New Mexico, the Wilderness April 19-27
Several years ago, a picture of the wilderness in northern New Mexico on the internet caught my eye. Wow, What a world is that? I needed to be there!
Our week long trip to New Mexico begins today, to see white sands national park and will spend more time than Erik wants in the wilderness.
几年前一张新墨西哥西北荒原的照片引起了我的兴趣，这种地方我要去看！
几年后，终于安排去新墨西哥了，4月19-27号，去看几个国家公园，再去荒原徒步，我期待! 老艾嘛…
April 19, 2024 Home to Albuquerque
We had late flight today. By the time we checked into our hotel, it was after the midnight. Tired…
飞到新墨西哥Albuquerque, 半夜入住酒店，累了
**April 20, 2024 White Sands National Park **
白沙国家公园
The park is four hours drive. I planned to go there around 5pm so that we could catch the sunset, but it forecasted big wind beginning at 4pm. So change of plans, we went there straightly from Albuquerque. We didn’t have any hotels or anything booked for the trip. Therefore, our plans are flexible. Definitely not my style, but now I can do it better for trips within the US.
Four hours driving wasn’t very eventful, but we enjoyed the mountain views on the way. Quick gas station stop for some finger food, we got to the park around 2:30pm.
It was little windy, but we loved it since it cooled us down. It got a lot stronger by the time we were leaving.
I underestimated how beautiful the dunes are. I thought the hike would be boring because what else is there besides white sand. I was WRONG! And I was glad I was. The dunes are amazing. Different curves create incredible landscape. The ripples cast shadows adding depth and dimension to endless white sand. I enjoyed every moment of the hike. Wherever I look, it is a picture of its own.
We didn’t follow the trail since the path without footprints attracted me the most. I know that Erik can always bring us back to our car, so the dunes that nobody went on were the ones that WE needed to go!
We hiked for an hour and half and left satisfied.
开车向南4个小时，我们到了白沙公园。本想日落前去，但预报4点起风，只好改变计划，2点多就到了。这个星期的酒店都还没定，所以行程很灵活。
进了公园，开了20多分钟到了徒步的地儿。我和老艾都觉得白沙子可能没啥好看，进去走走随便拍个照就可以走了。没想到，刚上了第一个沙丘就爱上了这个地方！太梦幻了吧！满眼的白沙，连绵起伏的，中文词穷，不知咋形容。最喜欢没人走过的地儿，所以没按路线走，哪没脚印去哪，反正老艾方向感极强，总能走回去。有点儿风，很舒服，阳光很强，好在做了攻略，准备充分。走了一个半小时，我们恋恋不舍地出来了，可能是我恋恋不舍吧，老艾已经等不及喝冰可乐了…
**April 21, 2024 Carlsbad Caverns **
卡尔斯巴德洞穴
We drove two hours last night after White Sands to be close to the cavern today. This morning, after one hour driving, we got to the cavern at our appointment time. I planned this visit just because I didn’t want to drive exactly the same way back to Albuquerque, instead, we could see the cavern and head north in a different way to Santa Fe. We have seen many caves, I thought this was just another one. I was WRONG again! How many time have I been wrong on this trip? 🙄, but, I’d rather be wrong than right in the past two days! This cavern was INCREDIBLE! Definitely a must see!
The biggest chamber is called the Big Room. Dah…it is 750 feet deep and covers more than 357 thousand square feet. It is famous for its impressive size and stunning limestone formations. The Natural entrance trail plus the big room loop took us 2 hours. There were plenty to see the whole time! This is the best cavern Erik and I had ever seen! Worth the drive. The pictures couldn’t show how big the chamber is.
