My trip to New Mexico and Rocky

Hotel Aspen
In Aspen, a ski town in central Colorado, I sat in the outdoor hot spa of Hotel Aspen. It's chilly outside, a little bit rain drop, air thin and fresh. An aspen tree is right behind me. The leave fall from high above, chasing the breeze up and down, some drop in the nearby pool. A girl, late I know her name is Kristine, is playing in the pool, jumping in and out. To my right rose the snow-capped mountain, tangible, and the pine trees are hidden and visible in the fog. "If it's cloudy like this all day, I am going to sit here all day". I talked to my neighbor, a couple who live not far away from Aspen. "A few hours' driving" the husband said. They come here every year during the off season, they just love it. "It's the best time to enjoy Aspen", the wife said to me. It's my first time in Aspen, I already love it.

I checked in late last night. It was a long drive from Albuquerque. On highway US-285 I got a phone call from the hotel.

"Are you coming? "

"Yes, on my way"

"Listen, we are leaving at 11..."

A hotel with no one in service at night shift? Unbelievable. If we are lucky, we should be there around 12:30.

The hotel left the key in the secure box, and give me the passcode. I double confirm the passcode.

"What if the passcode doesn't work?".

"Then you follow the instruction in the envelope, you will be fine"

Late I found out I need to unlock the box first to get the envelope, to get the instruction with the emergency number inside.

It remind me of the trip I went to Bryce Canyon National Park in summer of 2008. We stayed at a motel outside the park. A 2-story building in the middle of corn field which we missed and found it when we turned back. The door is locked. We knocked hard, but from inside, there is no sign of a single soul ever live here. The cell phone has no signal. Only a pay phone hanging next to the door. We searched for quarters in our car. We drove all the way from Vegas, almost all the quarters are used up in the slot machine. You can't imagine how happy we found one or two quarters in some shabby corner under the seat. We dialed the number, it went into voice mail. After couple of trying, a lady answered the phone. She told me she hide the key behind the payphone, which is right in front of me. "I found it" I raised my hand up high. That was excited! My buddies stand behind me. They are almost ready to tear me apart if we have to sleep in the car. Will it happen to me again in Hotel Aspen? In peak season, one night stay will cost nearly $300. I bet it must be a decent hotel. We will just be fine this time.

Aspen Church along Maroon Creek Rd (Co Rd 13), between Aspen and Snowmass Village

Dutch Mill Café
Sun has already set. The autumnal clouds gather over the horizon, it get darker and darker. Suddenly sun rays burst out from below, turning the clouds into orange, then red, then couple of minutes late it fade out. My buddies start get hungry, I checked GPS, there is not many choice on CO Rt 285 approaching the border between Colorado and New Mexico. The road is straight, the field is empty, not even a barn. The restaurant is 40 miles behind us, and nearest gas station is 30 miles ahead of us in Antonito. I only get less than quarter tank of gas left. I didn't tell the gas situation, it only add anxiety, but maybe it will overrule the hunger? I got to fill my tank and feed my people very soon. We stopped for dinner at Dutch Mill Café in Antonito. It start raining. Perfect time to make a stop and re-energize.

Antonito has population less than 1000, 10 miles north from the border. Rt 285 is the main street passing the town. As our waitress Jenny said "there is nothing here". She just come back from a trip to New York city. Her sister enroll in University of New Jersey, and she went with her sister and Mom to visit the campus then tour the city. It's her first time to NYC. I asked how she like it. She said "Now I know there is a new world out there". Isn't that the same feeling I have when I come back from a trip? Isn't that the same reason keep my heart itchy every time reading a travel story?

