Tuesday, December 10, 2013

anta Fe, Day 2, Part 2 -- Nov 23rd 2013

Santa Fe, Day 2, Part 2 -- nov 23rd 2013


After the gorge we started up the slopes of mountains leading us into Carson National Forest.  We drove about 50 miles across the forest, skirting the Colorado border about 30 miles away. The snow was feet deep and so encrusted on the trees that some of the pines looked like they were festooned with great clumsy animal paws.

 
The signal failed for Pandora and we drove through eerie, solemn silence -- on the whole route we met only two snow plows, no other travelers on the road.  

It was just magical, outside time.  We stopped briefly at an overlook and Josh bounded through the nearly thigh-high snow to look at the view from the edge like some St. Bernard released into his native element.





Coming down into less snow and signs of civilization we had immense views over the Chama River valley.  Finally tuned onto the road south to Ghose Ranch and Abiquiu.  Saw signs for Echo amphitheater -- a beautiful natural cavern hollowed out in the striated layers of a cliff about ten miles north of Ghost Ranch.  Considering how many times I've been to Ghost Ranch, I though it was strange that I'd never heard of this little wonder.



Got to Ghost Ranch about an hour before sunset. just enough time to wander a bit, and for Josh to run up the hill to overlook the whole ranch. 

 cloud cover so dense you couldn't see Perdenal, but traces of snow added new lines and definition.  I was struck by how different this landscape looks with every transient phase of weather: suddenly you see new lines or colors.

Came Home to chop wood for the fire.   Guys next door were smoking cigars on the porch, so naturally josh went and made friends with them.  They were watching the fights on pay-per-view and Josh went to join them.  After about an hour of hearing gust of laughter and yelling, I decided to brave the den, which turned out to be full of guys, drinking beers and yelling.  There were two other women there, and the first thing people said as I came in was "What's your male name?"   The male atmosphere was so dense that it had been decided that the women had to be guys too.  Much hilarity ensued as we got critiqued any time we were nice or deferential.  I unleashed my inner foul mouth and seemed to get along well enough, even scoring a few palpable hits, though I was seriously hoping Josh wouldn't blow my cover by mentioning anything about me being a professor, much less in women's studies.  But there wwas an underlying sweetness to a lot of the guys that took the sting out of some of the extremely chauvanist behavior.

After the big fight was over, I turned in, having had a very full day, but the guys talked Josh into a walk through the now heavily falling snow to the local karaoke bar.  I think he got in about 2:30.  What a full and varied day!

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