilled each time. I am super okay not ever seeing one. This one was SURPRISING! We found it near the Grand Canyon. Another Grand Canyon sign. Again, I have never seen this sign ( and probbly won’t anywhere else!)One of my favorites!!Lots of venomous creature signs!
Some were just really funny. This first one is real! In New Mexico, and near Los Alamos, there were many of them!
My favorite sign in the world!
This one is not real but made me smile and want to buy it for so many people I know.
And here is another one that is not real, but I may need it in my front yard.
Here is one I got from someone else, but also laughed at it.
I will leave you with two signs seen as part of our breakfast project. The breakfast project is about finding the best breakfast places in Tucson. We have probably tried somewhere between 10-15 so far, and only 1 was just okay. But these had the best signs.
And Bobo’s has great coffee and amazing pancakes even though it is kind of a greasy diner. Another greasy ish diner that has amazing pancakes.
Ciao all! Good friends and new digs is the next to come!
Or unknowns of the Arizona desert (or lots of pictures and fewer words!)
The desert is mysterious. In Arizona, it will be different every spring based a number of factors. There has to be a triggering rainfall in the autumn, as well as some rainfall in January or February, and then no excessive heat (which means over 90).
It definitely all came together this year to produce “super blooms”. It truly was a wonder. Almost like we were in a different place this March and April than we were last year, but we aren’t.
Every week the blooms were different. These are some of the first!
California poppies
Then the super blooms hit. And the experience of hiking in the desert while these flowers bloomed was astonishing. Usually, in many places, it is quiet and oh so pleasant, with no crowds. In every direction, there is a view but usually tans, beiges and some green. But this spring, everywhere you looked in the hills there were colors, mostly yellow and orange . As you got closer, other colors appeared, including blue, purple, red and white. It was impossible to walk through this and not be blown over by the stunning landscape. Every time you turned your head, there was something to look at.
I have never see colors appear in the desert. On this day, there were large swaths of yellow on the hillsides.
Then as you hike, you personally get in the middle of the swaths of yellow and orange, and it becomes apparent that there are many colors, but some of them from tiny flowers.
Also there are many “normal” size flowers.
I believe the red flowers are called coral plants. OcotillaCholla (which for a while I called churros)
Such an amazing feeling as we hiked in the spring, that I never missed a weekend.
Future posts coming up include “Signs, Signs, Everywhere a Sign” and “Old Friends and New Digs”.
We are back in Tucson. Back in Tucson after almost 5 months. After almost 5 months of dealing with a difficult medical problem that I had. We spent June and July 2018 mostly in North Carolina and New York state, seeing friends and family, camping and hiking. We got back to Tucson after stopping in Albuquerque for a couple of days, and on August 11, 2018, I ended up in the hospital in Tucson. They found a brain tumor called a meningioma, which needed surgery. Chris determined that it made the most sense to head to Chicago where the top neurosurgeons worked at Northwestern to get a second opinion, and where friends and family were. I started treatment on September 5th and ended with the ringing of a gong on December 17th. Chris started working remote at University of Arizona on December 3rd, and continues to work there at this time.
Life is boring and interesting, all at the same time. Boring is what happens when you are used to being really active and not used to taking it easy to heal. Boring is making sure you get new license plates and drivers licenses, car insurance in a new state, a new dentist, and a new doctor. Looking for a new home is a combination of boring and interesting.
More interesting is learning how to live in a new place. Tucson is different. People are nicer and more willing to spend time with us in most cases (even those working in customer service jobs at big box stores) and sometimes because of that, I think Chris and I stick out as New Yorkers. We meet lots of people who have similar values, as Tucson is more liberal than other parts of the state. There is a lot going on in the winter because the weather is so delightful. Here are some of the things that happen every year or all the time. There is way more, but I just cannot attend everything these days!
International Gem and Mineral Show in February (the city fills with visitors for this!)
Many theater productions (Recently saw a great production called American Mariachi)
Music, music, music including the Tucson Jazz Festival (Martin Luther King day weekend)
An art theater (The Loft), much like the Little Theater in Rochester
Outside activities!!!
Tucson Festival of Books in early March
Some of the items for sale at the African Village which is part of the Gem and Mineral Show. We talked to mostly men from all over Africa, here to sell some amazing art items. Masks at the African VillagePancho Sanchez Latin Jazz Band at the Tucson Jazz Festival (downtown Tucson)Saw two different panels of authors speak at the Tucson Festival of Books, but forgot to take any pictures. Fashion from the Festival of Books! Javelinas on the front!