When I was kid back to 1980, one day a couple came to our village, riding bicycle. The whole village came out, and I manage to get into the inner circle to get a closer look. I don't remember if they are from America or Europe, but both of them are tall. At that time, people study Russian, few people know English. One wise man from the village have a English-Chinese dictionary, and that's the way they communicate but still not effective. I guessed the husband give up the dictionary eventually, and he start to make some gesture that any 5-year old kid can understand they want to eat and take a shower. That night the public shower place is absolutely crowd. No one has ever seen a foreign before, can you imagine if they are naked? It just drive people insane. They only stayed in the village one night then they are gone in the morning, no one have heard about them since then. But we talked about them for weeks. Once in a while, It came back to my mind. The seed has been planted in my heart in the summer of 1980. Unconsciously I realized there is a new world out there. I left the village when I was 16, and came to States at 24. The more I travel, the more I think about why I travel. Tonight, Jenny find the answer for me.


I pulled out the postcard and wrote to Xiaoli. I started with what Jenny told me "Now I know there is a new world out there". When I get back home, the postcards may not arrive yet. Recently I wrote many letters to her. She start to put the postcard in a photo album. Now too many to hold in one album, she put them in a drawer. Usually I didn't read them, not now. Many years later I might tired of traveling, then that's the time I am going to read what I wrote, wherever I have been, whenever I have been, I am going to read them all.


Continental Divide
From Antonito, there is another 200 miles to go, approximately 4.5 hours' driving, that's what GPS said. Rt. 285 turn to 24 then 82. After Twin Lakes, the road starts to climb gradually, then there are countless switchbacks to make the ascent to Continental Divide. I made a stop somewhere, turned off the light, engine, and stepped out of car. It's cold, mountain cold, quiet, deadly quiet. The Milky Way Galaxy is stunning above me, the stars blinking like the firework blowing up. It remind me of the bus trip I once took from Wuhan to my hometown on Christmas Eve, stepping out of the bus, and firework blowing up. It remind me of the night at Zion Lodge where we laid down on the nearby stone bench waiting for the shuttle, and appreciate the brilliant galaxy. I wish the shuttle never come. It remind me of the Glacier Point where ranger point the laser beam into the sky, and show us the stars and Greek constellation. Scorpius, Big Dipper, North Star, Orion, Leo… one by one they come to life.


More switchback ahead of us. The driving start to get crazy. The road is windy. Some part is so narrow that is almost like a secrete passage. I can't imagine if another car coming from the other direction. Come out of nowhere snow start to fall on the windshield. The higher we drive the thicker the snow, the visibility is really poor. I probably drive 10 miles an hour. Then I saw the Continental Divide sign to my left, overwhelmed by the forever falling show flake. At 12,095 feet, this is the highest paved mountain pass in Colorado. After Independence Pass, I started to drive downhill. If you think going up is challenging, then going down is miserable . The road is icy and I almost could not stop at some point. I have to apply full brake and use the hand brake at same time. That's the most thrilling and risky moment of the whole trip.

The Shinning

Further down the road, the snow nearly stop, even though the accumulation of snow is still visible on the shoulder. The tension in my mind finally get away. More switchback and downhill ahead of me but driving is manageable. My buddies resumed Stephen King 's audio book "The Shinning". I have watched the movie couple of times, but my friends have not yet. Tomorrow night we are going to stay at Stanley Hotel, where King got inspired to write the novel. The movie was shot in England, a few exterior shots are from Timberline Lodge on Mount Hood in Oregon. Some of the interiors are based on the lobby in Ahwahnee Hotel in Yosemite National Park. The opening panoramas where Jack driving his Beetle to the hotel were filmed from a helicopter in Glacier National Park on the Going-to-the-Sun Road.


Stanley Hotel


The 2nd time I went to Acadia National Park, I stayed at same motel I stayed 1st time - Robbins Motel. I checked in, said hi to Jack's dog, and get to my room. It's still early, I turned on the TV, it plays "The Shining". It's now viewed as a classic of the horror genre. I watched it before, I know it's scary, I am not sure I want to watch it by myself. But I watch it anyway. The movie is about a story in Rocky Mountains, and the Overlook Hotel which is closed and isolated each winter by the heavy snow. A writer with his wife and son stayed in the hotel as off-season caretaker. The ghost presence in the haunted hotel drive the writer into madness and he start to kill people. After a paralyzing winter storm, there is no way to escape.


