Mon, April 26, 2010

Well we slept like “logs” in our treetop cabin bedroom.  Sorry, I just couldn’t help myself.  At an altitude of over 7,000 feet the nighttime temps in Pinos Altos get pretty cool so we were happy to build another fire to enjoy our muffin and coffee by.  Soon we were headed up Highway 180 which runs along the western border of NM thru the Gila National Forest and is one of the prettiest drives with very little traffic. 

The first real stop of the morning came right after we entered the Gila National Forest.  We turned up Little Dry Creek Road a forest service dirt road that runs along Little Dry Creek (duh).  The creek, by the way, was little but not dry.  We first stopped by an old coral used at one time to gather and ship cattle that had been grazing public lands.  We always enjoy wandering around old corals and buildings.  It’s interesting to see the inventive ideas they had to solve problems with limited resources.  You would be surprised how excited we get over an old hitch or a piece of old barbed wire.  After we explored that area we then drove another mile or two up the road and stopped by the creek to walk around and let the pups play.  Probably later in the summer the creek does slow to a trickle or maybe even dry but this morning it was moving briskly over the rocks and was crystal clear. 

A few more hours up Hwy 180 and we arrived at the treat of the day – The Catwalk Trail in Glenwood NM.  The Catwalk Trail follows the path of an old pipeline through narrow Whitewater Canyon. The pipeline was built back in the 1890's to provide water to the new town of Graham, and its mill. (The town of Graham is now completely gone, and only the foundation of the mill remains.)  In the 1930's, the Civilian Conservation Corps built a trail that followed the path of the old pipeline.  The trail is a little over a mile one way but it is at worst a moderate hike.  The trail is mostly over solid ground but the part that isn’t is a remarkable engineering feat!  It’s steel grates suspended over Whitewater creek as it winds thru the narrowest portions of the slot canyon.  It is a little disconcerting to see and hear rushing water under your feet as you also feel the mist coming off of the rushing waters.  Although the trails goes up and down a good bit, it was still a relatively easy walk and most of it was shaded since the canyon is narrow and the walls are very high.  About halfway back down the trail there is a second trail that has been paved and follows a nice slope down and crosses back over to finish the trail as you began.  It was a real jewel of a hike and worth the aching muscles at the end of the day. 

The park ranger encouraged us to take Paris & Dodger on the trail so we did.  Due to the remote location there were only a few cars in the parking area when we arrived and we only met about 6 people on the entire trail.  This made it easy to take the dogs and also easy to get pictures.  I’m not sure the dogs enjoyed it as much as we did.  They were not crazy about the open grate portions and cooperated nicely but I sensed their relief as we made our way over the last bridge and walked on solid ground again.

The afternoon was spent making the drive to Gallop, NM where we are spending the night.  It was another great day on the road with perfect temperatures for riding and hiking.

Hope you all are well tonight.  After a good hot shower, I’m feeling pretty good!

Peace,

Donna, Charles, Paris & Dodger

Comments

[Mary Anne]

Hi Donna Gayle,

It's been a busy week for me but I've managed to find time here and there to look at your web site and enjoy your photos. As usual, just lovely. Keep those reports from the road and those photos coming. I so enjoy hearing about your travels and seeing photos you take along the way. Love you, Mary Anne