We are learning about different housing styles and building methods, the process of a sale (which differs from NY state), and about neighborhoods within 5 miles from where Chris works. He rides his bike to work most days. Many days, since we are close to downtown and a YMCA there, I do not use the car but walk everywhere. We still have The Hive van but are close to getting a smaller car. The Hive name for the car will be transferred, mostly because I can’t let the name go!
I was intensely excited about a license plate with a cactus on it and laughed at myself at the same time! Still really excited about it. Way better than NY plates! (sorry friends!)
Chris is working at a new job at the University of Arizona with a group of plant and data scientists. After almost 30 years of working for small and large companies in Boston and Rochester, the university is a very different environment that challenges him to learn new things most days. As you might know, he is the kind of guy that loves that! In late April, he will travel for work to the Netherlands for the Wageningen Hackathon (love that name!) He is also working on getting back into great bike shape, and seems to be progressing well (70 miles last weekend). I did start to drive again after no driving for 5 months, mostly short distances, but made it to Phoenix last week. I have a very good friend here from college which is absolutely wonderful. It is a little difficult sometimes to have enough energy to make new friends while working out to get stronger most days and trying to figure out what physical activities work for me. It will take more time to heal before I figure out what else to do with my life. I still practice mindfulness and meditation. We still hike within my physical capacity. Some of the rain this winter has created “super blooms in the desert” which have been amazing (there will be another post about spring wildflowers.)
As many of you know, since I always need a “project”, we have a “breakfast project” where we eat breakfast out once a week at different places, and try to find the best places. It is very hard to pick the best places because there are so many good breakfast joints, both divey and nicer. We really have not eaten at any place that is bad, and are enjoying the personalities we find in these places.
Maybe it is elegant elsewhere but it is still really yummy here! Best pancakes!! Breakfast with the most amazing pancakesGreat breakfast south of downtown
Another interesting experience; It snowed on February 22, 2019. It can snow often in the winter up on Mt Lemmon, but it snowed in town. I went to a wonderful yin flow yoga class that morning which was pretty large – between 20-25 people. Just imagine being in a class that size where everyone (except me) was excited about the snow. They could not stop talking about it and ten minutes into the class, 2 large doors in the back were opened so the snow could be seen. 5 minutes later, I had every item of clothing I brought on, and thankfully 5 minutes after that, the doors were closed and heat turned on. I could not complain and ruin the joy being expressed!! After class, I went to my friend’s neighborhood market (Rincon Market), which sells the freshest fish in Tucson. The cashiers were still exclaiming about the joy of the snow!
Me wearing my heaviest coat on the day it was snowing! Very few others wearing a heavy coat because they do not own them!!This is the amount of snow that excited everyone!
More to come in other posts about the spring superbloom, friends that visit, signs and the future!
Starting with a view of the sunrise and Navy Pier!
As we’ve travelled around the USA, I’ve always found it interesting how the names of places reflect their history.
We left Chicago at the end of December on our way to Tucson, where we have decided to live, for a little while at least. We left the Windy City much later than planned due to some unexpected aggravations.
“The Bean” – A famous sculpture downtown. We had never seen these amazing reflections at night. Beth’s happiest time in Chicago. At a family Chanukah party with many family members including 3 adorable kids.The Windy City in December
The first complication was the car deciding that, since we were leaving on a big trip, it needed its oil changed. Our van is very modern and will tell you when it needs its oil changed, but it’s not on a regular schedule. In that way it’s a bit like a toddler that knows they need to go to the bathroom and announces it at the last second, causing their parents to spring into frenzied action. “I need to go now!” “I need my oil changed now!” Although we’ve been taking the car out on a fairly regular basis, it decided that since we didn’t have any spare time that day, it needed its oil changed.
Complication number two was a failure of the apartment building to do what they said they were going to do. Namely, allow us to move out easily by programming the freight elevator for us and opening the loading dock doors. We had scheduled the freight elevator for that morning, but there was no freight elevator to be had. No problem, we’ll take the elevator with a back door and get to the car that way. Oops, nope, the loading dock doors are closed.