In the audio book, it explains how Jack lose the job and drink too much, and get interview for the Overlook Hotel. The plot is quite same as movie. Suddenly Jibiao yelled "Deer". He has better vision at night. Then I saw that huge female elk standing in middle of the road. Before I can do anything, she jumped away into the darkness and I drove through. Everything happened in a second, when I look back from rear mirror nothing is there but the vast darkness. I even didn't get enough time to look at the elk, maybe it is a deer? All I remember is it turn its head toward the approaching car, its eyes shining in the headlight. How it jump into the wood is a mystery for me, my memory is blank in that blink of second.


At midnight, we finally arrived at Aspen. It's quite, street wide, dark, we only saw one guy walking on the street. We stopped to ask direction for hotel, which is one block away. it take no time to locate the secure box. Only a small problem here. The sprinklers are on, and it's like a mini Niagara falls all over the place. One sprinkler is aimed right at the spot -- the only spot where I can stand to access the secure box. I tried different angles to avoid being wet. Well, nothing works. What a heck, I jumped over, dial the 4-dig passcode, unlock the box. There are two envelopers in the box. I pulled both, one with my name, the other poor guy are going to get soaked. I took mine and jumped out. I must finish it in 20 seconds. That's enough time to get my whole jeans wet. I took many socks, layer of jacket, even a glove, but I only have one jean with me. I will be miserable tomorrow morning at Maroon Bells if I can't dry it tonight.


It's Oct 9, our 3rd day of the 5-day-trip to New Mexico and Rocky Mountain. On the way back to Denver Airport, I asked my travel buddies what's the memorable moment of the trip. Girls like the fall color at Kebler Pass along CO Rd 12 and the ranches at Ohio Pass, Jibiao is overwhelmed by the tight schedule and still feel sleepy. For me there are so many of them, where should I start? The early morning mass ascents of hundreds of colorful hot-air balloons, the sacred El Santuario de Chimayo along the High Road from Santa Fe to Taos, the adobe dwellings in Taos Pueblo at the foot of the Sangre de Cristo mountains, the blue-green turquoise in Santa Fe, the forever falling snow, and the icy narrow road in the Continental Divide, and the jumping-away-elk which I almost hit on. All these memory start to fade out and mixed together, only the picture bring them back piece by piece.



We flew to Denver on Oct 7, pick up the car in Alamo. In next 5 days, we drove to Colorado Springs, Great Sand Dunes, Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Chimayo, Las Trampas, Taos Pueblo, Aspen, RedStone, Kebler Pass, Ohio Pass, Gunnison, Estes park, Rocky Mountain, and Boulder. It's a 1780 miles trip, 580 miles more than what I originally planned. What trigger me to plan this trip is the International Balloon Fiesta held in Albuquerque every early October. I must see it in the magazine somewhere couple of years ago, and obsessed to see it myself one day. So here I come.


Blue Mustang

My flight arrive Denver at 7am, Jibiao and Zhuqing will come at 8, and Sunqing at 10. I was going to rent the car then drive back to pick them up. I took the shuttle to Alamo, about 10 minutes away. It's 7:30, sun just rise up. The white mountains are far away on the horizon, shining in the sunshine. Not long after shuttle left the terminal, I noticed a giant blue horse by the roadway. When I get closer, I can see the glowering red eyes. What a figure! a blue horse with fiery eyes jumping into the air. I can feel the fiery intense. The shuttle passed by, and I turned around to see it closer. It remind me of the evil figure (牛鬼神蛇) in Chinese culture. Not far away, behind the horse is Denver airport's classic white tent roof. Late I read the article from NY Time about the 32-foot-tall "Blue Mustang". It stirred a deeper debate about what message it try to communicate. To some people it only add anxieties, while in airport traveler certainly need relax more. The artist Luis Jiménez was killed in 2006 when " a section of the 9,000-pound fiberglass statue fell on him during construction" -- some said the blue horse is cursed.

