Catch Up - River Rafting, New Mexico Photos and more

This doesn't have art related info except to remind you of the Challenge on the sidebar where you can win Maggie Price's new book and a copy of the Pastel Journal.  Check it out.

We had family here just about the whole time we have been in Angel Fire.  It has been a great time, but I haven't had time to post very much.  The last visitors were the "kids" from Texas.  Jennie, Larry and Gene went river rafting on the Rio Grande between Española and Taos, New Mexico.  They had fun and Joanna and I had fun being the photographers.  They used Cottom's Rio Grande River Trips for their fun day.  Matt was the guide, with eight years expierence.  That made the day extra special.  We recommend Cottom's highly.

The trip was shared with two other riders and a good time was had by all as they say.  The ride was about 1 1/2 hours long.  Joanna and I drove along and stopped at the pull overs to take photos.  Here are a few of the many, many we took.

Gene, Larry and Jennie getting ready.

Instructions (when I heard all the safety instructions I was doubly sure I didn't want to go!

Getting a few instructions in paddling.

Waving good-by!

Moving down the river.

Nearing the rapids.

A calm spot on the way down.

Nearing another rapids area.

We went to dinner at the Chinese restaurant, Yu Garden, here in Angel Fire the other night.  It was our "last supper" there as they are moving the restaurant to Taos.  The restaurant run by Amanda and her family will be greatly missed here because they were always open and the food was/is outstanding.  People from here will be driving to Taos for dinner!

I can't eat fortune cookies as they are not gluten free.  I always open one, though, and then Gene eats it for me.

My fortune was very good news for the Longhorn Baseball Team, don't you think?  The Horns should have no problem going to the College World Series and winning it all!

Here in Angel Fire the extreme bikers or crazy bikers, whichever way you look at it, take their bikes to the top of the ski lift and ride down.  We had breakfast at the Sunset Grill and I took these photos:

Loading a bike.

The bikes arriving and some going up.

The bottom of the lift and loading.

Bikes riding up.

Kid climbing the rock wall, something for all here.

I took photos of the riders, even some going up on the slope, but the angle doesn't show how steep it is.

We also went to the Vietnam Memorial.  It is so impressive, beautiful, calming and interesting.  There were some old cars there, I imagine some of the drivers were vets.

Gene, Larry and Jennie

Larry determined to get out of my photo.  :)

The flags on the beautiful morning.

The chapel at the Vietnam Memorial.

We went to Albuquerque to visit family and on Sunday went to Magdalena to visit more relatives.

Joanna and Larry taking photos.  Larry was trying to capture the  heat from the highway sort of like a mirage.

A fallen rock along the highway between Socorro and Magdalena.  I painted it once, long ago.

Another fallen rock across the highway that I hadn't seen.

Welcome to Magdalena, Trails End

Magdalena was at the end of a spur of the railroad.  The train took out ore from the mines and cattle.  Cattle were driven over 100 miles along the driveway to Magdalena for the train at trails end.  Later, trucking took over and the cattle were loaded at the ranches.  Mining became non-profitable, so the train stopped coming to Magdalena.

Along the Rio Grande where the river rafting is, the highway department has erected big fences to catch the falling rocks.  I was looking for a photo of one where the rock is trapped in the fence, but couldn't find it.  The fence would not hold one of the rocks that is in the river.  They call it Baby Huey and it weighs an estimated thirty tons or so.  I got a photo, but it is on Larry's camera, not mine.  :(

We drove back one day via Si Pa Pu ski area.  Disk golf is popular there.  That is a beautiful drive from Chimayo to Angel Fire.  You can click on my slide show on the sidebar and go to my photos and see photos from this New Mexico area at your leisure.

Si Pa Pu Ski Lift

Angel Fire Ski Lift as we come back here.

Rain near Angel Fire, Black Lake for those of you that don't remember rain.

We saw the herd of elk again, but my photos didn't come out well.  You can't tell they are elk.  Maybe this week we will see them again.