Category: Albuquerque & New Mexico

Most politically incorrect headline of the day, so far

The Day Santa Fe Emptied Out

That Albuquerque Journal online headline refers to August 21, 1680, when the Spanish were forced to abandon Santa Fe.

Emptied out? Well, only if you ignore the several thousand Pueblo Indians that remained in the area and the leader of the revolt, Popé, who personally occupied the Palace of the Governors.

The Santa Fe Indian Martket

… is this weekend.

Each year the Santa Fe Indian Market includes 1,200 artists from about 100 tribes who show their work in over 600 booths. The event attracts an estimated 100,000 visitors to Santa Fe from all over the world. Buyers, collectors and gallery owners come to Indian Market to take advantage of the opportunity to buy directly from the artists. For many visitors, this is a rare opportunity to meet the artists and learn about contemporary Indian arts and cultures. Quality is the hallmark of the Santa Fe Indian Market.

Southwestern Association for Indian Arts

As for NewMexiKen, it’s Taos this weekend. High temp 88º, low 55º. Or maybe Red River, high 83º, low 49º. Fall!

Bang bang bang bang bang

Friends were just stopping first in line for a stoplight in Santa Fe last evening when the sixth car back hit the fifth car back at (according to the later police estimate) 65 mph. Number five hit number four. Number four hit number three. Number three hit number two. And number two hit number one.

The perpetrator backed up and tried to drive around the mess he had created. The third car in line, a BMW, moved to cut him off. So he rammed the BMW.

A friend or relative of the perp in a seventh, uninvolved vehicle called to the perp to quick, get out of his car, now blocked, and escape with him. The perp was too drunk to get out of his car. (He was arrested at the scene.)

A city not-so-different after all.

Feast at Jemez Pueblo

Today the Pueblo of Jemez (Walatowa) is celebrating “Nuestra Senora de Los Angelas Feast Day de Los Persingula” with a feast and corn dances. The Pueblo, which is normally closed, is open to the public.

Jemez is pronounced “Hay-mess” or traditionally as “He-mish”.

The events today originated with the pueblo at Pecos, which was abandoned in 1836 when its remaining residents moved to Jemez.

Jemez Pueblo publishes this guide about feast day etiquette:

* Enter a Pueblo home as you would any other – by invitation only. It is courteous to accept an invitation to eat, but do not linger at the table, as your host will probably want to serve many guests throughout the day, thank your host, but a payment or tip is not appropriate.

* Pueblo dances are religious ceremonies, not performances. Please observe them as you would a church service, with respect and quiet attention. Please do not interrupt non-dance participants by asking questions or visiting with friends.

* During a dance is not the time to conduct business or loudly socialize. Many Pueblo members only have a chance to see certain dances once a year and may have traveled many miles to participate.

* Please refrain from talking to the dancers. Do not approach dancers as they are entering, leaving or resting near the kiva.

* Applause after dances is not appropriate.

History of the Pueblo of Jemez

July

The average high temperature in Albuquerque during July was 91.5º. One day it reached 100º. Seventeen days saw a high in the 90s. The remaining 13 days had a high temperature in the 80s. It was pretty average for July.

The average high temperature in Phoenix was 106.8º. It reached triple digits on all but three days; it was 116º on July 4th. Las Vegas, Nevada, was about the same as Phoenix; the highs averaged 107.1º.

It hasn’t reached 100º in Albuquerque during August since 1994. The hottest weather, more than likely, is over.

Tagging and the Badlands

Saturday, setting aside Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (I finished it yesterday), NewMexiKen took a day trip to El Morro and El Malpais national monuments. Click any image for larger version or scroll to the bottom of the post for a slideshow of these plus a few others.

El Morro National Monument is two hours west of Albuquerque on NM 53 (via I-40 to Grants).

A reliable waterhole hidden at the base of a massive sandstone bluff made El Morro (the bluff) a popular campsite. Ancestral Puebloans settled on the mesa top over 700 years ago. Spanish and American travelers rested, drank from the pool and carved their signatures, dates and messages for hundreds of years. Today, El Morro National Monument protects over 2,000 inscriptions and petroglyphs, as well as Ancestral Puebloan ruins. (El Morro National Monument)

At El Morro we took the entire 2 mile loop, past the pool and inscriptions, then around the end of the bluff, along the northwestern side, up the switchbacks 250 feet to the top. On the top, the trail (marked only by cairns and parallel lines carved in the rock in some places) goes up one side of the V-shaped bluff to near the point, then back the other side and eventually down via many, many steps. The views on top are gorgeous, including the look down into the lovely canyon between the two sides of the V.