Alamo
I rented the compact car from Costco, the price is always beat other travel agency. Cost $165 for 5 days, not include insurance. This July I did the 5-day loop trip from Las Vegas to Death Valley, Yosemite, San Jose, Kings Canyon, and Sequoia, 1200 miles, one person. I know I can do the same trip, from Denver to Albuquerque then Rocky Mountain. I am kind of like solo travel, solitude, uncertainty, talk to self, meet stranger, stop/sleep whenever wherever I feel like. Late Sunqing, Jibiao and Zhuqing join me. When did I get so popular? These days I am thinking If I don't have these buddies travelling with me on the trip, how can I share my joy with anyone? No one will believe how fun it turns out to be.

I am the first customer in Alamo. Judy did my paperwork. I upgrade the car to full size, my travel buddies will appreciate the extra room. She can talk all day if there is no other customers waiting. We talked about weather, elk, Rocky Mountain, snow, aspen, where come here, how long she live there, marriage, kids... Then she told me the mountain lions story of his buddy. Her friend is a hunter and hunting tour guide. He scout the mountains whenever he is free. One day he encountered 2 mountain lion cubs, but didn't realize the mom is nearby. Then he heard the roaring noise, he turned around and see mountain lion mom, charged. He aimed the gun at the mountain lion and pulled the trigger, but it's unloaded. He tried to grab the bullet from his pocket, but only found he forget to bring it. He throw out his rifle, grab the bow and shoot, luckily he didn't forget this arrow. The mountain lion run away, he follow the blood drop, but body never discovered. What an adventure, and what a great story teller. Later I brought Jibiao back to add him as 2nd driver, I asked Judy to tell the story again. She must tell the story many times. She typed on the keyboard slowly while her mind is in the mountains. When the mountain lion is charged, she stepped away from keyboard, and tried to grab the bullet from her pocket, then show us the empty hand to prove his buddy forget the bullet. At the end, she always add "I don't know why I told you this".

The people I met in Alamo are very kind. When we drove out, the gatekeeper asked if we need any map or direction. I asked "why Denver people so nice", he smiled and say "maybe because of the sunshine".


Colorado Springs

Colorado Springs is 1 hour south from Denver, along HW 25. We are going to meet our friend Zhou Xiaobo. We've not see each other since 2003. 7 years just fly by. He bought us a lunch in a nearby Chinese Buffet. He didn't change much, except he did very well, a professor in UC, funding to support some PHD students, a nice house in nice neighborhood, 2 kids and a happy family. We have good time together.


Great Sand Dune National Park

In Colorado Springs, two places are in our plan: Air Force Academy, and the Garden of God. We only went to Air Force Academy, and the church is impressive. When we left the campus, it's 3:30pm. I am not sure if we can catch the sunset in Great Sand Dune. It's 2-2.5 hour away, and sun set at 6:30. Great Sand Dune is in southern part of Colorado, when I get closer, I can feel the New Mexico flavor, the building, the mountain, tree, the people, it's different.


We turned west at Walsenburg along HW 160. the lightening is here and there far away in the west above Sangre De Cristo Mountains. Sand Dune is behind the mountain. It remind me of a Chinese saying "looks like the mountain are not far away, but the horse is running to death" (望山跑死马）。 Our white horse prince is Chevy, only 7000 miles on it. it's not going to die. We drove non-stop, passed the gate, then the visitor center, stop right at parking lot, which is closer to the sand dune. It's cloudy, and today we have no luck to see the sunray cast the shadow on the High Dune. I will come back. I know Great Sand Dune have much to offer.