今天游玩儿卡尔斯巴德山洞，离昨天白沙公园三个小时。本没太想来，觉得我们看过很多山洞了，但为了顺路北上到新墨西哥首府圣菲，就想看一下，真的来对了，这个山洞是我们见过最大、最壮观的！太推荐了👍
从洞口到洞低最大的厅共230多米深，3万3千多平方米面积。我们一共走了两个多小时。在这里，你可以找到各种各样的石头和矿物，它们形成了形状各异的钟乳石、石笋和其他地质奇观。没走几步，我就会情不自禁的“哇…哇…” 大自然真是太奇妙了！
We saw Americorps volunteers picking up lint in the cavern. I was amazed how they could find them and get them. For three days, each of them got almost a full bag of lint. The lint can damage the formations over time.
在山洞还看到美国国家志愿服务队的志愿者用镊子捡游客带进来的纤维，他们告诉我们纤维会影响洞内生态环境，损害石钟乳或是石笋。
Our first Mexican meal for lunch😍
午饭：第一顿墨西哥餐。
Passing Roswell on the way to Santa Fe, the alien town. Little aliens everywhere…
去圣菲路上，罗斯威尔—外星人小镇。1950年代初，据称一架飞碟在该地区坠毁，引起了广泛的关注和猜测。尽管后来证实这一事件实际上是由一架天气侦察气球引起的，但罗斯威尔因此成为了外星人和UFO爱好者们的热门目的地。
We drove 4 hours to Santa Fe. Same usual teamwork: Jeri drove and Erik looked for lodging. Look what he found. A nice lodge without modern shower. :) we probably need to hold the shower head for each other and be careful not to make a mess😜
又开了4个小时到圣菲，还是我开车，老艾找住的地儿，完美搭配。
April 22, 2024 Santa Fe 圣菲
We had fairly relaxing day today since we did so well on time the last two days.
前两天一直赶着开车，今天可以稍微放松一天。
We walked around downtown in the morning. A lot of history. None of us is interested in shopping or art museums, so we stopped by couple of historical sites.
一早起来在圣菲城里转一圈，我和老艾从来不逛街，也不太爱看博物馆，就去了几个历史性建筑。
We were lucky to be in the same group with some students while visiting Loretta Chapel, which is famous for its miraculous staircase. The docent told us the legend about how it was built and also told us in reality how actually “nobody knows” how it was built. I believe Joseph, Jesus’ earthly father, built it. ☺️
下面是洛雷塔教堂，以其神奇的螺旋楼梯而闻名。这个楼梯没有明显的支撑结构，被认为是圣约瑟夫，耶稣的父亲，奇迹干预的结果。圣约瑟夫是木匠的守护圣人。讲解员的讲解很生动，既讲了传说楼梯是怎么建造的，也讲了现今的科学无法理解它是如何造成的。我相信神的大能☺️
Lunch time! Our second good Mexican meal. I didn’t realize how much food we ordered, but excited to see them when they were served. Our tummies were happy too after.
墨西哥午饭！网红餐厅，没想到点了这么多，不过看着还是很高兴，每个菜都不错👍
We went to Taos Pueblo Heritage Site in the afternoon. Our guide introduced us Taos culture, they drink the river water, climb to the roof to get into the house, cook with horno, build houses with adobe, never put a cross back up from tombs…always .interesting to hear about different cultures, but very sad about how Indians were treated in history.
午饭后，去了塔奥斯普韦布洛遗址。它是一处当地重要文化遗产，展示了印第安普韦布洛人民的生活方式和文化传统。导游给我们讲解了当地人如何被侵略和迫害，以及他们的生活方式。他们饮用河里的水，从屋顶进房间，用泥和稻草的混合物盖房子，不用电…现在还有50多户人家长期居住在这个遗址。
Hotel story: we were back. I took a shower with Erik‘s help holding up the shower head. Since I couldn’t stop worrying about splashing water all over the place, I squatted down in the tub the whole time. After my shower, a bath sounded really attractive. So we covered the tub with a one time use plastic cover I brought with me, and started the water. Couple minutes later, when I was getting more and more excited about coming relaxation time, we found the shower head was on the floor showering the floor…oh well, things not always turned out the way you hoped🥴. This is one of those times that I felt like I was the luckiest wife in the whole world: Erik made it seem like not a big deal at all and calmed me down and took care of everything while encouraging me to continue being excited about a relaxing bath, with a drink and Jazz and cellphone time😜
April 23, 2024 Bandelier National Monument
班德利尔国家公园
Today is an easy hike long drive day. Bandelier is famous for its ancient cliff dwellings and petroglyphs. Ancestral Pueblos inhabited the area over 10,000 years ago. It was really cool to see the sites and imagine at the same time how people lived back then.