The Pool In the desert, water determined the route. The sandstone bluff at El Morro channeled rain and snow melt into this pool at the base. It’s about 10 feet deep (at present).
Sheep Petroglyph El Morro is most famous for the petroglyphs and inscriptions in the sandstone near the pool. Leaving our mark (“tagging”), seems to be an inherent characteristic of our species.
Inscription One of many historic inscriptions left by Spanish and then American passersby between 1605 and the 19th century (and, alas, a few more recent).
Looking Up One view of the bluff, this from the north side on the way up.
From the top This from the top of El Morro looking back at same rock shown above. That’s NM 53 down below.
Raven in flight Soaring, almost hawk-like, the ravens seemed to enjoy the view as much as we did.
Atsinna At the top of the bluff the ruins of Atsinna, home to more than 1,000 ancestral Puebloans from 1275-1350. Pictured are the remains of just a few of the 875 rooms that originally stood in the three-story structure.

Closer to Albuquerque, El Malpais National Monument is south of I-40 along NM 117 (Exit 89) and along NM 53 between Grants and El Morro.

El Malpais means the badlands but this volcanic area holds many surprises. Lava flows, cinder cones, pressure ridges and complex lava tubes dominate the landscape. A closer look reveals high desert environments where animals and plants thrive. Prehistoric ruins, ancient cairns, rock structures, and homesteads remind us of past times. (El Malpais National Monument.)

Some of the lava flows at El Malpais are just 2,000-3,000 years old, not even yesterday by geological standards. It’s a rough, dark lava-covered landscape, quite different from the surrounding area, though vegetation is making its comeback. NewMexiKen visited the entrance to Junction Cave (actually a lava tube) in the El Calderon area just off NM 53. Boots, gloves and three flashlights per person are recommended to explore the cave — so, some other time. We also took the drive to the Sandstone Bluffs Overlook off NM 117; a great look at the surrounding lava flows. Lastly we took the short walk to La Ventana Natural Arch, along NM 117, 18 miles south of I-40.

Junction Cave Entrance In shorts, without gloves or backup flashlights, Junction Cave (actually a lava tube) was inviting only for its rush of cool air. Note the cinder rocks.
Interesting Geology Some of the fascinating geology along the cliff just west of La Ventana Natural Arch.
La Ventana Arch NewMexiKen failed to get what I’d consider to be a good photo of La Ventana, New Mexico’s largest accessible natural arch. (La Ventana means the window.) The sun was too directly overhead. Alas, I guess that just means another trip.

El Cafecito in Grants is a great little place to eat — breakfast, lunch or dinner. Good New Mexican cuisine at eye-popping prices (like two beef and bean burtios, rice, beans and two sopapillas for $7.25). Caution though, El Cafecito is not open Sundays. Exit 85, on the right well past motel row but before “downtown.”

Click each photo to move to the next.

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Yikes!

A storm just passed by Casa NewMexiKen; a nasty storm. Lightning, including one strike you heard as you saw; hail, some larger than pea size; and a lot of rain real quick. I love rain and usually like storms, but this one was beyond my threshold for enjoyment. The temperature dropped from 87º to 63º between 1:45 and 2:05.

A house with seven skylights is never fun in a hailstorm.

And a person who has had his home struck by lightning isn’t happy when it hits too close.

But I’m better now. Thanks for asking.

No, it’s not like Phoenix

NewMexiKen is struck by the number times people have revealed that they think summer weather in Albuquerque is Phoenix-like. This happened both to me and to a friend last week.

We’re a mile above sea level in Albuquerque folks. The hottest temperature so far this year was 100º on July 3rd. It was the first time we reached 100º officially in four years. (We haven’t even seen 90º since Saturday.)

By contrast, the high temperature in Phoenix has been more than 100º every day since June 13th.

