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City of Rocks State Park, NM
The drive over Emory Pass is unexpectedly twisty, slow, and beautiful. A cold rain pours down, and when we make a pitstop on the far side of the pass we find a shivering German bike tourist in the restroom! Uli is most thankful for a hot cup of coffee before he heads to his next…
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Truth or Consequences
This funky town that named itself after a 1950’s game show embodies much of what I love about New Mexico. There are soft colors, prominent mountains, desert birds, and hot springs to enjoy in a cultural setting that defies explanation. This old, struggling tourist town in the middle of a desert filled with ranches, mines,…
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Diablo Canyon Overnight
We drive out Buckman road after dark just to spend a night outdoors. With no moon it’s wonderfully dark, and a couple of spectacular meteors flare through the blanket of stars. Groping in the dark with my headlamp, trying not to collide with any cacti, I find this cozy little nook between a cholla and…
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Cerrillos Bike Loop
Ann shows me a ride she used to do way back when, with a bonus stop at the charming San Marcos Café. Again the sky is blazingly clear, and wind has a chilly edge. I’ve been enjoying the biking we’ve been doing while Ann’s ankle isn’t yet strong enough for hiking. We didn’t take pictures…
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North Sandia Peak
Of the three mountain ranges that converge near Santa Fe, I’ve only begun to explore two. To remedy that I get a nice early start on a clear day at the north end of the Sandia Range. A cold wind keeps me moving upward to views of ever more majestic cliff bands. The views are…
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WordPress Geo Mashup Release 1.2 Beta 1
Interest in Geo Mashup is on the rise, and I will keep working on improvements as long I can afford to! This time around supporters include Bruce, creator of GeoTag Icons, agro.biodiver.se, www.sunshinebeachresorts.com.au, and others. Thanks! I recommend that you look over the Beta Documentation before you download, upgrade, (and donate?:)). Change Log: Added category,…
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Election Day Santa Fe
My election day project as an early absentee voter is to ride my bike to every polling station in Santa Fe. It’s not quite what I expect. The great irony of the day is that the early voting dropoff seems to have been the only polling station to experience significant lines in Santa Fe. All…
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WordPress Geo Mashup Plugin Release 1.1.2
A minor release with attempts to fix Issue 121, the “Cannot use string offset as an array” error. You should only need to download this version and upgrade if you’re getting this error with 1.1.1. Also removed the old custom marker example from custom-sample.js because it’s no longer relevant for category markers, and marker customization…
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Pueblo Bonita and Pueblo Alta in Chaco Canyon
It’s a peaceful feeling to wake up in our tent after a quiet, star-filled Halloween night. That’s a good mindset for a meander through some of the very strange Chaco Canyon ruins. Strange because they are magnificent structures concentrated in a very remote area. I admire the remains of these “great houses” and wonder about…
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San Juan Power Plant
Through her job, Ann procures the opportunity to tour a large coal-fired power plant. I’m mostly curious as a consumer of electricity to see one of the more environmentally problematic methods of power generation up close. The San Juan Generating Station, at 1800 megawatts, would be capable of powering New Mexico by itself if it…