Taking matters into my own hands, I parked on the front sidewalk and proceeded to bring our stuff down from the 59th floor and stuff it into the car. As I was stuffing my second load into the car, a security guard walked up and told me that I couldn’t park there, on the sidewalk, in front of the building. After informing her on the lack of elevator and the closed loading dock doors, I challenged her to find a solution for me. Challenge accepted, she strode off as I moved the car to the alley and the rest of the packing went smoothly. Thank you security guard!
Now several hours behind schedule, we stopped and gave the “Hive” (our blog’s namesake) the oil change it craved, and headed down to St. Louis where we spent the night. Due to the long day, we ordered dinner from The Olive Garden, where we never eat, and had a good nights sleep. Coincidentally our daughter in Alaska and her boyfriend celebrated their anniversary by going to The Olive Garden in Anchorage the exact, same, night! Family togetherness when you’re spread all over a continent. I’ll take what I can.
Store window in Chicago
The next morning, we headed out on a long drive to Dallas, TX, our next stop. As I was sipping my morning coffee and driving, we passed Pomme de Terre Lake! There is also a Pomme de Terre stream that feeds that lake. We were surrounded by all these “Pommes” of “de Terre”!
So what exactly is a “Pomme de Terre”? Quickly utilizing my knowledge of Latin, I knew “Terre” meant “Earth”, as in “Terra Firma”, and “Terraforming”. But what the heck is a Pomme? It sounds very pretentious by itself and more-so when you round your mouth while saying it and slightly lowering your voice. Pomme. Yep, it’s French.
Beth translated this to English and accurately reported it as “Apple of the Earth”. Except she was wrong. Putting my knowledge of French to work, I knew it was actually a potato! Those weird and whacky French had been to the middle of Eastern Missouri and named something “Potato.” Why? I don’t know. I’m just happy that I was able to put my two words of Latin and one French vegetable to their fullest use by solving this riddle. Fortunately there weren’t more French or Latin words to translate the rest of the trip, or I’d have been in trouble.
So why Potato Lake and Potato stream? It turns out the lake is artificial and named after the stream a wandering Frenchman decided looked like a potato. Or maybe he thought it was good for growing potatoes? Or maybe he was hungry for potatoes? We may never know.
That’s what’s so cool about traveling! You never know what you will find. In this case, a food cultivated for centuries in the Andes was brought over to Europe. It was declared an Apple of the Earth by the awed Frenchmen, who then crossed back over the Atlantic to North America. And then, while wandering around the middle of the continent with potatoes on their mind, came across this stream in the middle of nowhere and named it after the food they were craving. Viola! We have a Pomme de Terre stream! And because of that stream and the Army Core of Engineers, we have Pomme de Terre Lake! And I love french fries!
Don’t they look good?
Sorry, I might have gone too far in the previous paragraph and done a disservice to French people everywhere. We (that is, us English speakers in North America) should consider the “apple of my eye” saying. If you are not familiar with this term, I can tell you that it’s not a medical condition and it’s not contagious. When someone is the apple of your eye it means that you love them, maybe even exclusively. Instead of lacking words, perhaps the French were so enamored with the potato that they named it Pomme de Terre to express their passionate love of this apple-like thing that came from the earth. The French, passion, and love – it’s a thing.
El Paso map
Does anyone know how Dallas got its name? It makes no sense to me. El Paso makes total sense; it means The Pass in Spanish. How about Tucson? Again, it makes no sense. Outside of Dallas, we stayed with a dear friend and her husband in Grapevine, Texas. Grapevine got it’s name due to its location on the appropriately-named Grape Vine Prairie near Grape Vine Springs, both names in homage to the wild grapes that grew in the area.
The sidewalk judges in Grapevine.
Our friends in Grapevine!
And how do you pronounce Tucson? It’s pronounced like the bird with a big colored beak selling round hoops of breakfast cereal, the Toucan. Too-can. Too-son. Maybe a Conquistador with a soft Barcelona lisp was trying to name it after the bird? As with Potato stream, we may never know.
I actually have no idea how most places got their names. However, some are easy, such as “New York”, “New Jersey”, “New Brunswick”; named by homesick Englishmen, obviously. Yet others are plainly from the Indians (how confused were those original explorers to name them Indians?). Names such as “Detroit”, “Ontario”, “Dupont”, “Winnebego” are all Indian names. Others are fun to say; Walla Walla, Washington and Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, for example – even if I don’t know where they come from. And now that Beth had read this, and added how Grapevine got its name (a question she asked when we were there), she is going to find out how all these places got their names!
