Weekend Getaways and Bosque del Apache Updates

San Antonio, NM (high 52 degrees high, 30 degrees low)

"Friends are the siblings

God never gave us"

Mensius

Traveling with old friends and new we have had lots of fun visiting  several nearby place for a quick getaway. New Mexico is a gem and there are some interesting places to visit within a few hours of Bosque del Apache NWR  Come along and read about a few of the highlights.  

Carlsbad National Park and Christmas on the Pecos

A photo was taken of all of us participating in the tour 

One weekend we planned with Bob and Amy (volunteers at Bosque) a visit to Carlsbad National Park and attended a Rock of Ages Candle Lantern Tour. It is offered by the park two weekends a year in December and sells out quickly. It's a throw back to how people used to first visit the caverns when it first opened. We each carried a lantern through the Big Room and the regular lights were off. Consumed Park staff met us along the route and  reenacted some of the original people who helped start this park such as the colorful Colonel Thomas Boles. After traveling through most of the room we then blew out our candles and one of the park rangers sang Rock of Ages. Her beautiful voice echoed through the cavern. The lights were then turned on and we traveled back through the Big Room marveling at some of the features we had missed. 

We stayed at a pretty bed and breakfast in Carlsbad called Fiddlers Inn. It was a nice inn and we loved the outdoor hot tub decked with twinkle lights at night. 

Our two bedroom suite was on the right

The next evening we went downtown and took a forty-five minute pontoon boat ride down the Pecos River. Most of the homes along the river had pretty Christmas light displays. This tour is offered by the city and it reimburses the owners for their electric bill if they participate. The warm blankets provided came in handy and we really enjoyed it.

Christmas on the Pecos

Smokey the Bear's grave site

Along the way we stopped at Smokey the Bear Historical Site in Capitan. It's an interesting stop run by the New Mexico State Forestry Division and is the  burial site of the very famous bear who helped educate all of us about forest fires.

Bitter lake Visitor Center

We also visited another refuge called Bitter Lake where Lesser Sandhill Cranes spend the winter. It's a quiet refuge with a nice visitor center. We were thrilled to see an American Bitern out in the open.



This secretive bird is usually very hard to find and gave us some great views. They usually spend most of their time pretending to be a blade of grass. The highlight was seeing a Red Fox chasing after some quail. He was a beauty to behold. 

American Biter

Red Fox on the hunt for quail

John and I

Albuquerque

We have also visited Albuquerque a couple of times. It's a great city with so much to see. We came here when our friends Fran and Randy visited and returned again to celebrate Christmas with two volunteer couples (Bob & Amy and Bill & Julie).

Being here for Christmas was a delight. Our first stop was a delicious lunch at the beautiful El Pinto Restaurant. Each room in this huge place is beautifully decorated and many have fireplaces. Everything was fresh and well prepared and their salsa is amazing. We will definitely return here again. 

El Pinto Restaurant

Bill and Julie (from Oregon)

Bob and Amy (from Tennessee)

Home decorated with luminaries

Luminary displays are a tradition in New Mexico on Christmas Eve. Amy had met someone at the refuge who recommended a certain neighborhood for us to tour. We found it easily and were amazed at the thousands of luminaries which lit each road, home, and sidewalk. Afterwards we headed to Old Town and luckily snagged a parking spot. It's a very popular place to be on Christmas eve. We really enjoyed a  parade of bicycles decorated with lights and a huge Christmas tree made from 150 trees. 

We walked past the shops and weaved in and out of this area. There were also luminaries  and many of the art galleries  had beautiful fireplaces and snacks for customers. 

This tree was make from water bottles and LED lights

On Sunday we attended church and then went to a fun movie theater to see the new Star War's movie -Rogue One. The movie theater called Flix Brewhouse brings food and beverages right to your seat in the theater.  They even brew their own beer.  The movie was great and we were all exhausted from the non stop action. Amy did most of the planning for this weekend getaway and it was a perfect way to celebrate Christmas in this beautiful city.

On an earlier visit we went to the River of Lights at the ABQ BioPark Botanical Gardens. There were over 500 displays and millions of lights in this park. Each area we walked through was stunning. I can't imagine how long took to put this all together. We loved it!

River of Lights

Amy, Bob, Randy, Fran, and John

Sandia Crest

Randy and Fran are the couple who first introduced us to birding. They suggested we go to the top of the Sandia Mountain to see the Rosy Finches. The weather cooperated the day we drove up and up and up. There was some snow at the top and sure enough at the bird feeders we saw the Brown Capped and Black Rosy Finches. The views from the top were spectacular. We were all very pleased to see the birds and they told us we could return in January to help band them if we were interested. Sweet!

Steller's Jay

Rosy Finches

Life at the Refuge

What? Haven't you heard of goose for Christmas

We continue to really like volunteering at Bosque del Apache NWR In early December the refuge organized an open house and luminary display at the Visitor Center and Friend's House.

John and I at the information desk

After the Sandhill Cranes flew in for the night everyone was invited to enjoy some music and sample traditional New Mexican food and cookies. It was the first time the refuge put on such an event and there was a great turn out.

Potlucks are a tradition here each Tuesday at the Volunteer Village. We have some great cooks and oftentimes we play games and cards afterwards. The good fellowship with our new friends is priceless. 

A crew from National Geographic (Nat Geo) was here for three weeks filming three upcoming episodes called "Untamed with Filipe DeAndrade" which will premiere in March. We all enjoyed spending time with them and their enthusiasm for this refuge and the wild places was inspiring. I'll keep you posted when it airs.

National Geographic Crew

Immature Bald Eagle getting ready to fly

The Sandhill Crane population has steadily increased and there are probably about 12,000 here now. That's a lot of cranes. We also have many Bald Eagle and Red-tailed Hawk sightings.

Eight Tundra Swans flew in last week and have really delighted everyone. The Sandhill Cranes below seemed very confused with their appearance.  What a huge bird.

Tundra Swans

Javelina's huddling under a bush

Javelina's are frequently seen here by everyone but me. Finally last week I saw a group of eight and two babies.

A rare sighting of a Long-tailed Duck is causing quite a commotion. This duck should not be in this area at all and is usually only seen along the coast. It spends most of it's time underwater and getting a picture of it can be a challenge. It sure looks like it's having a great time out there.

Juvenile Long-tailed Duck (photo taken by John Olson)

Sunrises and sunsets are so beautiful here. I'll end the post with this photo for you to enjoy. We feel blessed to be here and really enjoyed these getaways with our new and old cherished friends. Life is good. We wish you all a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year and safe travels!