2022 Fall Trip - Day 27/37 - 9/20/2022

Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2022 - I explore New Mexico, and move into Texas:

My plans were to go down to Dog Canyon Trailhead and do some hiking in the Guadalupe Mountains National Park [I had previously done "Guadalupe Mountain" in September 2018 - read that blog here]. Great Plan, so I headed down the road:

Um, how careful do you think they want me to be?

Everything was going great:

Until THE ROAD WAS WASHED OUT (3 miles north of Dog Canyon):

So I headed back up the road, to Sitting Bull Falls (which sounds kind-of cool). I had seen signs for it on my way down, so I found a road to "Sitting Bull Falls" on my way out - you notice I said "a road", not "the road". Yes, unfortunately, there are TWO roads, and I picked THE WAY WORST ONE!!!:

I went through the fence/gate, closing it after me:

This red earth is pretty clay-ey - it is ok now (having dried out since yesterday's rain), but I wouldn't want to see it right after it rains...

I parked where the road stopped, and there were some signs:

Seeing a decal for "Sitting Bull Falls Loop" is a good sign:

I asked the locals to watch my car, and off I went:

Starting in the upper-right, Google Earth shows a good picture of my hike:

You go 0.7 miles straight alongside a fence:

And then cross through a little section, which has a sign and a map (ignore the sky in the background):

The white cairns mark the trail across the plateau:

and yes, I wanted to get down off the plateau, and that's when I came to the edge and zig-zagged down into the canyon (sky is getting dark, but no lightning/thunder):

I'm wearing long pants, because every bush has something spikey on it. It was a little hard following "the trail":

But it was REALLY NICE seeing running water!

I couldn't figure out where to go (for the trail), so I just started angling back up the slope. That was sweaty work, but that is when the rain came (a nice "summer shower"). I was able to spy "the Trail" down across the canyon:

I figured I would be fine if I kept angling up-and-around, following the terrain. It worked - I saw the "other trail" angling up out of the canyon:

I went along, then down across the dry creek, and up onto the other trail, and got out of there!

A Good Hike - 3.92 miles in 2 hours 4 minutes.

Although it was now sunny and I was all dried out, THE RED-CLAY ROAD WAS AWFUL. But my Subaru Crosstrek got me out! They have oil, they have cattle, but water is so precious out here that they even need to tourists to help find it:

Beautiful afternoon in New Mexico:

Crossed over into Texas (and lost a Time-Zone hour):

I stopped by Tarzan, Texas (not "Tazzarin"):

I checked in to the Super 8 Big Spring, Texas at 6:30 (Texas time):

How come "Adventures" are often what we DO NOT PLAN? Thank You GOD for these wonderful "adventures"

Music for today:

Of course, in this dusty section of the USA - Bruce Springsteen - Devils & Dust, 1998:

Death Cab For Cutie - Kintsugi, 2015 eight studio album

various artists - America: A Tribute To Heroes, 2001

Highlights include:

Bruce Springsteen: "My City of Ruins"
Stevie Wonder with Take 6: "Love's in Need of Love Today"
U2 with Dave Stewart, Natalie Imbruglia and Morleigh Steinberg: "Peace on Earth" (intro)/"Walk On"
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers: "I Won't Back Down"
Neil Young: John Lennon's "Imagine"
Billy Joel: "New York State of Mind"
Dave Matthews: Solo performance of "Everyday"
Wyclef Jean: Bob Marley and The Wailers' "Redemption Song"
Sting: "Fragile"
Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder and Mike McCready with Neil Young: "Long Road"
Paul Simon: "Bridge Over Troubled Water"
Willie Nelson accompanied by the entire Los Angeles-based ensemble: "America the Beautiful"

various artists - Loud, Fast & Out Of Control: Wild 50's Rock (cds 1 + 2):

Excellent rock 'n roll collection - play it loud!

The Who - Live At Leeds, 1970:

Um, "Play It Loud" also applies to this GREAT album!

and because I'M IN TEXAS - Stevie Ray Vaughan - Live At Montreux 1982 & 1985 (2 cds):