Catalina Mountains at sunset. Taken near “Metal Arts Village”
So, now we’re in Tucson for the foreseeable future and enjoying sunshine and warmer weather. I am ignoring that one morning when Anchorage (known as a good place to park your boat), Alaska was warmer than Tucson by a whole degree Fahrenheit. More news to come soon about life in Tucson!
Anchorage is warmer than Tucson! How did this happen?
We got a nasty surprise when we went back to Tucson to live
(Originally written in October 2018 but posted it in February 2019)
Wow!
You last heard from us in June when we were talking about Albuquerque and other areas in New Mexico.
So what’s been going on since then and why haven’t you heard from us?
Well, the short version is: we met our oldest daughter in the Outer Banks, North Carolina and went to back to Rochester, New York for the month of July. After that we headed back to Tucson, AZ! Along the way we made stops and saw sights (more on those in other posts).
We arrived in Tucson with all four of our bikes and unpacked the van, storing the bikes in the newly cleaned out sheds that were made available to us by our wonderful, lovely, and generous Airbnb hosts! We settled in that night by trying out an amazing Ramen noodle place, Raijing Ramen. It was truly awesome and I ended up going back again.
The next morning we went for bike rides, starting out together, on a lovely day along The Loop. We split up at Beth’s halfway point and I went along my merry way up through Cortaro and back. When I got home, I looked at my phone and found out Beth had been extremely dizzy and stopped. I picked her up and the rest of the day was normal until the evening when she got very sick and ended up in the hospital. An CAT scan for a possible stroke turned up a mass which an MRI resolved to be a Meningioma!
The next week was crazy as I visited Beth in the hospital, researched where the best treatment could be had, and tried to figure out our next steps. I need to give a massive shout out to Vikki (an old college friend of Beth’s) who was awesome in visiting and supporting both of us! She brought me coffee that first night so she has my eternal gratitude (yes, I am that easy).
Given the size of the mass, where it was in her head, and due to limited options, surgery was the best choice for fixing this. We ended up deciding on Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago since it was listed in almost every top 10 list and Beth has family nearby. So it’s goodby Tucson, thanks for the crazy one week visit! On the plus side, while in Tucson, we found another awesome restaurant and I was able to get my Barrio Bread fix. On the minus side, well you know now.
Chicago skyline looking from the south
We made the drive to Chicago in 2.5 days and stayed at her brother’s house for the next 6 weeks. We currently have a place right by Northwestern through the end of December. This is a great location overlooking the lake and Beth can walk to her appointments in a few minutes.
Beth’s surgery went well and she’s expected to make a full recovery (no cancer was found) – although not in a short time frame or without an effort on her part. The operation took quite a lot out of Beth but with occupational/speech/physical therapies she’s making a comeback. Unfortunately, there’s also a course of radiation needed to clean up tumor cells that were not able to be removed because of their location within the brain. Aside from the normal cellular level of left-over mass, the doctors left an area of nerves and vessels alone which the radiation should clean up.
Post Surgery
So here we are now, waiting for Tuesday, October 30 to roll around when she begins her first photon (X-ray) radiation treatment; and every weekday for the next 6 weeks. Given that we’re dealing with her brain, optic nerve, carotid artery, and some ‘cavern’, the radiation is low dose and given over a period of time to minimize problems. No Death Star beams here.
We’ll be in Rochester for Thanksgiving because both of our children will be there. We will be seeing our kids and other family members. It is unlikely that we will get to see friends as well, because the radiation will likely create much more fatigue. This also means that we once again disappoint the Chicago portion of the family, even when we’re right in their backyard!
So, that’s all for now. We will be posting more in the future.
Here is a taste of some of the other Albuquerque (ABQ) sites and events we were able to go to:
Old Town:
Albuquerque has a lovely old town section of the city with original buildings and lots of art.
Petrogylph National Monument:
You can hike to see thousands of petroglyphs, both made by the natives and by the Spaniards. They are everywhere. We took our friend Mark with us and got a New Yorker’s perspective on ancient drawings.
Bosque Trail:
The trail is a mixed use (horses, bikes, hikes) that follows the Rio Grande and irrigation canals on the west side of the city. Our AirB&B was about a mile away and we both spent a lot of time on our bikes on this trail. Chris used it to get to other roads to ride on while I was happy enough with the 16 mile trail to mostly stay on it.