Ted's story
First time I met Ted is Christmas Day of 2009. Huaicai and I got caught in Oklahoma City on the Christmas eve because of the snow blizzard. The next day, the Oklahoma is still under emergency state, but we can't wait to leave. In the Lonely Planet booklet, the first listed motel is Silver Saddle Motel, so we chose it. Ted was behind the counter when I went to check in. Later I know Ted is Japanese. He was born in the Camp Wyoming in 1945, lived in California, and moved to Santa Fe 15 years ago. Ted show me on the map where to go in Old Town. The instruction is accurate, but we didn't realize it's Christmas Day, and no restaurant would open. We drove around and around, eventually end up at the bar of Eldorado Hotel. Then we head back to motel. Ted is still in the office, and I chat with Ted for another hour. I told him how I found the motel from the book. He is surprised, and made a copy of the book. For some reason, he thought I am Korean. Once I reveal where I originally come from, he show the great interest to learn my culture, politics, and the country as a whole. I wish Jibiao or Yezhou is here, they would have more to talk about.

When I drove from Albuquerque to Santa Fe, I am thinking about Badhand family, the native Indian I met in Rosebut Powow. He gave me the address, but I can't find it any more. Can't remember if he live in Santa Fe or Taos. Once I got closer to Santa Fe, I said to myself, maybe I can met Ted if Silver Saddle is on the way. 5 minutes late, I saw the sign, and I talked to my friends "I want to make a stop to meet a friend".

I entered the office, a lady sat behind the counter. There used to be a bow hanging on the wall, but it's not there any more. Is Ted still here? The lady nod, and pick up the phone "Ted, someone is looking for you". Couple of minutes later, I saw Ted walked behind the windows, and got in. He wear a hat, but not much change. Ted, you remember me? He look at me for couple of seconds. You've been here last year? Yeah, last Christmas Day. You took a picture and put on your blogger? Yeah, I found the motel from Lonely Planet, you made a copy of it. Where is the bow? It used to be on the wall. Everything come together. I introduced Ted to Jibiao. It's Jibiao's show time. He study in Japan for a reason. They bow to each other, and chat in Japanese, I leave them alone.


Besides the missing bow, Silver Saddle doesn't have much change. The bookshelf stands by the fireplace, the wooden wagon still display on the desk. Hanging on the wall are the same pictures of western figure, maybe fugitive. The most impressive thing is the saddle hanging next to the picture. A black saddle, maybe originally a silver one. All these add to the flavor of the wild west style. On the counter, some bracelet and necklace are for sale. It's make from turquoise, the blue-green color mineral. New Mexico's state bird is roadrunner, and state gem is turquoise. Blue-green is a very common color to decorate the Adobe building, typically the window, door, or a beam.


Ted asked what bring me back. I told him the Balloon Fiesta. He said he's been in Santa Fe for 16 years, never been there once. Well, another story of too close to visit.

Santa Fe


We left Silver saddle, and drive straight to Plaza. There is a parking spot right underneath the sign of La Fonda. It's one block away from Palace of Governor. Step out of car, Wow, that's excited, people all over the place, sunny, warm, fresh air, adobe building, turquoise blue-green, white bull skull , red pepper hanging by the door. Ron used to live in New Mexico for 10 years. He said I should go to Santa Fe in August when chili pepper harvest and people dry it up. During that month, when you walk on the street, the air is filled with that chili pepper smell, making your sneeze.

When I planned my Route 66 trip last year from Chicago to San Jose, I make a stop at Santa Fe. I asked my friends who have been there before, they seems like not impressed with the city, most of them just drive through. But the first time I went to Santa Fe, I left my heart there. Indeed, it's The Enchanted Land.

Taos Pueblo

We stayed at Silver Saddle motel at Christmas Day of 2009. When I waked up next morning, I said to Huaicai, "let's go Taos Pueblo to see the Deer dance, maybe they have Los Matachina dance". We went to office, Ted worked at night shift, it's another guy at front desk. He is son-in-law of the owner. He help us to check the schedule of the dance but not much information found online. "it probably will take you 3 hours to drive north, it's covered with snow now". We didn't go Taos Pueblo, instead, we went to Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo for the Turtle Dance, which is 25 miles north of Santa Fe. Ohkay Owingeh means "place of the strong people". Historically, it was the center of Native Indian meeting ground. Their people is so powerful that only an O'ke native could declare war for the Pueblo Indians.

