I work for a non-profit R&D consortium which does not have stocks or profit sharing and therefore offers an 8 week sabbatical for every seven years of employment as a benefit. I was already eligible for the benefit when they announced it and was given three years to take the time off. It was a hard time in both trying to find the right time to take the vacation and where to go. I started with grand plans of being prepared and organized but why do that??? Actually work was very busy right up until the time I was to start my time off so in a good way it let me just wing it. Here's what I did...
Day 1 - Thursday July 8, 1999 It seems like I'm packing too much stuff! But then it is for 2 months! Ha! Left home just before lunch. Left Austin around 2:00. Traffic sucks! Texas is still green. Took 183 and 84 to Abilene and then Lubbock. Saw a small taste of the red canyons. Drove to Ft. Sumner, NM. And camped at lake Sumner. It started to rain. Got to try out the blazer for sleeping. Too short! Lightening storm put on a great show.
Day 2 - Friday July 9, 1999 Great morning. Cloudy, but nice and cool. Later, paid for primitive site - $10. Headed to Albuquerque. Saw Tramway Dr. and went there. Halfway up the mountain my camera broke... arrghhh! Stopped at a couple of camera shops and looked at new and used bodies and lenses. Too much money! Ok... got some ideas and prices. Went to ride bike. The trails were closed due to bike races. Only got to do some hiking. About 5 miles at 10k ft it started raining on the mountain. Stopped at a campground and set up the tent. Wind picked up and blew like crazy. Albuquerqans said it never blows like that...
Day 3 - Saturday July 10, 1999 Still windy and rain clouds. Went back to the camera shops to figure out what to do... Bought a new camera with an extra telephoto lens. None of my other lenses would fit on the new body. Took most of the day. Went to shoot a roll of film to see how it works. Seems ok. First major expense... Left AE1 camera for shipping Monday. Headed to Sante Fe Made it to Taos - hard to find campsites. Taos Pow-Wow going on...
Day 4 - Sunday July 11, 1999 Went to Taos ski valley. Left for Wheeler Peak around 10:20. REI only had 1 crappy map - no detail topo. Took the long way up via Bull mountain trail. Went up for over 3 hours. It started to sleet... Better than rain though! Talked to a couple - he was from S.A. and she was from Lubbock. Later I met a kid from Dallas. Made it to the top with 3 other kids. Took quick pictures, signed log book, ate a bar and then the rain started. They headed down one side to Red river and I towards lake Williams. This was a short-cut practically too steep for wet rocks and grass. It was ok until the run off caught up to me. The views and the immensity of the surrounding mountains, canyons, and lakes take your breath away. It could have been the altitude but I'm not too sure! Once I got back down to tree level the cover was keeping the trail in better condition. I met a couple coming up to the lake. It was a steady drizzle but my top was warm and dry with my new Syntax freebie jacket! It was a long way back even though it was mostly downhill. Made it back around 5:30. Don't know how many miles it was. I'll need to look at a better map. Got a hotel and hot meal at Taos.
Day 5 - Monday July 12, 1999 Woke up and discovered my camelback had siphoned out into the duffel bag and all my pants and some shirts were wet. Got the hotel to let me use their dryer. Called Arnold and asked if I could get my old camera shipped there. Started a personal Fed-X account so I could get he camera picked up and charged to me. OK, now I have dry pants. Loaded up stuff... Way too much stuff. Went to Rio Grand Gorge bridge. Highest in US??? Went back to Taos Ski Village to look at kayak lodged in a creek flow. Not salvageable. Drove around mountain making Taos and Red river. It started raining so I didn't try any mountain biking. Stopped at Vietnam Memorial. Drove south to Pilar and drove along the Rio Grande. Almost like Texas at Big Bend. Lots of rafters and some kayaks. Found a 9 mile trail along the gorge but... I've got to move on! Went to Ojo Calente for enchiladas and green chiles. Drove on to Lake Abiquiu and stopped for the day. Nice lake - rode bike for several miles - some rock hopping. Tons of stars! Goodnight
Day 6 - Tuesday July 13, 1999 more to come... (I need to get some photos scanned in here...)
Email: shawm@CACTUS.ORG
This page last updated on April 20th, 2001.