Rio en Medio


Our most recent hike was along the Rio en Medio trail, a short hike that parallels the river and features cascading waterfalls and lush greenery.  Beginning at a lower elevation than most of the hikes we’ve done, the hike exhibits a different variety of trees and shrubs.  I was amazed at how green everything was and was surprised to see the ground covered in Oak leaves.  There were a multitude of colorful wildflowers.  Here are some of my favorites:




The highlight of this particular hike was definitely the waterfalls.  Kua didn’t quite know what to think, but I thought they were beautiful:






The majority of the hike was fairly easy and pleasant, with one steep and rocky section at the end where we had a decent view of the Jemez mountains to the west.  There is an extension of this hike called La Junta circuit, but a five mile stroll seemed more conducive to a pleasant Sunday than a 13 mile strenuous trek.


In other news, I’m experiencing some post-Olympic depression after a dedicating 17 evenings of my life to NBC’s primetime Olympic coverage.  I cried, I held my breath in suspense, and I persevered to stay up past my bedtime so as not to miss a minute.  (Alright, many minutes were DVR’d, but I still watched more TV in 17 days than I have in an entire year of living in New Mexico.)  Thankfully a pint of Ben and Jerry’s Coffee Heath Bar Crunch and a bottle of Pinot Noir have helped me get through my week of depression.

Kua is also experiencing some Olympic withdrawl.  She copes by practicing her own events.

Watch her swim the 200 meter freestyle…


And dominate the 100 meter hurdles…


Here she gets ready for her record breaking pole vault…


And gracefully prepares for her dismount on the balance beam...


She thinks about throwing the javelin, but decides to hang onto it for a while...


She may not have won a Gold medal, but I certainly give her credit for athletic versatility.

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