To some of my American friends, the place to see U.S. history is Boston. New Mexico probably is too far away and doesn't attract much attention. Jason Glitz used to drive through Santa Fe, and he didn't feel the heartbeat, the beauty of the Adobe building, with a brown straw-and-mud exterior and bright blue doors. I have seen this typical Pueblo architecture throughout the southwest of N.M. Ted told me that the outside surface of the Adobe need continuously maintenance by replastering with thin layer of mud.

We arrived at Taos Pueblo on October 9, 2010. There is a reason I plan it in the 3rd day of the trip. 40 years ago, Taos Pueblo was designated as a National Historic Landmark on October 9, 1960. And 32 years later, it became a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1992.

We entered the village around 4pm, it will close to public at 5. Sun start to set behind us. Once we passed San Geronimo Chapel, there are two main building, Hlauuma (north house) at left and Hlaukwima (south house) at right, both with rooms piled on top of each other. They are considered to be the oldest continuously inhabited communities in the USA. Archaeologists believe they were constructed back to 1000-1450 AD, which is during the time of Song, Liao, and Yuan Dynasty in Chinese history. Perhaps its inaccessibility as the northernmost of all Rio Grande Pueblos made it difficult for Spanish and later Anglo-American to conquer; Perhaps the strong sense of community and restriction on marriage outside the pueblo preserve the racial purity. It's amazing that about 150 Taos Pueblo residents still live much as their ancestors did a thousand years ago, without electricity and running water. The buildings today look much as they did in 1540 when the Spanish arrived looking for the golden cities of Cibola.

A dog is approaching me, then joined by another one, not aggressive, no barking, no begging for food, no tail shaking. The brown one walked around me then turned around, walked back to the north house and rest in the shadow. I followed the black dog to Rio Pueblo (also called Red Willow Creek, or Rio Pueblo de Taos). I read some article before about their sacred Blue Lake ( also called Ba Whyea), and their spiritual belief that Taos native originated from the lake itself. As headwater of Rio Pueblo, Blue Lake lies deep in a forested mountain valley, a restrict area only Taos People can access. The creek tumbles through the village of the Taos Pueblo and it's their people's only drinking water source. As outsider, absolutely no across the creek. The black dog drink the water, wading in the creek. Not far away stand the south house.

Two Native girls sat on the bench by the stream, next to a willow tree, chatting and laughing. Occasionally, they turn around and look at me and continue chatting. It was a peaceful late afternoon, a light breeze, the dog look toward the setting sun. Then come a boy with hoe on his shoulder, followed by a little girl. The boy across the bridge, lifting and balancing the hoe in his palm. And the girl sat on the bridge, throw a stone in the creek. The dog was scared away, only the stream flowing and babbling. Lately my mind go back to that moment quite often. If I left my heart in Santa Fe last Christmas, I left my heart in Taos Pueblo, by the Red Willow Creek in that lazy late afternoon.

The sun cast a long shadow of San Geronimo church. It's the 3rd church built in the village in 1850. First one was built in 1610 and burned in 1680 when Pueblo Indian revolted against the Spanish. It was rebuilt then re-destroyed by US militia during the Siege of Pueblo de Taos in 1847. The original church ruin still stand in a graveyard.

Between the church and north house stands a tall pole in the center of the plaza. This is for the San Geronimo Feast Day which marks the end of the harvest season. Each year, the feast day begins with a Catholic mass, 9/29 in the San Geronimo church of the pueblo’s plaza. The next day, the village is open to public, and there is variety of activity through the day, foot races at dawn, buffalo dances, trade fair, and pole climb. In late afternoon, The sacred clowns (known in Tiwa as “Chi-pu-nah”) will harass and joke with tribal members, to instruct tribal members in proper, humble behavior or to discipline. There is story that visitors have been thrown into the creek for infractions.

Taos Pueblo is a fascinating destination in the Land of Enchantment. Next time I go, I am going to take a tour, and taste the fry bread.

to be continued>>>