今天去了班德利尔国家公园, 它以其古老的悬崖居住区和岩画而闻名。一万多年前这个地区的祖先普韦布洛人生活在此。
Little over one hour of hiking. Then we drove 3.5 hours to Farmington. It had been a nice drive through mountains and desert. Change of scenery from everyday life definitely has been enjoyable. About 20 miles unpaved road today made it ‘fun’.
公园转了一个多小时，就开车北上，近4个小时到Farmington. 在山里开了两个多小时，荒漠一个多小时。时不时出来完全沉浸在大自然中感觉真好！
Looks familiar? Heh..yes, another Mexican meal. It was good, but I think I am Mexican out and ready for something else tomorrow. Chinese restaurants around do not look authentic. Not sure where my mood will take me tomorrow. Right now, it is thinking about Outback next door to the hotel 😍
墨西哥晚餐又来啦！鱼肉卷和墨西哥式牛排，味道不错，但是，明天不想吃啦！看了周围中餐全不正宗，哎，看明天心情想吃啥吧。
**April 24, 2024 Bisti Badlands **
This hike was the MAIN reason we chose to come to New Mexico: Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness! It didn’t disappoint. We started before 11am. 7 miles of Wash Loop Trail took us little less than 4 hours. There were challenges climbing over rocks without knowing where the other end looked like. There were times we had to go back and found another way. The temperature was in 70s with breeze, which we couldn’t ask for more. We prepared water we enjoyed and food we didn’t need. Hiking through the maze like pathways feels like stepping into another world. Following the offline map, we saw Chocolate hoodoos, flat top, cracked eggs, petrified wood…
第一天无人区， 来新墨西哥的主要目的地，Bisti 恶地。下了离线地图，准备了水、吃的， 就出发了。10几公里荒地，几个景点儿都很特别，石头的形状很独特，它们也都有名字，巧克力丘陵、蘑菇林，平桌子、石化木、碎鸡蛋…
We didn’t see anyone during the hike. Towards the end, we saw two people from far away. Before we were back to the gate, we saw people looking for something. They were two local Indians (Kile and Alvin) and another young man. We sat down and chatted with them. They shared with us some history of how badly they were treated, and even today how they are taken advantage of and being discriminated against. Sad stories.
They dug up this thing they called white carrot and shared with us. They said it was their snacks in the wild. We both tried the carrot. I felt like we were having a taste of their culture. When we thanked them for sharing the carrot and stories, Alvin told us it was the land which was sharing, himself was just a voice…we enjoyed our short time together.
徒步中没见到其他人，直到最后，远远见两个人，快出来时，见几个当地印第安人好像在找什么东西。你应该已经知道老艾最喜欢瞎聊，肯定要去瞧瞧。我们走上前，就和他们攀谈起来。他们给我们讲他们的故事，如何被侵略和迫害，直到今天被歧视…他们指给我们看怎么找小白萝卜，荒地里的小零食。他们挖出一个，我们每人尝一口。白萝卜干干的，有一丝丝的甜，没有很美味，但我们一起品尝的是他们的文化和历史….我和老艾喜欢我们见到的景色，我们更珍惜旅途上遇到的热情的陌生人。
We stopped by Ship Rock after the hike. It is a stunning volcanic rock formation rising dramatically from the desert. It is also called “the rock with wings”. It is sacred to the Navajo people. We are not allowed to go closer. I wonder how others got their picture close by the rock🤔
远远的看了船岩，当地有名的地标，只能在这远望，牌子后面是当地人保护区，我们不允许进…但是、但是网上的照片可都是近照啊！老艾不让我们进🙁
Dinner! “Outback it is.” my tummy figured it out after a long day of hiking.
