The annual blues festival in Silver City, NM is now called Blues and Bikes, or Bikes and Blues, or some such combo. Motorcycle enthusiasts have always been a significant portion of the crowd, so the organizers decided to include all kinds of motorcycle activities to the event. It seems to have been a success from what we could see.
We have not been to the whole thing since we began spending summers in Skagway, but this year there was live music in the park on Friday night. In the past, Friday night music was just in bars.
Since we first attended this event in 199? or 20?? it has grown tremendously. It was the 20th annual this year and they announced that it has grown from one afternoon of music with around 300 attendees, to the current two and a half days with several thousand attendees. For us, it has been the official end of school and the beginning of summer. This year, it was just another great weekend.
The weather cooperated by being in the low 70's instead of the 90's. In fact, we had to don light jackets by 5:30 all three nights.
We waited too long to make reservations, so just like 2012, we had to bunk in Lordsberg 45 miles away. It is a pretty drive through oak and juniper deer country. (The yellow warning signs say so)
This was the second time in all the years we have driven that road that we actually saw deer. Once on Friday evening as we left for Lordsberg, and Sunday morning on our way in. And they weren't crossing the road either time. Always good.
The music was good. The crowd was infinitely watchable. We met people from Tucson, Silver City and Las Cruces who were seated in our vicinity. Coming home tonight we got a few sprinkles between San Simon and Willcox.
Sunday, May 24, 2015
Tuesday, May 5, 2015
Five Days in Madera Canyon
After our rattlesnake rattle, we decided we needed to hike elsewhere. But where?
It is getting too warm to hike locally unless we get up at (ugh) 4 a.m. So we drove south for an hour to Madera Canyon. We chose a trail that begins at 5400 ft. and fifteen degrees cooler. We intended to hike to 6700 ft. I didn't make it. Not only is it a serious climb, but the air is thinner. My lungs and legs said "AAAYYYYY!" So I listened. Peggie has been training longer and is in better shape, so she went a little farther up the trail.
We decided that the thing to do was take our trailer and camp there, get acclimated, and hike. So we did. We found a good spot in the campground and set up. We hiked every day on a different trail. All of them go up...and up...and up some more. All of them were breath-taking both in difficulty and beauty. The good news about an up trail, the return is down.
We are training for the Grand Canyon which is down first, then up. Hmmmm.
Some turkeys went through an adjoining campsite, but that was it for wildlife.
As far as "adventures" go: can you hear "WHUUMP" ? That is the sound of propane igniting. That is an okay sound inside the grill where the burner is. It is not an okay sound outside the grill where the gas line from the tank is not supposed to leak. Well, I knew to shut off the gas at the valve. But without a replacement hose, that ended grilling for this trip.
Cooking inside is not as much fun, but doable. Our stove has an igniter switch that uses a spark instead of a pilot light. Fine, except when it comes apart and doesn't spark anymore. So we have to use a butane lighter to light the burners.
Our kitchen faucet has a broken handle that we have made do with for years. But now it leaks a lot, too. Time to fix that.
This was a fun trip. Glad it is over. But now repairs to be made. After spending money on parts and pieces.
It is getting too warm to hike locally unless we get up at (ugh) 4 a.m. So we drove south for an hour to Madera Canyon. We chose a trail that begins at 5400 ft. and fifteen degrees cooler. We intended to hike to 6700 ft. I didn't make it. Not only is it a serious climb, but the air is thinner. My lungs and legs said "AAAYYYYY!" So I listened. Peggie has been training longer and is in better shape, so she went a little farther up the trail.
We decided that the thing to do was take our trailer and camp there, get acclimated, and hike. So we did. We found a good spot in the campground and set up. We hiked every day on a different trail. All of them go up...and up...and up some more. All of them were breath-taking both in difficulty and beauty. The good news about an up trail, the return is down.
We are training for the Grand Canyon which is down first, then up. Hmmmm.
Some turkeys went through an adjoining campsite, but that was it for wildlife.
As far as "adventures" go: can you hear "WHUUMP" ? That is the sound of propane igniting. That is an okay sound inside the grill where the burner is. It is not an okay sound outside the grill where the gas line from the tank is not supposed to leak. Well, I knew to shut off the gas at the valve. But without a replacement hose, that ended grilling for this trip.
Cooking inside is not as much fun, but doable. Our stove has an igniter switch that uses a spark instead of a pilot light. Fine, except when it comes apart and doesn't spark anymore. So we have to use a butane lighter to light the burners.
Our kitchen faucet has a broken handle that we have made do with for years. But now it leaks a lot, too. Time to fix that.
This was a fun trip. Glad it is over. But now repairs to be made. After spending money on parts and pieces.
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