#OptOutside Friday at the Shuree Ponds

For #OptOutside Friday this year, we celebrated the beautiful state we live in by driving north to the Valle Vidal lush mountain basin located in the heart of the Sangre de Cristo mountains. The Valle Vidal is a Rocky Mountain paradise with vast alpine meadows that provide a vital habitat for New Mexico's largest herds of elk. My human saw an elk when he first arrived but scared him away before the rest of us got a peek. Boo! He didn't even get a picture!

After a long but beautiful drive down a not-so-good dirt road (typical of northern New Mexico), we arrived at our destination, the Shuree Ponds. The ponds are the perfect place to enjoy the beautiful surrounding scenery and a picnic lunch. You can see the surrounding mountain ranges and ridges of the Rock Wall from the valley.

 

The water was crystal clear, reflecting the great blue sky above. We enjoyed the afternoon walking around the ponds, enjoying a wonderful picnic lunch full of Thanksgiving leftovers, and the great outdoors with my family. This sure beats the lines, crowds, and consumerism of Black Friday!

I don't know about you, but #OptOutside Friday is my new favorite holiday!

-Rosie

First Snow Hike of the Season

Northern New Mexico is in desperate need of snow! So, you can imagine our shock when hiking high in the mountains today on the Winsor Trail, we ran into a dusting of a few inches, and thus, our first snow hike of the season. Our unprepared pawrents, were slipping and sliding around without their crampons, but lil sis and I, with our grippy paws and claws, managed just fine!

The beginning of our trail, facing the sunny south, was dry and clear. However, as soon as we crossed the ridge and continued down the north-facing slope, we found ourselves in a winter wonderland. Such a wonderful change of season for us desert-rats!

Winter hikes are by far my favorite! I love how quiet the forest is, and how serene the trees and trails look covered in a blanket of white snow. We really need more snow! Keep doing your snow dances, furiends!

Lil sis passed out on the ride home! Adorbs!

-Roxie

A Carpet of Gold

Chasing the last of the fall colors, today, we found a carpet of gold! We headed up to Black Canyon near Hyde Park to enjoy the last glimmers of gold from our mountain aspen groves. The Black Canyon trail is a picturesque loop bordering the upper watershed that's perfect for a quick afternoon or morning hike. The trail is not usually crowded, and with ample parking and easy access, this hike has become one of our go-to's for quick mountain escapes.

Assuming most of the golden color had already faded to brown from the few cold mornings we've had, we were pleasantly surprised to see such golden trees and fallen leaves --what perfect timing! The leaves created the most gorgeous golden carpet, and the evergreens appear to have golden ornaments where their spiking pine needles caught the fallen leaves. The pictures don't do it justice! I felt like we were in a fairytale.

Did I mention how much I love fall? #besttimeoftheyear

-Rosie

Happy Fall, y'all!

Fall is our favorite time of year! We wait all summer long, dredging through the hot and long days, anticipating the golden-aspen-trails of fall. Beginning the first of October, we spend almost every weekend in the Santa Fe National Forest admiring the golden and glowing aspen groves of the Rocky Mountains.

Our favorite trail for the aspens is the Aspen Vista trail (aptly named)! The trail gets extremely crowded this time of year, so we headed up early in the morning to beat the hordes of people. The trail climbs moderately up to Tesuque Peak offering views of the Santa Fe, Los Alamos, and Pojoaque valleys.

 

Aspen trees are the most amazing trees! Massive aspen groves can emerge from one seedling and are connected through one root system. In some areas of the world, Pando aspens are the largest and heaviest organism because of their connection to a single root system. The origin of the root system is also consider to be one of the oldest known living organism today. Amazing! 

Unfortunately, the Pando species of aspen is currently dying. The exact cause is not certain, but it is a combination of drought, disease, and invasive insects that are endangering the trees, resulting from climate change. It would be absolutely devastating to lose these magnificent trees. Our forests would not be the same. To the protection and preservation of our beautiful aspen trees!

-Roxie

The Lush Jungle of New Mexico

Just when we can't take the summer heat any longer, we head up to the Rio en Medio trail, just north of Tesuque to enjoy a slice of jungle paradise here in northern New Mexico. The trail winds through a granite mountain canyon, following a mountain stream, the Rio en Medio, and showcases numerous waterfalls, lush greenery, and mountain wildflowers. The perfect Labor Day weekend getaway!

Since we arrived early in the morning, we enjoyed the trail in ourselves, stopping to smell the flowers, swimming in the waterfall pools, and enjoying life outside. What a wonderful break from the summer heat!

-Rosie