Beside the Bosque Trail
Acoma Pueblo:
This is the oldest continuously inhabited settlement in North America, according to the Acoma people of New Mexico. It is a native pueblo built on the top of a mesa established before Spain entered New Mexico. Although most people of the pueblo live in modern towns off the pueblo, there are 10-20 people who still live on the pueblo, which has no running water or electricity. When you take a tour, you hear about the rich history and culture of the Acoma people, see the old buildings (some with newer renovations), and see a sampling of the arts and crafts of the people. Acoma is very well known for its style of black pottery, but there are many other types of artists that show their work at the top of the mesa. There is a small museum at the pueblo cultural center which had an amazing exhibit of cartoonist Ricardo Cate, who we had never heard of. His work is very funny but also entrenched in the reality of life for native americans in the U.S.Well worth seeing!
The original mesa settled by the Acoma, used until a lightning strike drove them to look for a new home.
A ladder that goes to an ancient kiva (ceremonial site)
The church built for the Spanish by the natives
One of the older structures.
The pueblo on top of the mesa
Climbing down (we could have taken a bus)
Indian Pueblo Cultural Center:
This place represents the 19 pueblos of New Mexico and is filled with history, stories, art, dancing, and native american culture. Their message about mother earth and environmentalism is almost more relevant now than any other time, as our current administration slowly gets rid of the environmental protections we currently have and the native culture still tries to preserve the earth. .
One of the many murals.
New Mexican cuisine:
There is great Mexican food everywhere and something called New Mexican cuisine. Honestly, I could not tell the difference between old and new, except in those restaurants with new Mexican cuisine, typically you have the choice of red or green sauce, or Christmas (which is both.)
Ballooning:
Ballooning is a big event here with the annual balloon festival every October. There is a big ballooning museum which we did not get to, but we did love often seeing balloons outside our bathroom window when we woke up.
Hiking:
We did less hiking here because of visitors, yoga and century rides. We did hike up El Pino trail on the last weekend, and because 9 miles one day was not enough for Chris, he did 8+ miles on the La Luz trail on the next day! There are three climate zones as you go up the mountains so we saw amazing wild flowers in one of the zones.
Heading up El Pino trail.
Some of the wildflowers we saw on the way up.
At the top of El Pino trail.
The hay truck on our street:
I don’t know why this was parked on our street for almost the whole time we were in ABQ, but needed to share this picture.
From Albuquerque, we have been traveling back east to meet our daughter on the Outer Banks at the end of June. On the way, we stopped in a couple of places.
Bandolier National Monument:
The main ruins at Bandolier.
Beginning of the cliff dwellings.
Hot Springs, Arkansas:
The one hot spring that does not funnel into a bathhouse.
An old bathhouse where we visited the baths.
Another old bathhouse, now the national park visitor center.
Memphis:
Site of the assassination of Martin Luther King.
Natchez Trace and Blue Ridge Parkway:
We spent a short time driving and trying to hike in the very wet national forests in Tennessee and North Carolina. Eventually we gave up camping because we did not have the right equipment for the rain. We are outside Raleigh right now waiting for Saturday when we meet Calysta in the Outer Banks for a week. After that we are headed to Rochester for 2-4 weeks, so the blog will be quiet for a while.
Totally off topic here, but when Ilana was in kindergarten, she learned this song called Albuquerque Turkey. Chris still remembers most of the words and here they are for you! (If I had to listen to it while we were there, its worth sharing!)
“Albuquerque is a turkey, and so feathered and so fine.
And he wobbles and gobbles and he is absolutely mine.
He’s the best pet that you can get, better than a dog or cat.
He’s my Albuquerque turkey and I am awfully proud of that.
Now my Albuquerque turkey is so happy in his bed,
Because for our Thanksgiving dinner, we’llhave egg fu young instead.”
Well we did not find any turkeys in Albuquerque (ABQ) and much to Chris’ dismay, we did not see rattlesnakes there either. He is fascinated by snakes whereas they give me the creeps. So of course, going back to the parking lot while hiking alone near Sedona, there is an eight foot snake making its way directly in front of me. And on the Bosque bike trail in ABQ, I almost ran over a six foot snake lying there. Even once when we were together, I saw a sidewinder snake and he did not! What is up with snakes? Are they like cats, where they are most interested in the people that are allergic to them?
Other than snakes, we saw lots of rabbits, lizards,and roadrunner with a lizard in mouth. Another off topic question:why do I like lizards but not snakes?
