Socorro, NM
December 20-30, 2007
After an uneventful, smooth plane trip from Detroit to Chicago, and a bumpy, stomach-upsetting plane trip from Chicago to Albuquerque, this was our first glimpse of New Mexico in December
After an uneventful, smooth plane trip from Detroit to Chicago, and a bumpy, stomach-upsetting plane trip from Chicago to Albuquerque, this was our first glimpse of New Mexico in December
Shortly after, Dan's dad came to pick us up and we were off on our 100-mile journey to Socorro.
Uh oh, traffic is starting to pick up... at least by non-urban New Mexico standards.
After lunch and a bit of settling down, we decided to explore the 1.6 acres of my inlaws' property.
Here's the back of their house taken from near the southeast corner of their property. The small mountain peak just to the left of the house is called Strawberry Peak.
The largest peak in the picture is Socorro Peak. It's 7,243 ft. above sea level. Silver and lead were mined there in the 1880s.
It's called M Mountain locally because mining students painted a huge M on its slopes.
Here's the back of their house taken from near the southeast corner of their property. The small mountain peak just to the left of the house is called Strawberry Peak.
The largest peak in the picture is Socorro Peak. It's 7,243 ft. above sea level. Silver and lead were mined there in the 1880s.
It's called M Mountain locally because mining students painted a huge M on its slopes.
Here's a look at some native vegetation. First up, four-wing salt bush (with and without seeds). This is so called because the seed pods look like they have four wings.
My mother-in-law designed the overhang on the back porch so that it would let in the sun in winter and keep it out in summer. Amazing what one can accomplish with scientific knowledge.
Something native and something non-native. A cholla cactus and my husband Dan.
A walking stick walking on my inlaws' house.
The round yellow things on the neighbor's property are wild growing gourds. They grow spontaneously in disturbed soil.
The front of my inlaws' house. The tree in the center of the picture is a plum tree.
On another day of exploring the property, Dan took these pictures.
The blue door is traditional in the southwest, and so are the chile
ristras — dried chiles used as Christmas decorations.
More interesting native vegetation.
Here's a closeup of the seed pods of the previous plant.
These bushes had fuzzy, cotton-like seed pods.
Next, a mesquite bush. Although you can't see it in the picture, it has large thorns. You definitely want to stay far away from these.
Ah, more scenery... No, Dan was not taking pictures of the mobile home next door. He was trying to take pictures of the quail.The Gamble quail are at the center of the picture, near the neighbor's fence. Difficult to see.
These next things are rastra blocks. Cement and styrofoam. This is what the house is made of. Great insulation. The blocks are stacked, rebar is fitted in the holes, and a version of adobe covers them.
Here's a closeup of a block.
Now for a relaxing evening our first night there...
(Sorry for the blurriness of the picture.)
(Sorry for the blurriness of the picture.)
...And an atypical sunrise the next morning. Why atypical? Usually there are no clouds. (This was the only cloudy sunrise, and in my opinion, the most interesting!)
Occasionally, a storm moves through. Watch as the mountain disappears then reappears again. Fascinating (and lovely) to watch! (The tumbleweeds blowing by to the south were interesting too!)
The same storm over the eastern part of Socorro and points beyond...
(The distortion is due to me taking the picture through the glass patio doors. Sorry.)
(The distortion is due to me taking the picture through the glass patio doors. Sorry.)
On Saturday, the whole family (including Fiona) went to a posada
at the local nursing home.
I was still recovering from a 3-day migraine so I stayed home with
Harley.
She whined the entire time they were gone, except for the brief moment
when I tried taking her picture.
Another sunny day in New Mexico. You can actually see the M on the mountain.
Ah...a Sunday of domestic tranquility...
Harley was hoping that breakfast sausage would fall off Dan's plate. Sorry Harley...
San Miguel Catholic Church where we attended Mass. The main part was built from 1616-1626; the wing in 1853. Located on El Camino Real, it's the biggest church in the area. It seats 400.
If you would like to find out more about it's history, click here.
To see pictures of the altar, click here.
If you would like to find out more about it's history, click here.
To see pictures of the altar, click here.
That Sunday we decided to take a hike on the neighbor's property. The rule when hiking: assume everything has large thorns! The hiking boots I bought the week before served me well.
To help stop the rain runoff from washing out people's property NM Tech gouged out these catch basins. Unfortunately, the rain continued to wash away my inlaws' driveway so they built a wall to solve the problem.
Quail and dog tracks. Don't worry, the dog came long after the quail had left.
Prickly pear cactus, I think. This is the healthiest we've seen. Most have been diseased for some reason. Here's where the hiking boots helped. Somewhere along on our walk, I stepped on one by mistake!
The beauty of the surroundings...
Beyond that tree is a golf course owned by New Mexico Tech University.