Jon’s Left Foot

NewMexiKen’s buddy Jon, known to the internets as Johnny Mango, has met a bump in the road. Here, let him tell it (excerpted from Duke City Fix):

[Friday] I am to start a bike trip across America, going from Astoria, Oregon to Yorktown, Virginia. The 4300 mile trek should take about 3 months.

I plan to finish sometime in the middle of October. This is not an organized tour. My buddy Mike Moye is to ride with me to Missoula, Montana and then I’ll be on my own.

I was going to post FAQ’s about the trip, but I’m too depressed for all that. I may not be going. But here are the answers I would have given if I were in a better mood.

1. About 50 miles a day.
2. No, we camp out.
3. In a trailer…it must weigh about 40 pounds loaded.
4. We eat in every restaurant we pass.
5 Sometimes…like whenever we need a shower.
6. I don’t know. You’ll have to ask her.
7. Yes. A Macbook.
8. On Albloggerque.

Jon’s at the doctor’s at this moment to find out what’s wrong with his left ankle, injured recently in a — you guessed it — bike accident.

Learn all about it at Albloggerque.

Idle thoughts

You’d need a good hat, lots of sunscreen and a long shower after, but would that we could take a long summer afternoon’s float in an inner tube down the Rio Grande. I swear, the Rio is more restricted here than it is downstream where it’s the international border.

All the Hechts, May Company and Foleys stores are Macy’s now. I don’t know about you, but here it seems that the combined store has noticeably less than either had before the merger. What a sad place.

Speaking of retail, NewMexiKen was in Boulder, Colorado, a few weeks ago. The Pearl Street Mall is a great urban scene, but I laughed and laughed at the term “mall.” It couldn’t be a real mall. Where’s the Spencers Gifts? Where’s the Things Remembered?

Stuff you need to know

Ever re-use water bottles? You know, refill them from the refrigerator dispenser or the tap, or freeze them?

Well, maybe you shouldn’t.

PETE 1There are various types of plastic used in bottles. PET or PETE 1 plastic, which is often used for manufactured water, should not be re-used because there is a risk the chemicals will leach out.

HDPE 2 or PP5 on the other hand, do not seem to leach.

Look on the bottom of the bottle to see what kind of plastic you have.

Update: See first comment and next post.

——–

A blue moon shows up about every two-and-a-half years. And guess what? The definition we’ve all known for a blue moon — the second full moon in a calendar month — is wrong. A blue moon occurs when a season (between a solstice and an equinox or between an equinox and a solstice) has four full moons. The blue moon is the third of the four.

The two full moons in one month definition got picked up by mistake about 60 years ago (by Sky & Telescope no less) and became the conventional wisdom. The seasonal definition makes more sense because seasons are natural events (defined by equinox and solstice) not human events defined by a calendar.

Of course, blue moons are human events too, so who really cares except the lyricist?

Blue Moon
You saw me standing alone
Without a dream in my heart
Without a love of my own
Blue Moon
You know just what I was there for
You heard me saying a prayer for
Someone I really could care for

——–

It was 100º officially in Albuquerque Tuesday, the first time in triple digits since July 15, 2003.

Take me out to the ballgame

NewMexiKen managed to break away from surfing the web long enough this evening to take in a ballgame — Isotopes vs. the Iowa Cubs. 15,002 other folks joined us, the second largest crowd ever here.

It was a beautiful night for the game — 103º at the first pitch, but cooling down to a sweater-inducing 98º by the third inning. The Cubs went up 4-0 by the top of the second, but the ‘Topes fought back to win 7-6. Each team had a hellacious home run well over the 428 foot sign in left center.

And it was all followed by a great Independence Day eve fireworks show.

It’s not the heat, it’s the humidity

Two days in a row with the high officially at 99º F. Will today be the magic day we get to 100º officially for the first time since 2003?

Earlier this morning the dewpoint hit 50º. That’s a sure sign the monsoons are near. In Arizona the monsoon season is said to begin after three consecutive days with the dewpoint averaging 55º or higher.

In the United States, Arizona and New Mexico are located on the northern fringe of the Mexican monsoon. For most of the year, winds aloft over the southwest U.S. are west to northwest. During the summer, winds turn to a more south to southeast direction, importing moisture from the Pacific Ocean, the Gulf of California, and the Gulf of Mexico.

