Another SF update

Okay, I've got a little more time today, so here's a little more about how things are going and what all I'm up to...
The othe evening, as I was having a fine dining adventure (canned chili), I got the pleasure of watching a couple of hummingbirds looking for something to eat.
In the mornings, when I'm drinking my coffee, I leave the door open; during those times, my tent serves very much like a game blind, letting me watch any critters that happen along without causing them any alarm. I've seen plenty of rabbits and lizards, a few ground squirrels, and innumerable birds and it makes for a pleasant start to the day.
My general routine is wake up (anywhere from 5:30 to 7:00), take care of my morning ablutions, and then fix myself a cup of coffee to wash down whatever I'm having for breakfast (usually something quick and light, like an energy bar). That done, I head out for the day to do some permutation of walking and looking around, think Deep Thoughts, reading a book (I carry my Kobo almost constantly during the day), or just sit and watch the world go by. Very infrequently I see another camper/hiker, and if they see me, we generally raise a hand or nod in passing; so far, everyone I've seen as been as interested in "getting away" as I have. I'm far enough into the toolies that I don't figure I have to worry about my tent and possessions: transients, hobos, bums, and the like don't seem to have the motivation to come out this far.
Anyway, late afternoon (usually) I head back to my tent; that's when I top off my water suppy (I go through about a gallon a day) so it's cool/cold during the evening when I use it most, have supper (one of a dehydrated meal [stroganoff, lasagna, etc.], instant noodles ["Ramen"], or open up a can of something [Ravioli, chili, spaghetti, stew, etc. I don't carry a lot of canned stuff at a time, since it's bloody heavy to be hauling around. I know that's not a real nutritious menu, so I take daily multivitamins, too.
After supper, it's cleanup time - my dishes AND me (a hospital-type "sponge" bath), followed by recreation time: one or both of some reading (I've gone through several books by now, including George Tenet's "Center of the Storm" and Mark Bauerlein's "The Dumbest Generation" - both are recommended reading, btw) or listening to my radio. Several times, I've forgone the local stations in favor of catching some shortwave, such as the BBC.
Sunset happens along the way, and I'm usually in my sleeping bag around 10P. As you can tell, it's a frantic, excitement-filled, non-stop adventure - and I'm loving every minute of it.

Part of the reason for making my first stop someplace near "civilization" was to have resources nearby while I shake things out - and there have been a couple of relatively minor things that I've had to deal with. Which is how I've ended up learning more about Santa Fe than I particularly wanted too:

• There are dipshits here that bicycle everywhere: work, the grocery store, the mall, etc - most of them for the "health" benefits and/or reducing their "carbon footprint".
• Typical of the shipdittery: a big construction project was delayed because local (to the site) residents were vocally adamant that a small colony of ground squirrels be safely/humanely trapped and relocated. Cost: HIGH. Project delay: several WEEKS.
• The local concept of "sporting goods" is places that either specialize in a particular sport (kayaking, skiing, etc), or dedicate themselves to the high-end brands (North Face, etc). There IS a "Big 5", but other than that, it's Wal*Mars or Target.
• Whacking great stretches of roads are completely without gas stations, convenience stores, or fast food establishments - because the HOAs in the area scream bloody murder about losing their "view", the risk of additional traffic, and so on.
• Santa Fe is what's called a "refuge city", meaning that anybody that makes it into town is all but guaranteed not to have their immigration status questioned.
• Santa Fe is the damnedest mix of art galleries (price range proportional to nearness to downtown), tourist shops, yoga establishments, real estate brokers, wide-ranging ethnic restaurants, and so on.
• As a general rule, the city is uber-liberal, and the vast majority of residents are committed (personally, I think most of them should BE committed, but that's another matter) to an assortment of Causes: climate change, treatment of animals (dogs and cats aren't pets, they're "companion animals"), Nature, cosmic awareness, karmic alignment, New Age spiritualism, or any of a multitude of other niche interests - and they're MORE than willing to gather as a political force for any one or more of their causes. I don't doubt for a moment that they drive the city government nuts at times.

Anyway, here's a few more pictures (as usual, make with the clickie to biggie-size). I know I don't have a lot of pics of beasties and critters yet - other than the few I've already mentioned, they're kind of sparse around here. That, and not many of them have the patience to wait for me to dig my camera out and immortalize them. :-)

The view across the Southern part of the valley area.

The west is experiencing a plague of Pine beetles; this is what's left of a pinion (Spanish for "pine", if you didn't know) tree. Dead as a hammer and just *waiting* to be set on fire.

PLEASE don't drink and drive. It makes all the difference in the world (rolls eyes)

The view across the northern part of the valley

The central part of the valley.

Santa Fe update

I'm making a brief foray out of the wilds to resupply and give any interested parties an update:

A few pointers for those going camping:
1) The ground is often times lumpy.
2) No matter how good you think the ventilation is in your tent, no matter how "okay" or appropriate it may seem, do not fart in your tent.
3) Ants will get perturbed if you pee on their anthill. (I swear, I didn't know it was there!)

Okay, now about Santa Fe. First, it's the state capitol of New Mexico, and thus full of politicians and political types; this alone should make it a target for nuclear weapons. Second, it's full of artists of (WIDELY) varying degrees of talent. Third, there's an above-average amount of moon-battery: eco-wackos, New Age cosmic aura gibberish, third-world fair trade karma vibe, and about anything else you can think of. The downtown area is a mish-mash of pseudo-streets that date back to the founding of Santa Fe - rather like downtown Boston or Annapolis, only with a Latin flavor. If you ever visit Santa Fe and find yourself downtown, be prepared to fire flares and seek assistance before feeling you have to abandon your vehicle and walk out. If you DO decide to walk out of downtown ("the Plaza"), have a compass and keep going the same two directions (i.e. North/East) when facing the twisty maze.

Between the arteests and the social dipshittery and politicians, it's a city best avoided if at all possible. That being said, here's some photos to distract you while I make my escape...

There are a few more, available in my Picassa album.

I'm off!

And besides that, I'm going places...

Tomorrow morning (Thursday, 9 June) I head off to the wilds of New Mexico. Okay, maybe not so wild: the Santa Fe National Forest, which conveniently directly abuts the city of Santa Fe, New Mexico (it's that green part on the right).

I initially planned to start at Storrie Lake, but because of the the rather nasty drought going on in New Mexico, and some political and economic short-sightedness, Las Vegas (NM) and Storrie Lake are running rather low on water (which isn't a good thing for lakes to do, if you didn't already know). Between that and the Arizona wildfires threatening to invade New Mexico, I'm going to hang out in the SFNF. Doing so will put me a little farther away from "civilization" (it's a big-ass forest, and I'm going in several miles) for a more realistic shakedown of gear and preparation, but still leave me close enough to deal with any issues that crop up. I'm also going to stay there for a bit longer than I would have at Storrie, too - most likely a couple of weeks.

I'll still come down out of the mountains a few times to resupply, which will give me the chance to post here: not just written descriptions of what I'm doing, but whatever photos I take along the way.

Later, peoples.