Monday morning Dan and I took a walk along the road my inlaws' house is on. This is looking North. Believe it or not, there's a McMansion at the far end of the road. Seems out of place here.
Christmas morning...
Harley chased two balls underneath the wrapping paper. One was her Christmas present, one was Fiona's. But Harley thinks they both should be hers. In a couple of days she chewed both of them to pieces.
On the day after Christmas, Dan's brother took us to Albuquerque to see the petroglyphs and the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center.
Here's some scenery along the way...
On the day after Christmas, Dan's brother took us to Albuquerque to see the petroglyphs and the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center.
Here's some scenery along the way...
Here we are at one of the mountains in Boca Negra Canyon. Yes, we climbed to the top.
An up-close picture of what those black rocks, without pictures, look like.
Here's a petroglyph. There are supposed to be 200 in this canyon alone. We didn't see that many, but we did see quite a few.
Views of the canyon from various points on the mountain.
Yea... we made it to the top! (And boy was I sore days afterwards...But, it was worth it!!)
Next it was a brief stop at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center. This is the courtyard. We got there near closing time, but we were able to see quite a bit, albeit quickly.
The bags that are ringing the grassy areas are called luminaries. They're also a traditional Christmas decoration, traditionally first lighted on Christmas eve. Basically, they are paper bags with sand in them. Then a candle is placed in the sand.
In Socorro, near where Dan's parents live, the street called Calle de Lago was completely lined with lighted luminaries on Christmas eve. What a beautiful sight!
On Thursday Dan and his Dad went to visit the VLA (Very Large Array) at the NRAO (National Radio Astronomy Observatory). Here are some pictures Dan took on the way up the mountain...
In Socorro, near where Dan's parents live, the street called Calle de Lago was completely lined with lighted luminaries on Christmas eve. What a beautiful sight!
On Thursday Dan and his Dad went to visit the VLA (Very Large Array) at the NRAO (National Radio Astronomy Observatory). Here are some pictures Dan took on the way up the mountain...
Here they are arriving at the NRAO. It was WINDY! The weather service predicted 50 mile an hour winds. After hearing that, I'm glad I didn't go!
What you saw in the distance in the last picture and will see in the next couple of pictures are the antennas. Each is 25 meters in diameter (82 feet) and weighs 230 tons. The movable reflector is 100 tons.
On the way home... This is probably the greenest, natural part of New Mexico. (at least from what little I've seen...)
Fiona trying to see if any ribs will fall...Or if Dan's mom will take pity on her and drop her some. Both dogs got rib bones to chew on after dinner. They did more than chew. They ate them.
And now the highlight of the trip, in my opinion. A trip to Bosque Del Apache National Wildlife Refuge. I'm glad I suggested it! This was the peak time for Sandhill cranes and light geese. The Bosque is about 18 miles south of Socorro in San Antonio. Here are some pictures taken on our way there.
These are some pictures from outside the visitor center. The tracks in the concrete are carved Sandhill crane tracks.They're there in celebration of the Festival of the Cranes held in November. You also see these tracks painted on some of the streets of Socorro.
And now for some sightseeing in the park itself...
The birds in the water are mostly ducks along with some other birds we couldn't identify, even with binoculars. As you'll see, you really need a zoom lens when taking pictures here...
No birds here. I just thought it was beautiful scenery. Chupadera mountain is in the background.
A rare moment. My camera caught three birds in flight. But, I'm not sure they showed up too well here.
A black and white duck. Interesting markings. Lovely to watch.
And, now, what people come here for this time of year...Sandhill cranes!!
More cranes at another part of the park.
While watching the cranes here, we saw a bunch of birds in flight farther ahead. So we headed there. And what we found was amazing!
A large flock of Sandhill cranes and light geese. And when the geese decide to take off, it's an utterly amazing sight
...and sound!
...and sound!
One of the birdwatchers we ran into told us about two bald eagles in another part of the park. We went there and sure enough...
What majestic creatures and to see them in the wild is amazing...and a privilege!
They were in the tree in the middle of the lake. Like I said, one really needs a zoom lens...
The black birds in the foreground are called coots.
What majestic creatures and to see them in the wild is amazing...and a privilege!
They were in the tree in the middle of the lake. Like I said, one really needs a zoom lens...
The black birds in the foreground are called coots.
On our way home we passed this bar. It's famous for being the place where the atomic bomb scientists hung out.
On the day before we were set to leave Dan and his Dad went near the NM Tech Explosives Research Facility. Dan took a picture of the state flower, the Yucca, and another view of M Mountain.
For more information on the city of Socorro, please visit http://www.socorro-nm.com/
Created by Joyce P. Simkin
Last updated in HTML June 3, 2009
Last updated in Weebly November 25, 2016
Last updated in HTML June 3, 2009
Last updated in Weebly November 25, 2016