As this moisture moves into the southwest…a combination of orographic uplift (air being forced to rise by the mountains), daytime heating from the sun, and weak upper level disturbances moving across the region causes thunderstorms to develop across the region.

National Weather Service — Phoenix

Not yet, but soon.

By the way, June usually has the hottest daytime high temperatures in Albuquerque, but July and August are warmer on average because it doesn’t cool down at night as much.

And there is already three minutes less daylight than there was on June 21st.

Did you notice?

iTunes 7.3, which was released yesterday to incorporate the iPhone, alphabetizes the library differently than its predecessors.

Punctuation marks are somehow incorporated into the order — for example, Miles Davis’s ‘Round Midnight or Otis Redding’s (Sittin’ on the) Dock of the Bay. These used to be listed before “A” because of the apostrophe and the parenthesis. Now they show up under R and S.

And numbers now come after the letters rather than before — for example, Prince’s 1999.

I don’t care — I think I prefer this — but I thought it odd that the change was made.

——–

Some other stuff:

If you’re a shut-in you can check out the Moon Phase. (Today’s was a blue moon for most of the world. The U.S. had a blue moon last month.)

Here’s a bunch of photos of celebrities when they were kids. They’re captioned, but how many would you recognize?

For whatever reason, a video of Mika Brzezinski trying to do the right thing — and two knuckleheads.

How fast can you handle simple mathematical calculations?

Here in ‘Burque, using a pseudonym, a member of Mayor Marty’s cabinet called his radio show to flatter Marty and rail against the city council. Linda has ‘always been my alter-ego name’ CFO Gail Reese later said. Tbe Albuquerque Tribune has the story.

And Scott Adams has a take on lottery winners, prompted by the couple that won $105 million Wednesday night.

But I notice that the people who win are coincidentally the people who would be best for marketing future Powerball lotteries. You know what story you will never hear about a lottery winner? It’s this one:

“Wealthy bachelor neurosurgeon, age 30, wins $300 million in the lottery. The lucky winner, Winston Arbuckle III, says he plans to “Buy another yacht, smoke more weed, and float around the Mediterranean until I die from the clap.” Asked about his neurosurgery practice, Arbuckle quipped, “I never liked sick people.”

No, you will only hear stories about the modest couple with the hard-working husband, usually in his late fifties or early sixties. They will be “thinking about” getting a nicer house. In this latest lottery story, the husband is a long-haul trucker whose truck has recently crapped out. He plans to buy a new (used) truck and keep working.

Won’t you be my neighbor?

There’s a great discussion today at Duke City Fix about the “livability” of various parts of town.

The debate is between those that think their neighborhood is cool — and therefore all other neighborhoods must be uncool — and those that realize that where you live is always a compromise.

Recommended for Albuquerqueans and Albuquerquean wannabes.

The City Different

Just your usual Santa Fe crowd —

Eve Ensler, the founder of a worldwide movement to end violence against women and girls, welcomed three local men to the stage Sunday evening at St. Francis Auditorium for readings from a new collection of monologues by Ensler’s author friends titled A Memory, A Monologue, A Rant, and a Prayer.

“The time has come for men to stand with us in the struggle to end violence against women,” Ensler told a mostly female, standing-room-only crowd.

Former Ambassador Joseph Wilson, a new Santa Fe resident, actor Val Kilmer and actor/writer/cartoonist Jonathan Richards joined Wilson’s wife and former CIA undercover agent Valerie Plame, radio host Mary-Charlotte Domandi, actresses Jane Fonda and Ali MacGraw, activist Cynthia Ruffin and Ensler in reading pieces from the new book.

The New Mexican

Red Light Means Stop

Two articles on red light cameras this morning.

Santa Fe Sheriff Greg Solano sums up the situation and reiterates his opposition.

“I feel the fines are too high, the private company ‘RedFlex’ which the City of Albuquerque contracts with makes too much of a cut, the lights must be timed correctly, and I am too worried that Red Light Camera’s cause more accidents then they prevent.”

Eye On Albuquerque wonders what possible reason Mayor Marty could have for continuing such an unpopular program in light of his political ambitions.

“What’s keeping the mayor so solidly behind this program? It can’t be public safety, and it’s surely not public opinion. It has to be something else.”