So back to the main topic…
Chilis are big here!
We spent 2 1/2 weeks in Albuquerque. The first 3 ish days, we spent with Ilana and Josh, who were on their way to Alaska. So wonderful to see our younger daughter, and get to know the her “bois.” We did not do very much except soak it in!! We were staying in a house very close to Old Town ABQ, and spent time walking around, eating and drinking, as well as looking at native art, and ABQ decals.
Salinas Mission
Ilana at Salinas Mission
Being in ABQ was a little fateful. On the day we got here, I got a Facebook request from a friend who I have not seen or contacted in over 20 years. When I looked at her profile, I noticed she lived in ABQ. So I messaged her to let her know that we were in ABQ until the end of May. It turned out her daughter was possibly going to spend 2 months in Buffalo, and she was contacting me because she remembered that I lived in Rochester. So very coincidental that she contacted me on the exact day we go in town! We were able to get in touch, and spend some quality tine with Wendy and her husband Joel. Wendy looks and acts exactly as I remember her and it was easy to renew our friendship. Joel is delightful, and loves to ride bikes as well, so both Chris and I got to ride with him.
We also had a visitor while in ABQ. An old family friend from Yonkers where Chris grew up was riding his bicycle from New York city to San Francisco, and stopped to take a rest day with us in ABQ. It was really fun to spend some time and hear about his grand adventure.
ABQ is on the Rio Grande, and has this very complicated system of irrigation ditches that provide water both to farmers and to home owners around the city. It is an amazingly complex system, part of a network of 1200 miles of ditches and aquecias. Many of these predate the 1600’s and were used by native people, where others were built by Spanish settlers in the 1600’s and 1700’s. So water rights are a big thing if you are a home owner and want to have a garden. You pay $20-30 per year, and in return, every couple of weeks, you have to be there when the water comes down the ditch to reroute it into your yard. People take time off their jobs on a regular basis to do this. There is even a job called a ditch rider who is in charge of figuring out how much water needs to be let into the various ditches for those who use the water. The ditch rider is not a guy on a horse with a big hat (which was my assumption), but is an irrigation system operator, who goes around in a pick up truck. If you do not pay your water “tax”, or you do not use your water, you can lose water rights.
The city is at 5000 feet, and close to the east are the Sandia Mountains. Sandia means watermelon .We did get a chance to see them turn purple ish as the sun set At the Level 5 bar at Hotel Chaco, so we could understand why they are called the watermelon mountains. Much of the city is in the river valley. It is pretty low key, easy to get around, and seems like pretty easy living.
Mountains looking kind of pink/purple like watermelon
Sunset from the rooftop bat at Hotel Chaco
The second weekend we were there, there was a yoga festival on Saturday, and a century ride in Sante Fe on Sunday. So I spent much of the day doing yoga at the Railyards. It was an amazing and different experience, being with people who are passionate about yoga, doing 4 or 5 classes with teachers who have different styles, and being absorbed in the world of yoga. I hope I get the chance to do this kind of thing again or maybe even attend a week long yoga retreat. The Railyards is an old and somewhat dilapidated building with railroad tracks going through it. Although from my perspective, it would be really great to renovate it, it gets used for a farmers market on Sundays, as a place for bands to plays,and various other events.
The Railyards, sit of the yoga festival
Before the class began. There were probably 100 people taking this class with a very well known teacher based in Phoenix.
We got up at 5 a.m. on Sunday to drive to Sante Fe so Chris could ride in the Sante Fe Century, 100 miles, over 5000 feet elevation change, with anywhere from 12-18 mile per hour winds. It was pretty challenging for him but he really had a great time. While he was out riding, I drank coffee, published a blog post, took a long walk along a hiking/biking trail, and went to the New Mexico Museum of Art. Then I hightailed it back to the century finish line to see him come over the line. Sante Fe is a beautiful and magical place, but after we fed Chris lots of food, we drove back to ABQ.
All smiles before starting the Century ride.
On my walk in Sante Fe
A lovely small art museum on the main square in Sante Fe.
An interior shot of the art museum which is located in one of the older buildings in Sante Fe.
An art show on the streets of Sante Fe. There is art everywhere in this city!
He is still smiling at the end!
There were tons of other interesting things to do in Albuquerque. We did not get to all but I will tell you more about them next time.
