Saturday June 19th found us at the top of the beautiful Sandia Mountains on the 10 K Ride.  Starting at 10,000 feet this trail takes you to the ski area and the High Finance Restaurant and has some amazing views!    About a 5 mile ride;  it can be steep and rocky on some parts but mostly cool and beautiful!  We stopped beneath the  Restaurant and had a snack while the tourists enjoyed looking at the horses and clicking away!  For the brave of heart the trail takes you right to the edge and if so inclined you can  view all of Albuquerque and the amazing drop off!  Sometimes hang gliders can be seen riding the wind currents.

The view down one of the ski runs has the Ortiz Mountains as a back drop!   The Ortiz Mountains were at one time mined for gold and turquoise.  Situated on the Turquoise Trail is Golden, NM, so named for the gold mining in the Ortiz.  Rumor has it that mine shafts still exist and a few brave souls have descended to find skeletons and Indian artifacts.   Of course the mine is fenced and off limits to exploration.

A mid week ride to enjoy the beautiful weather was scheduled for this week in honor of our State Representative Kathy McCoy. Kathy was instrumental in the purchase of the land tracts for the Gutierrez Open Space. We invited Rep McCoy to ride with us through the Open Space to show our appreciation for her hard work in getting the project approved and making it happen so that now we have this beautiful place for riders and hikers for generations to come.

As is customary we enjoy a short break and lunch at one of the restaurants near the hitching posts on the N 14 side of the Gutierrez Open Space.  As we enjoyed lunch and conversation we had an exceedingly lucky break to catch a glimpse of the well known long rider, Bernice Ende, who is currently on a 7000 mile, 2 1/2 year ride.  Unfortunately we didn’t get a picture of her and her Thoroughbred but that will be remedied at the potluck in her honor this weekend! 

Thanks again to Representative Kathy McCoy for all her work in getting this fabulous Open Space!

Redondo Peak in the Valles Caldera

The most fantastic ride that I have been on in New Mexico has to be the Valles Caldera ride in the Jemez Mountains. It is between Los Alamos and Jemez Springs. You can reach it from either area. Created many millions of years ago it is what is left of a large volcano.
The Valles Caldera National Preserve was a private ranch until 2000, when Congress created it from a well-known ranch known as “the Baca Ranch” in New Mexico’s volcanic Jemez Mountain Range. This 89,000 acre property is situated inside a collapsed crater. Studded with eruptive domes and featuring Redondo Peak (11,254 feet), this old ranch property is now being developed to explore a new way of managing public lands.
The preserve is open to the public but we guarantee you’ll find the visit unlike any other you’ve had in a park or national forest. We keep the numbers of visitors small for any activity so you’ll feel like you have the place to yourself. Don’t expect big crowds, a shortage of parking, or a shop full of trinkets. Instead, we offer a chance to get out and really experience a sense of solitude that we hope will leave you refreshed and relaxed. You’ll see much wildlife, beautiful vistas and learn about the preserve’s rich history and geology. The most delightful drive to get to this fabulous area from Albuquerque is as follows:
• Take I-25 North and Exit on to Highway 550 (Farmington Highway – old Hwy 44). In San Ysidro, take Hwy 4 to Jemez Pueblo and Jemez Springs.
• Follow Highway 4 at fork at La Cueva (stay right).
• Preserve is about 22 miles from Jemez Springs. Look for the Main Gate at Mile Marker 39.2.
• Driving time from the Big-I is about 1.5 to 2 hours.
Once there you are required to sign a release and pay a $20 fee. There is plenty of parking for horse trailers and restroom facilities.

Once you are saddled up and ready to go get ready for some fun! Don’t forget to grab a map of the trails or you could get sidetracked and end up at a on longer ride than you may have planned. The trails are old logging roads and have recently been graded so if you are into gaiting or cantering this is the place to do it! Enjoying the scenery is a must; we were so busy cantering we missed a herd of elk calmly watching us pass by as our friends told us later. They were watching the elk watching us; who is the watcher and who is the watched? We spent most of the time on the Duke Trail which is highly recommended for both meadow and mountain views!
The elk herd is the second largest in the state (the largest is found in the Gila Mountains in southwest New Mexico). During the early summer (late-May into early-June), solitary cow elk with their newborns at their side may be spotted. Often calving in the open, the mothers find a safe place to hide the newborns until they are old enough to keep up with herd.
Later in the summer, the young elk are minded as a group by several cows in a “nursery herd.” By fall, the cows are ready for breeding and “the rut” (breeding season) reaches its peak by mid-Sept. As winter snows deepen, many elk leave the preserve for lower elevations and more food. Some head south to grasslands in an old burn area in Bandelier National Monument, southeast of the preserve. Others may head north and west of the preserve in search of forage.
By late spring, the elk return to the caldera again. The bull elk drop their antlers in late March and into April, and the new antlers begin to grow soon after. The elk feed hungrily on the new spring grass, dropping their heavy coats as the days lengthen and warm.