Mescalero Fitness Trail 10k AKA Carrizo Walking Path - Saturday, April 23, 2022

A good breakfast can give you some great energy for a walk. This morning, Bob took me to Cornerstone Bakery Cafe. I ordered mixed berry crepes and a fried egg over medium. Bob had the Bernalillo Burrito. Bob's burrito was excellent! I had a few bites of it.

I was disappointed with my crepes. The crepes were not thin French crepes. Their "crepes" were more pancake-like. Plus, I expected that the crepes would be filled with berries and have more berries on top. I believe what I was served are called blintzes elsewhere. They had a ricotta filling which didn't sit well with me. I squished out as much of the ricotta as I could and only ate two of them. Bob ate the third one.

Cornerstone Bakery Cafe
breakfast.

High wind warnings are in effect again today. Sustained winds are supposed to be 20-30 mph, gusts could be up to 50 mph. The temperature is going to top out at 64 degrees. Reading all of that made me take a windbreaker and a sweatshirt in the truck for our Mescalero Fitness Trail 10k walk.

The trail starts across the highway from the Inn of the Mountain Gods in Mescalero, New Mexico (about ten minutes from Ruidoso). When we got to the Inn of the Mountain Gods, Carrizo Canyon Road was CLOSED (barricades and all). It's a good thing that Susan Medlin and I did this walk in 2018 because I knew where the walk started. We were able to drive through the Inn of the Mountain Gods property to the other side of the construction. At that point, we crossed the highway to the upper parking lot. That's exactly where we needed to be.

The Carrizo Walking Path is an out-and-back, wide, paved trail. It's a good workout because the walk is hilly. It's also called the Mescalero Fitness Trail because there are workout stations along the length of the trail.

As soon as I got out of the truck and the wind hit me, I added the sweatshirt to what I was wearing. So I had on a T-shirt, sweatshirt, windbreaker, jeans, warm socks, and a hat. I was barely warm enough. Even Bob bundled up. The wind was howling!

A map of the walking path. 

The trail started out going uphill and the path was hilly pretty much all the way. There were only a few short flat stretches. When we started, the wind was blasting us in the face. I had on a hat with a chin strap so I didn't lose it in the wind.

The walking path and forest scenery.

I'm all bundled up!

The whole walk was on the paved trail and mostly through the forest. And the wind howled. 

We passed the Inn of the Mountain Gods RV Park and Hunting Lodge, a daycare center, and a construction yard with big equipment in it. When we got to the end of the trail, we turned around and headed back to the truck. 

Bob and I were totally perplexed because the wind hit us in the face most of the way back to the truck. We thought we'd have a tailwind on the way back. Nope! It was still in our faces. Crazy!

I had to take a video of the howling wind. The trees were dancing and the grasses were getting flattened.

Fitness trail stations.

The three-mile marker.

Mescalero Lake, golf course, and
Inn of the Mountain Gods.

Inn of the Mountain Gods Hotel 
and Casino.

After our walk, we went back to the 5th wheel to relax until our group dinner tonight at Texas Grill & Bar in Ruidoso. The Texas Grill & Bar is a beautiful place. We had 40 in our group and took up most of the main dining room.

Texas Grill and Bar.

Bob and I both had a mixed green salad, salmon, and a baked potato for dinner. It was very good. It was a nice way to cap off the walking weekend. Most people will walk in the morning and then head home. We'll be here a few more days. 

Tomorrow morning Bob and I will do the 5k walk in White Sands National Park. It is not supposed to be windy in the morning. 

That's it for today.

A Very Windy Grindstone Lake 6k Volksmarch - Friday, April 22, 2022

Because of high wind warnings in Ruidoso, we did not want to do a long walk so we decided on the 6k Grindstone Lake Walk. After a short drive from the RV park, we started walking at 9:40 am. Our instructions wanted us to follow the Fisherman Trail around the lake from one side of the dam to the other. I did not see the Fisherman Trail. (Later, Bob told me he saw it.)

Anyway, I figure fishermen would walk close to the lake to fish, so we walked along the closest trail to the water. The wind was whipping the water on the lake into whitecaps. 

A view of Grindstone Lake from the 
Upper Parking Lot.

Trail map.

There were a lot of informational signs at the start of the trail.

Grindstone Lake looking toward
the dam.

Picnic area overlooking the lake.

You can see how low the water is!

We followed the lakeshore and soon we came to a group of people at a cliff. They were jumping from the cliff into the lake. When Bob grew up in Hawaii that was something he loved to do. He is still jumping off of cliffs and rocks into lakes and rivers to this day. He didn't have his swim trunks or a towel with him, but he was looking longingly at the prospect of jumping into the lake! Maybe he'll go later in the week.

