Last month, I took a few days off and went on vacation in Santa Fe, New Mexico.  It was supposed to be a trip for two but, at nearly the last minute, Significant Other’s doctor said that he couldn’t go because of the altitude.  He sometimes has trouble breathing in Dallas and he would be worse off at the high altitude in Santa Fe.  It was too late/expensive to cancel all the reservations; so, he took me to the airport and told me to enjoy myself.  And I did!

Morning was cool in Santa Fe: a perfect time to go for a hike in Hyde Memorial State Park. The park was about 8 miles from the place I was staying but, because the road was winding and I wanted to savor the coolness and big trees, it took about half an hour to get there. The driver behind me wasn’t too thrilled that I was going so slowly but there wasn’t really a good place to pass me; he was stuck.

Well, the park has several hiking trails and I started on the East Trail. But, after climbing about 50 yards, I decided that this wasn’t for me. So, I tried the West Trail. It was overgrown and steep. I took a few photos and concluded that my hiking was done for the day. First, the altitude was about 7,000 feet above sea level and the steep trails go to about 9,000 feet. Next, the trails were overgrown, steep, with slippery footing. Finally, I was by myself without reliable cell service.

tree with fungi	pine cones
bird’s nest on the ground	lichen on the rocks