While in Sedona, we went for a balloon ride. I have wanted to do this for a long while and finally justified the expense to myself. Our younger daughter rode in a balloon when she was 13 because her grandfather got her a balloon ride gift. Here I am at 60, letting myself do it.
You get to see the sun rise from the balloon!
It is a full morning experience, where you get picked up at 5:15 am, ride out to the launch site, watch the balloon and basket get unloaded and filled, ride for 90 ish minutes, land, then have breakfast (champagne, OJ, apple fritters and fruit.) Then the balloons get deflated and put away, everything gets loaded again, and we get dropped off at our car.
Filling up the ballon with the basket on the side still.
The ballon is mostly full.
The ride was remarkable. We floated above the buttes, mesas and red rocks with amazing views in all directions. We saw the sun rise. We saw the top of some of the mesas we hiked up. There are other balloons flying. Mostly it is silent except when the burner is turned on. It felt magical enough that I could do this every day and not get tired of it (hence the new career direction.) Our pilot was probably in his early 70’s and had been flying for over 20 years. He was a fountain of ballooning knowledge and shared freely. The balloons launch from a specific spot but where you land is due to winds that day, so there are chase vehicles.
One of the many views from up high in the sky!
Typically other balloons fly at the same time because they all fly when the weather and winds are best.
This is what you see when you look up (when the burner is on.) This is why they tell you to wear a hat!
The fancy table for the after ballooning breakfast. These are the apple fritter and fruit plates.
I am looking pretty happy. It is because of the ride, not at all due to the mimosa!
While in this area we hiked to Cathedral Rock, Brims Mesa, Devil’s Bridge , Bell Rock and did the Courtyard Butte loop. You can hike around in the desert and stay on relatively flat trails, or you can hike up various mesas and buttes. They were all gorgeous. Cathedral Rock, Brim’s Mesa and Bell Rock had the added pleasure of astounding views from the top. We did so much hiking that I had to ask for an afternoon off from my husband after 3 or 4 days!
Looking up at Cathedral Rock.
Looking back while hiking/scrambling up Cathedral Rock. In the middle you see a basket cairn. I had never seen a cairn like this before Sedona. So organized and sturdy!
I liked this tree!
As far as you can go on Brim’s Mesa.
Devil’s Bridge was so special because you not only hike to a natural rock bridge/arch, but you can walk on top of it and across it when you get there (it is about 5 feet wide at a minimum). When we first arrived, there was a yogi doing downward facing dog. He then attempted a head stand but kind of changed his mind in the middle. There is also an amazing view if you hike to the bottom of the arch and walk through it. You see the arch and the landscape behind it.
On top of Devil’s bridge (about 5 feet across).
You can also hike beneath the arch and get a visual looking through it. Most people did not do this but we were really happy we did.
My obsession to visit every national park, monument, recreation area, etc. led us to our next stop on the way to Albuquerque. We have an annual national park pass and have definitely gotten the best deal in town with it. For most, it costs $80 annually, and to get into a park, monument or recreation area usually costs between $10-20. We were surprised to notice how many of these parks there are!
The Petrified Forest National Park is in a desert painted with lots of colors, and strewn with petrified wood. Petrified wood ranges from white to gold to reds to purples, and looks like stone. There is even a natural bridge made from a giant tree that was under water for many years before it appeared again.
First views of the Painted Desert.
It looks like this has been cut up but the petrification process actually did this.
A range of petrified colors
A bridge created by a petrified tree
We have been in Albuquerque for about 2 weeks and got to spend the first few days with Ilana and her boyfriend, Josh. I even got pfankuchen (a special treat – german roll up pancakes by Chris) for breakfast on Mother’s Day before they left for their adventures in Alaska.
We use words like awesome, vast, and enormous all the time. Well, the 10 days we spent traveling from Tucson to the Sedona area and then to Albuquerque put an entirely new spin on those words. Although we knew the Sedona area was not really an option for us as a home, we wanted to see the red rocks, the mesas and buttes, and were lucky to be able to take a side trip to Flagstaff and the Grand Canyon.
On our way, we visited Jerome, an old mining town nestled into the side of a mountain. They take their history seriously here. There is a façade of an old building that hides a glass artist’s studio, and an old jail that slid over 200 feet and still stands. Many buildings are said to be haunted and we had lunch at Haunted Hamurger (no nightmares that evening). There are tons of stairs that connect homes like we saw in Bisbee, lots of kitsch, shops, galleries, bars, and restaurants.
