Arroyo Piedra Lumbre to Cuba 22 mi :: 493 mi :: Cloudy morning, sunny warm afternoon It turns out the windmill is only a few minutes’ walk from our camp. It also turns out the old adobe ruin next to the windmill is now rebuilt and occupied. It’s behind a locked gate with a NO…

Arroyo Chico to Arroyo Piedra Lumbre 21 mi :: 471 mi :: Morning overcast, then some clouds, warm, breezy We start following cairns into the mesa lands today. They are visually appealing formations with sculpted clay and sandstone, and lots of blooming wildflowers. There are often fabulous views of the jumbled surrounding country. We stop…

Canyon los Indios to Arroyo Chico 15 mi :: 449 mi :: Thin overcast The sun rises behind some high clouds, making for a cold morning. We walk around to stay warm while we eat breakfast early to avoid carrying the water. The high clouds persist, making for nice walking. We’re having lunch at Ned’s…

Antelope Flats to Canyon los Indios 20 mi :: 434 mi :: Sunny, warm, breezy We follow more old roads and tromp through a field to FS239, the road we’ll follow for the rest of the day. It rolls across the top of the large Mesa Chivata, through woods and meadows. We come to our…

Horace Mesa to Antelope Flats 15 mi :: 414 mi :: Sunny, warm, breezy It doesn’t take long to reach Gooseberry Trailhead, packed with big vans. We grateful to find a good piped spring just off the trail, and have a good breakfast to celebrate. Since Grants we’ve noticed that Mt. Taylor is divided into…

Grants to Horace Mesa 15 mi :: 399 mi :: Sunny, warm, breezy We return to the Uranium Cafe with Elaine. I have determined to attempt to eat a Uranium Yellow Cake with eggs. Ann and Elaine opt for the smaller Silver Cake, a pancake the size of a dinner plate and half an inch…

Zuni Canyon to Grants 7 mi :: 384 mi :: Sunny, warm Again we experience the odd feeling of wandering into a strange town from the outskirts. We decide to go until we see a good place for breakfast. We reach the post office before this happens. Our supply box and drift box are there,…

Zuni-Acoma Trailhead to Zuni Canyon 18 mi :: 377 mi :: Some high clouds, warm, windy Wanting to use water where we don’t have to carry it, we have breakfast at the information center when we wake up. Then we duck under the gate again to try to catch a ride back to the trailhead.…

South Narrows Picnic Area to Zuni-Acoma Trailhead 14 mi :: 359 mi :: Some clouds, warm, breezy We start up the sandy Narrows Rim Trail in the morning. It soon ascends to the edge of the cliffs, which it follows above the road. We get nice views over El Malpais (mal-pie-EES), a huge lava flow…

Goat Tank Canyon to South Narrows Picnic Area 18 mi :: 345 mi :: Sunny, warm, windy We’re back on the road early. We have one turn to make. The roads don’t seem to match the map exactly, so when we come to an intersection we’re not sure if it’s our turn. The GPS places…