I was warned. But I didn't believe it.
Rancher Woman warned me the night before that I would probably be awakened by, what other guests to the 7MSN have believed to be, a Native American Ceremony. You know the type, with the chanting and moaning, oftentimes with drums?
Well, there were no drums with this special morning ceremony, but there was a lot of chanting and moaning from the lone member of the Porcine Tribe.(Turn up the volume)
(Why is the video pitch black, you ask? Well at 5:30am there is absolutely no light in the sky, especially seven miles south of nowhere)
After about an hour of the Porcine Ceremony, I was somehow able to fall back to sleep, until daylight pried my eyes open much too early for this self-proclaimed Night Owl. But the view from my pillow into the clouds was quite striking. Rancher Woman has claimed to see turtles above the 7MSN, but instead I saw 7MSN critters. Don't you?
I lifted my sleepy head and looked out to the barn, and realized just how Rancher Woman is able to take the most amazingly beautiful photos for her blog. By capturing the evening light and the early morning light, her photos have that extra special quality.
And with such willing attractive subjects she never runs out of photographic material.
We began our day, after I crawled, sloth-like, out of bed, with coffee, tea and Peach Pie. Mmmmmm.
While Smooch munched a femur.
After breakfast, Rancher Woman wanted to give me a close-up and hands-on lesson on what 'disengaging a horse' really looks and feels like. The Burro Buddies, George and Alan stood by to observe.
She's attended a whole lot of horse and rider training clinics and is a wealth of information.
Hank was a cooperative participant and teacher, too.
This photo makes me smile. Rancher Woman looks like the female version of Clinton Anderson teaching a clinic.
All good horses deserve a hug and a thanks.
Good Ole Hank and Rancher Woman.
Showing 'em how it's done. Later on, Rancher Woman invited me to ride Hank so I could get a feel of what disengagement feels like from the saddle. It was very helpful knowing just how to disengage a horse, and I can't wait to work on this with my own horse, Baby Doll.
The Burro Boys were a fun distraction.
Next up was the handsome Lyle.
Lyle has a few issues with his feet and Rancher Woman takes good care of him by preparing comfort pads to place in his Old Mac G2 boots.
Time to get booted-up, Lyle.
Going through his paces, looking good.
Lyle seemed to like his boots and had a nice spring in his step.
Looks like Rancher Woman enjoyed today's little ride.
The End of Horsemanship 101.
My time at The 7MSN was drawing to an end, as well. So after a delicious lunch of Couscous Salad and Fudge Mocha Brownies, I said goodbye to some of the critters, including Willie and Wynonna.
On the way back to modern civilization, we stopped off to explore some remnants of ancient civilization. But first we had to do some rock climbing up some steep cliffs, while remaining wary of possible rattler habitation. Looking down the cliff we can see our trucks far below. (Click photo for larger view)
The petroglyphs that Rancher Woman showed me were so impressive, varied and well preserved.
One of the most popular icons of the Southwest, due to the Pueblo Indians and their Kachinas, is the Kokopelli. The Kokopelli is a hump-backed spirit that visits the Native American pueblos, playing a flute and bringing fertility for the crops and for the women. Here you can see him in the center. Rancher Woman commented that it looks like he's wearing a diaper. Funny to imagine that a stranger with a large hump on his back, playing a flute while wearing a diaper would be such a welcome visitor.
These amazing snake-like designs are the largest and almost take your breath away.
The painted petroglyph on the right caused us to spend some time speculating what the ancient people used to create them and why they chose to make them different than the typical carved petroglyphs.
There were many smaller petroglyphs scattered over the rocks. It was like going on a treasure hunt trying to find them, and just as exciting.
Many of the rocks below the cliffs had this brilliant blue sheen on them. I wanted to know why and how this was formed. Fascinating!
Several times throughout my visit I asked Rancher Woman if she still has to pinch herself to believe that she lives in such an amazing and beautiful place. She does. I would, too.Rancher Woman reminds me of a modern day Georgia O'Keefe, as a graphic artist living alone in a awe-inspiring remote location, collecting bones, caring for her animals and appreciating the vistas and landscapes of the Southwest. She is truly living her dreams.
And I feel honored that she shared it all with me for a little while.
Looking northwards towards home. The cloudy Manzano Mountains in the distance.
Just a couple more obstacles to drive through before I'm back in modern civilization again. You may remember this same location from a 7MSN blog post. It looks like she took the high road back then, and I'm on the low road here.
I crossed an old wooden bridge, imagining this wide arroyo filled with rushing, flowing water during a flash flood.
I stopped off in the tiny town of Mountainair to treat myself to a coke and some BlueBunny ice cream at the only gas station. (Don't the colors used in this sign give you a headache?)
As I drove home along NM 337 behind the Manzano mountains, the rain poured down.
The sky was dark and heavy, the water rushed over the low spots on the pavement, and a river was filled to overflowing on one side of the road. I could still see the effects of the Trigo fires on the mountainsides. The current problem is dealing with the erosion now that there are not many living plants to hold in the soil.
Not far from home, I drove through a tiny 'town', population approx. 150, called Chilili. It's not really a town, but rather, a Land Grant.
It's a very poor, run down Land Grant, but the folks seem very proud and are willing to fight for and protect their land. Chilili even keeps several signs warning of this and reminding passers-through that none of their land is for sale.
Notice the "No Picture Taking" section of the sign?
A little ways up the road, past the land grant, a sheriff car came up behind me with it's lights flashing. I thought for sure I was busted and that my camera was sure to be confiscated.
Thankfully, the Sheriff drove right by me and pulled over a truck overloaded with firewood, instead. whew!