Scary place to eat 🙂
Jerome is right near Tuzigoot National Monument, which besides indulging my new obsession with visiting national parks, recreation areas and monuments, was our first view of pueblo ruins (from 900-1300 AD). The pueblo is on a hilltop, was built by the Sinagua people who were farmers and artists who traded with other Native Americans hundreds of miles away. When they were living at the pueblo, there was more water. They had sophisticated farming methods.
The rooms of Tuzigoot
The Tuzigoot people used these stones to grind flour from mesquite.
Pretty cactus flowers
In all of the historic communities we saw, there used to be much more water, and so I learned something new on our way from Tucson to Sedona. Last fall and winter were relatively dry in many places in the Southwest, so fire restrictions, sometimes rated severe, are everywhere. This means no wood or charcoal fires, and as one sign indicated “Fire Restrictions – No Shooting.” I am such a midwest/northeast city person that Chris had to explain why!
We actually saw our first rain for a couple of months when we got to the Sedona area. It rained on and off much of the next day, so we took it easy in the morning, and visited an amazing building, Chapel of the Holy Cross. The Chapel of the Holy Cross is Catholic, built into the mesa, and designed by a student of Frank Lloyd Wright. When I walked in, I was struck by the design similarities to Temple Sinai in Rochester. The side walls are slightly tipped towards the center, and the back wall is glass with an inspiring view.
Chapel of the Holy Cross
We did spend the rest of the day shopping and eating , at Tlaquepaque (t-lac-apaca) Arts and Crafts Village – an authentic Mexican village (except for the modern stores). I think I might actually like shopping if all malls looked like this. On the way back to our AirB&B, we stopped and I tasted wine at Page Springs Winery.
Tlaquepaque Villlage
About an hour from Flagstaff (outside of Winslow, AZ – any songs come to mind?) is a meteor crater that is 50,000 years old. Although it is not a national park (so I could not indulge my current obsession here), it is nearly one mile across, 2.4 miles in circumference and more than 550 feet deep. Because the local winds swirl and lift any accumulating dust out, it does not get filled in. You can tour the site and get lots of great scientific information.
a very small fragment of the meteor
Trace fossils
On my own one day when Chris was otherwise engaged, I hiked at Fay Canyon, had lunch at a paleo restaurant, did a yoga class in Flagstaff, and had dinner at Criollo. Never fear, the hike was easy and well populated. That night was First Friday in Flagstaff, so there were people and music everywhere, open galleries, and an outdoor creperie.
The first sign one sees on the way into Fay Canyon. Seriously, who feeds bears?
Fay Canyon from the beginning of the hike
I call this goblet rock
View looking out of Fay Canyon
The end of the canyon
Dinner at Criolla
Tequila flight at Criolla
Flagstaff had another great things to offer including one of the best signs I have ever seen about driving drunk. “Drive hammered, get nailed.” True that.
From Flagstaff one day, after breakfast at the tasty and funky retro Tourist Home Café and Market, we went to the Grand Canyon and oh my, is it grand! We biked across the south rim for 5-6 hours stopping along the way. OMG. Awesome. Vast. My mouth nearly hit the ground at the first view point and I continued to truly be in awe the whole day. I have traveled a lot and seen a lot of neat places, but the canyon is indescribable. On our way home that night, in a very dark place, we pulled over to see the stars. Without light, on a clear night, there were so many that it took your breath away.
First view of the canyon – It is called the Grand Canyon for good reason!
The trail we want to hike on our next trip here.
On another day, we went to see two national monuments, Montezuma Castle and Montezuma Well. These monuments preserve and show off cliff dwellings, again built by the Sinagua people. At the castle, there was a man playing music on a traditional flute which made the walk to see the dwellings kind of magical. We also got to eat traditional frybread on our way out, kind of like fried dough but lighter.
Montezuma Castle cliff dwellings
Indian fry bread – Yum
At Montezuma Well, we saw a large limestone sinkhole which is always full due to a natural spring, with cliff dwellings on the side. This pueblo built 7 miles of irrigation canals from the spring to their fields.
Part of a seven mile irrigation canal built by the Sinagua over 900 years ago.
We did a balloon ride, a bunch of really great amazing hikes near Sedona, and visited the Petrified Forest National Park (which includes the painted desert) but that’ll be the topic of my next post.
