CAMPING: "The Last Hurrah!" (For awhile)

[Neil]

Went camping with my longtime bud last weekend up in the Jemez Mountains: two nights, no wimmenz, clear skies, some wind, some booze, some music, hiking, meandering about, lots of pictures, good food, and NO FREAKIN' CAMPFIRES! (Due to the extremely dry conditions out here.)

It was kinda a 'last hurrah' for us... as my time will soon no longer be my own.

 

[Kyehlar]

Aside from the campground, the rest of the trip looked pretty. It's been a long time since I've been camping. I should think about it sometime.

 

[EnglishRose]

awesome scenery, and not a soda bottle in sight

is that you with the big stick, or your bud?

 

[Neil]

At night there was this really weird "bird" - or a GROUP of "birds," really - that were flitting back and forth amongst the trees and across the valley making this weird "woo woo woo woo" sound. Like when you used to play 'cowboys and indians'... think of the fluttering hand-in-front-of-the-mouth injun noises you made. Yeah, kinda like that. WEIRD! Never did see them damn "birds" or whatever the hell it was! ALL FREAKIN' NIGHT!

***

I have a few more pics to post... I'll set 'em up tonight.

 

[Pryce]

Sounds like a great trip!!! Love the pictures. You are a handsome guy.

I've been a bird watcher for years and I believe the bird in your picture is a 'Dipper' if you are somewhere along the West Coast area. Very nice close up view...Great photo!!

Looking forward to next set of pictures....

 

[Neil]

A Dipper, huh? Hm...

I live in NM (not too far from the west coast), and the Jemez (almost pronounced like 'Hey-mez') Mountains are just north and west of Albuquerque.

I have a couple more pics of the same bird... There was about three of them on those rocks. They were funny, bobbing up and down - DIPPING! (Ah-ha!) ... like they were waiting for the perfect moment to hop/fly to another rock.

FUN!

 

[Caitriona]

That's you Neil??? OMG!!! **me likes*

And you went camping and you didn't invite me? You're forgiven this time, but next time....

 

[Pryce]

The 'Dippers' range for year round is a wide swath which runs from the coast up and along the Rocky Mountains.....(Silly me just said West Coast because is was easy.) Looked up your Jemez Mountians...Very Cool! And yep, so close that those were Dippers for sure....

My bird book sez....They are fairly common along mountain streams. Bobs entire body up and down. Walks under water.

Water type birds have fascinating qualities about them so I could appreciate that they would be alot of fun to watch....So nice to hear you truly enjoyed the wildlife as well as the adventure portion of your trip.

 

[Neil]

Hey, I tried to call you, Cait! (You didn't get that telepathic voice message?)

Ok... NEXT TIME for sure, then!

 

[Neil]

Oh... and for those interested: Wind, no mirrors, dirty hands, and contact lenses DO NOT MIX.

Be wary.

 

[EnglishRose]

It's all so wild and rugged (the scenery ) although you're kind of rugged too Neil where was I...oh yeah scenery, it's vast - we have great scenery over here but over there it's all so damn BIG

 

[Neil]

NM's cool because it's such a big-ass state, with a relatively small population. So, yeah.... LOTS of open spaces... You can see for MILES out here. It's great!

Oh, and about 30-60 minutes in any direction, and you can be in the Sandia Mountains (elevation 10,000 feet), out in the mesa, at the volcanoes (looooong since dormant), on your way to the "Mystery Rock" outside of Los Lunas (ancient Phoenician glyphs on a big ass piece of lava rock, baby! "Zakyneros was here!") or up in the Jemez (get ya some indian fry bread while you're out there!)

Does anyone here geocache?

 

[EnglishRose]

I wanna see Mystery Rock, I like mysterious rocks

 

[Caitriona]

Hey, I tried to call you, Cait! (You didn't get that telepathic voice message?)

Ok... NEXT TIME for sure, then!

That was YOU???!!! Here I thought it was... [well never mind who I thought it was...]

 

[Neil]

I wanna see Mystery Rock, I like mysterious rocks

Mystery Rock's pretty damned cool. I had a Polaroid image I took once... but I don't know if I still have the pic or not. It's either buried in the Abyss, or walked out the door in NC.

Still, there's always the possibility of going back out there!

Basically, the rock (supposedly) is the last "testament" of this Phoenician traveler, Zakyneros, that said who he was, that his traveling companion had perished and he was by himself being chased by the natives of the land. (Or some such.)

The question becomes, of course, what the hell was an ancient Phoenician doing way the fuck out HERE back in the day - LONG before Columbus (or the Vikings) made their way to the Americas?

The writing was finally deciphered by a female reporter for ABC back in the late 70's, but there is the possibility that it was all a hoax perpetrated by alumni from the University during the early 20th century. (Shenanigans to keep minds occupied during during the time between the World Wars, I guess.)

Regardless, it's worth the trek to check out. Lots of "REAL" petroglyphs scratched into volcano rocks line the hills in the surrounding area. It's on the Isleta Indian Reservation, so you have to get special permission anymore to get out there, but it's very peaceful, beautiful... and a great hike.

 

[curiousa2z]

at last I have the time to persue these - GREAT pics!
I LURVE the rocks on water ones!
p.s. ahead of time:
um, if yer ever at my house and one of my rocks and water scenery paintings looks kinda familiar, I don't know what you're talking about!!