晚餐，今天的心情是吃肉肉！Outback龙虾、牛排套餐促销$20， 还有一大扇猪排😍
April 25, 2024 Bisti/Ah-Shi-Sle-Pah wilderness
Today is our second day of wilderness hiking. First trail is Bisti wings trail, which turned out to be my favorite. Second trail is Valley of Dreams, which is also lovely. About 6 miles total hiking and we didn’t see any other hikers at all today. We enjoyed so much wondering around a place like another planet.
第二天无人区，选了两个徒步路线，都不错，非常喜欢！今天真的是无人，两个路线一个人也没见到，一共也是快10公里。看到吗？巨蘑、Bisti翅膀、恐龙蛋…
Having fun taking pictures. The sculpture in the middle picture below is the famous Alien Throne. According to ChatGPT 3.5, its name is derived from its eerie and otherworldly appearance, resembling a throne fit for extraterrestrial royalty.
自拍自拍…
Guess what? Mexican food at Albuquerque after a day of rest. Beef head cheek taco, pork intestines taco, chili relleno, and tostadas de ceviche with fish. They were good.
歇了一天，墨西哥餐继续…
April 26, 2024 Albuquerque
Today is another relaxing day before heading back home tomorrow. We took our time getting up. I worked some. Then we headed to Sandia Peak Tramway.
Erik and I had been on so many trams. We all agreed that the one in China Hua mountain was the most impressive one. This one was also nice. It is the longest in the US, we think. We couldn’t find trustworthy information on where it ranks in the world, but, we did enjoy this fairly expensive trip, even though we only stayed up for 8 minutes. :)
今天没太多安排，闲逛逛，明天就回家了。早上起来，上会班儿，老艾出去吃了麦当劳，然后就决定去做缆车，这里的缆车很有名, 美国最长的。 我和老艾坐过的缆车太多了，其实我们觉得最壮观的还是华山缆车。缆车上山15分钟，我们看了一圈就下来了。总共$76， 再加$10小费，这一上一下不便宜😜。
Surprise…Mexican meal! This is a very popular restaurant. We went there to try their famous red chili ribs. We also had fried green chili and green chili stew with chicken. All is good, plus, the famous El Pinto Mexican style tiramisu. The cream is smooth and not so sweet, just like how it is in China ☺️. Is this our last Mexican meal of the trip? We shall see…
中餐去了一家网红墨西哥餐厅，奥巴马、布什都来过。尝了他家最有名的红辣椒猪排，肉很软烂，还试了炸青椒、青椒鸡肉汤， 都还不错。最后还点了他家有名的墨西哥式提拉米苏，奶油滑而不甜，像国内蛋糕上的，吃了一半还是腻了。
Hiking to see petroglyphs left by natives is the perfect way to walk off the tiramisu! we went on Peiedras Marcadas Canyon trail and Rinconada Canyon trail, both of which we could see the petroglyphs in lava rocks. Nobody really knows what they actually meant. The signs say that according to recent Pueblos, it is even not appropriate to interpret them. I think they were just having fun passing through here while taking a break…
吃了这么多蛋糕罪恶感十足，一定要把蛋糕走下去。午饭后，我们徒步了两个地儿，看了几百年前当地印第安人在火山石上留下的岩画，很有意思。没人知道画的具体是什么，有什么意义，我觉得是他们路过这时，闲时没事儿留下的。因为解说确实说当地印第安人不住这。
April 27, 2024 Home
Yes, Mexican food at Indian Pueblo Kitchen before heading home. traditional lamb taco and Ribeye with enchiladas. Ribeye was so so but the enchiladas and taco were tasty.
We are back home safely. Our neighbor Karen was on the same flight coming back from Dallas. What’s the odds of that!
It was a fun trip and I was so glad we were able to hike the wilderness. We are grateful for the blessings that God gives us.
安全到家啦，可以睡自己的床啦。出去玩开心，回家也开心，感谢神美好的祝福！