My First Balloon Rally and (3!) Rides

On October 29th and 30th, the 29th annual Taos Mountain Balloon Rally took place and my friend Steve and I crewed for "Terrible Tom" (TT) Schroeder on his balloon, Pirate Treasure.  Crewing basically means that you help get the balloon ready for flight and then the crew takes turns riding in the basket with TT.  I managed to get three rides in over the two-day event (and was promptly nicknamed "Ride Hog"!) and have to say that I am completely hooked!  I've joined TMBRA (Taos Mountain Balloon Rally Association) so that I can be in on all the action next year, too!

Early morning, when balloonists are unloading their gear.



Our tarp (in the left foreground) and the next balloon over being inflated.  I seem to remember

that he was the first one to ascend.



The basket is assembled and TT is testing the burners.



Steve (on the left) and another volunteer holding the balloon open
so that the fan can blow hot air inside.  (Notice a familiar black
CRV with NM plates to the left of Steve?)





The top of the balloon from inside the basket.

 



Finally!  My first ascent!  Steve and two other volunteers are packing up the
tarp and will follow us in the chase car.

Looking out at some of the other balloons which were already higher than us.

 

Over Taos, looking north toward Taos Mountain.

A gentle landing with "Terrible" Tom, our intrepid captain,
in calm control.

 

A Visit to the Rio Grande Gorge

October 16th was another gloriously warm day in Arroyo Hondo, so I took Scout down to the Rio Grande Gorge for a picnic.  One of the wonderful things about being retired is that I can visit places during the week when not too many people are around and such was the case with this trip.  We stopped at where the Rio Hondo (basically a mountain stream) empties into the Rio Grande, where people had built up a series of rock "dams."  Scout was in his glory and spent the whole time in the water, as you'll see from the pictures below.

View from the Rio Grande up the side of the Gorge.

Another view to the top of the Gorge.



Scout, looking for a stick, in one of the pools created where the Rio Hondo enters the Rio Grande. 

John Dunn Bridge in the background, looking upriver.

Scout in one of the lower pools, still looking for a stick.

Returning home, the view toward the mountains from the top of the Gorge.



View of cottonwoods lining the Rio Hondo on trip home.

 

Another Road Trip

On October 11th, a friend and I took a road trip through the back country between Questa and Red River, two small towns north of Arroyo Hondo.  At the lower elevations, the road was fine except for having to drive around fallen trees from the snow storm.  As we got higher, the dirt road became muddy and still had snow on it in some places.  The scenery was spectacular, however, and despite the often sheer drop offs, it was well worth the drive.  No one can explain why the color of the aspens is "off" this year, although some blame it on the severe drought from this past summer.  Regardless of the explanation, it was wonderful to be in the mountains again and to do some NM "leaf-peeping."

At about 10,000', looking back toward the Rio Grande Valley.





First Snow

Although the higher surrounding peaks have had snow for a while, the first snow here on the mesa occurred on October 7-8.  We didn't get more than a few inches here, but Taos Ski Valley (TSV) received about 2'.  The snow was so wet and heavy that it took out a lot of trees with leaves still on them and created a massive power outage.  I learned an interesting lesson regarding the need for electricity when you're on a well system and now have jugs of water stashed for future outages.  Here are some pictures from here on the mesa.  The Rio Grande Valley was absolutely spectacular and, of course, Scout was in heaven!   (BTW, snow and colder temperatures seem not to have affected the tarantula migration.)

View across the Rio Grande Valley.





My First Tarantula Encounter

So, this morning while on our walk, Scout and I encountered our first tarantula.

This was actually a small tarantula, perhaps just 3" across from toe to toe.  (Do tarantulas have toes?)  Later, we saw a second small one which walked within 2' of my foot.  They're actually quite graceful, but I don't think I'd want to get any closer than those 2'.  Scout was quite intrigued but obeyed a "leave it" command like the intelligent dog he is.

So far, none in the house but certainly a plethora of various other spiders and bugs.  Yuck.

A New "Invasion"

This morning, my landlord announced that it is the time of year for tarantulas to seek warm places for the winter and to keep an eye out for them in and around the house.  He also demonstrated with his fist the size of the creatures.  Well, this is the first time I had heard that there were tarantulas this far north and this high up.  I am not a happy camper....actually, I'm totally freaked out about this new development!  I haven't seen one yet, but the season is young and the dental assistant I saw today gleefully told me about running over "lots" of them on the road betwen Taos and Tres Piedras. 

Wish someone had warned me...... 

Scout Update

Scout has had some difficulty getting used to NM--there's no grass, for one thing--but I think he's beginning to settle in with the help of some stress-relieving tablets and spending a lot of time with me.  Also his paws are beginning to adjust to the rocky ground. 




Scout in the "yard" outside my casita.

I try to get him out for at least a two-mile walk every morning, at which time he meets up with about seven neighborhood dogs.  However, his real joy continues to be spending time in streams.  Here are some pictures of him and his new BFF (best friend forever) Tula in the stream below Tula's house.

Let me at that stick!

Oh no!  Tula has my stick!

Tula can have the stick.  I'm going to dry off.