I asked the group where they were 
from and was told, "the Air Force."

This guy looks a little awkward
as he goes into the water!

We continued on around the lake. The wind was whipping dust and dirt into the air all around us.

Sun sparkling
on the lake.

Even with the wind, it was warm
enough to take off my windbreaker.

From Grindstone Lake we had excellent views of Sierra Blanca Peak. At 11,973', the highest point in New Mexico, there are peakbaggers* who want to summit the mountain. 

*peakbagger (n): A mountain climber whose principal goal is the attainment of a summit, or a specific set of summits.  If you would like more information on peakbaggers, read the essay page of peakbagger.com. [For example, there are peakbaggers who want to summit the highest point in each state.]

The summit of Sierra Blanca Peak is on the Mescalero Indian Reservation. One article from summitpost.org states, "Technically, one needs a permit to hike on Indian lands...Or, you can simply just hike the peak and take your chances. Judging by the quantity of names in the Summit Register, I suspect most people do the latter. Use your best judgment." In 2007, one frustrated climber reported that he received a letter from the Mescalero Tribe Council stating climbing is no longer allowed due to the mountain being a sacred site. In 2015, another climber reported that there were dozens of posts in the Summit Register, indicating that people are hiking the summit no matter what. Some hikers/climbers reported seeing "No Trespassing" sign, and others said they did not see any of those signs.

Grindstone Lake and
Sierra Blanca Peak
are behind me.

The front side of the dam.

The back side of the dam.

While we were at the overlook of the dam, Bob spotted three wild horses, including a mare with a foal.

Wild mare with a foal.

When we turned around to head back to the car, we changed to the next trail up the slope instead of staying by the lake. We loved this trail. It was very shaded.

Bob on the trail.

We saw at least two possible streams that feed the lake, but both of them are dry at this time of year.

Probably a stream
during snowmelt
or a storm.

My favorite photo of the day is this one. I love how the sun was shimmering on the lake! As we were walking back to the car, a strong gust of wind blew me two steps toward the lake. Thankfully, we were on a wide, gravel path!! I was shocked that the wind blew so hard it moved me over.

The walk took us an hour but wasn't quite 6k. We did some other walking that afternoon which gave us the rest of our steps.

At 5 pm, we had the first official event of our Ruidoso walking weekend, a Meet 'n' Greet at the hotel where everyone was staying. 

Henri and Eileen are hard at work 
setting up the Meet 'n' Greet social.

The snacks and soft drinks were provided but it was BYOB. We had crackers, cheese, fruit salad, chips, guacamole, and salsa. Bob picked up a bottle of Strawberry-Mango Moscato from the store. The Moscato was a hit. It's a good thing we each got a glass because it disappeared quickly!

It's so much fun to see old friends and meet new ones. We finally met up with Susan Medlin. She has been on a tear across New Mexico to do about seven of their county walks. We apparently won't get a chance to walk with her at this event because we had different walks planned on different days than she did. 

We made new friends with Mike and Pete, brothers who met here for this event. Mike is from Seattle and Pete is from a small town in Wisconsin. Bob hit it off with them immediately and they talked history most of the evening. Mike plans to attend the Olympiad and Texas Trail Roundup in February 2023, so we'll see him again. I became more involved in the conversation when we let Mike know about things to see in San Antonio. It was a great evening.

Mike and Pete.

Thank you to Eileen and Henri of the Sun Country Striders for hosting the event. We are sorry Derrill couldn't be with us. He had been scheduled for surgery, but it was postponed. Our thoughts are with him and we hope he is soon back to walking!

Invasion of the Little Green Men, Part 2 - Wednesday, April 20, 2022

This blog is continued from Part 1...

After walking the 11k this morning, we were hungry. After a short drive back to the 5th wheel, we had tuna sandwiches, celery, and raw cauliflower for lunch. Bob wanted to spend the afternoon catching up on some work and I wanted to go to the Goddard Planetarium at the Roswell History Center and Art Museum. The planetarium was having a show about black holes at 1 pm.

I skedaddled over to the museum. On Wednesdays, seniors get into the museum free. That was a nice surprise. I paid $5 for the planetarium show. After the show, I went through the museum.

The show was about to start and I secured a seat in the planetarium, although it wasn't crowded on a Wednesday afternoon. To start the show and get our eyes and brains accustomed to the dark, light, and movement, they showed a presentation with fractals, geometric forms that are self-similar and repeat. Here is a link to a website that will explain this better than I can. The patterns formed by the fractals were mesmerizing. After about five minutes, the main show in the planetarium began and we learned about black holes. It's amazing to me how much information there is about the universe and how little we still know. I enjoyed the show. 

