The day started with a field trip organized by the Albuquerque Gem and Mineral club–my first field trip since joining the club. The meeting spot was a 2-hour drive north of Albuquerque, near Abiquiu, which meant we had to get an early start. The morning clouds hadn’t yet cleared and as we drove by Santa Fe we encountered a brief flurry of snow.
The field trip required a short walk up an arroyo to the site of an abandoned flourite mine. A member of the group showed us a couple of samples and gave some pointers on what to look for. Lee and I weren’t very serious about collecting specimens but enjoyed poking around in the rocky hillside picking up a few small samples to keep.
After about an hour the day began to warm up with the promise of good hiking weather. It was a short drive to Ghost Ranch, where we had hiked once before. There were a couple of other hikes there that we knew about, so after a stop at the Visitor Center we decided to do the 5-mile hike that goes up and back down Kitchen Mesa. It was a good choice–perfect weather and wonderful views from the top of the mesa.
The trail goes around the back side of the mesa and doesn’t get too steep except for the one spot near the top that requires squeezing through a narrow rock chimney.
From the top you can look down at the buildings of Ghost Ranch and off in the distance Abiquiu Lake is visible. We had never gone down to the lake so after the hike we took a different road home that circled the lake and then cut over to join Hwy 550 at Cuba. New sights to see, as well as some old favorites–a perfect way to spend Earth Day.
Living Wonderously 