When the black hole show was over, the planetarium host came in and put up the Roswell night sky onto the ceiling. He then proceeded to point out constellations we could see in Roswell that night. That was fun. One fact he stressed was if we went out at 5 am Thursday morning, we could see four planets lined up. That doesn't happen often.

From the planetarium, I started my museum exploration with art in the 1970s.

"The Only House with an Apple Tree,"
by Beverly K. Magennis. Ceramic.
 (1976).

"Progress Suite #IV," by Luis Jimenez.
Color lithograph on paper. (1976)

Rogers Aston: the Aston Bronzes (lost-wax technique) - see below.

Description of the "lost-wax" 
technique.

"Blackfeet Scout," by Rogers Aston.

"Blackfeet Scout,"
by Rogers Aston.

In the whole museum, the most interesting display was about Robert H. Goddard. He's the one who laid the foundations for the science of rocket propulsion who I mentioned in yesterday's blog. He was very smart and I said I'd tell you more about him in today's blog. The time has come.

The patents he registered (214, 130 of them posthumously) include many inventions that are in use today.

• German V-2 rockets. The Germans re-engineered his ideas. 

Patented in 1946.

• Magnetic levitation (maglev).

Patented in 1949.

• The rocket turboprop.

Patented in 1942.

• Solar energy.

In researching this, I could not find
a patent in Dr. Goddard's name.

• Rockets for airplanes.

• Radio tubes.

Patented 1915.

• Explosive propulsion.

Patented 1949 & 1951.

A rocket launcher.

Dr. Robert Goddard.

Also on exhibit was a historical reconstruction of Dr. Goddard's workshop from 1930 to 1941.

Other history highlights in the museum:

Some of my favorite art:

"Oddy Knocky," by William Goodman.
Oil on plywood panel.

A close-up of part of "Oddy Knocky."

"Pow-Wow," by Willard Midgette. 
Oil on linen. (1975)

"Little Green Men," a 
series by Eric Garcia. Eleven
watercolor drawings on paper.

Kit Carson/Greedo from
"Star Wars."

Capt. Joseph Lea/Guerilla
General from "Planet of
the Apes."

Dr. Robert Goddard/Dr. Spock
from "Star Trek."

Don Juan de Oñate/Borg
from "Star Trek." 

Lewis & Clark/Grays from
"The Roswell Incident."

See the two pieces of 
art below.

"Tourist Town, Taos," by Barbara 
Latham. Egg tempera on panel.

"Stable," by Barbara Latham.
Linocut on paper.

See the next two pieces
of art.

Left: "The Rainy Season," 1947
Right: "The Valley Farm," 1945
both by Peter Hurd. Egg tempera
on panel.

"Ann Carol," by Henrietta Wyeth.
Oil on canvas

See the two pieces below.

"Bird of Fire," by Michele
Bourque Sewards, 1978.
Lithograph on paper.

"Blue Tiger," by Michele Bourque
Sewards, 1979. Lithograph
on paper.

When I finished at Roswell History Center and Art Museum, I had just enough time to spend at the International UFO Museum and Research Center. 

UFO mural on the outside of the 
International UFO Museum. 

Copyright information for the 
mural above.

One of the "Abduction Stories"
on the outside of the museum.

Alien diorama inside the UFO Museum.

The alleged incident that
started it all.

Here are a few photos to give you an idea of what's inside the museum. I found a lot of it very fascinating.

First alien contact in 
400-600 AD?

What people think aliens look like.

UFOs.

Elaborate crop circles.

"Beam me up."

Reading all the exhibits in the UFO Museum reinforced my belief that there must be intelligent life in other places in the universe.

Then when I got outside in the hot air, I went looking for an ice cream shop. I found a nice plaza with New Mexico's state song mural. But mostly, I just got hotter walking four blocks looking for ice cream and not finding any.

Sign outside a store.

It was time to head back to the 5th wheel, but first I had to take the pickup to Discount Tire to have the tire pressure sensor checked. It keeps giving an alarm, but our tire pressure is fine. I also stopped to fill the truck with diesel for our drive to Ruidoso in the morning. 

When I got home, Bob had done quite a bit of work. We had dinner and just before dark, we went to north Ruidoso so I could get my photo taken at the "Welcome to Ruidoso" sign. Then we went to Dairy Queen for Peanut Buster Parfaits. At last, ice cream! It tasted so good.

"Welcome to Roswell" sign.

We called it a night and started getting the 5th wheel ready to roll. I'm so glad I finally got to spend time in Roswell and see the International UFO Museum. Roswell's History Center and Art Museum and the Planetarium show were an added bonus.