Blogs from Pecos, New Mexico, United States, North America

Our 2ndday of cooking lessons, this was a demonstration lesson in Contemporary Southwest cooking. The teacher was one I’d hoped to get for a lesson, Lois Ellen Frank, part Native American, PhD in Culinary Anthropology. She, like us, uses organic produce, eggs, meat and so forth. Dr Frank has her own catering business and teaches at the local native colleges. Dr. Frank gave us a lesson in native foods: pre-contact and then post as contemporary foods have changed as people have intermingled. She started with the 3 sisters: beans corn and squash and then built from there. Lunch consisted of grilled salmon, black beans, corn and chili tamale and flan for dessert. The food from lunch was lighter than Thursday so we were not stuffed when leaving. Like yesterday we also had a glass of local ... read more

"In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks." John Muir It is true that the things you already have you tend to take for granted. I have hiked in the jungles above Chang Mai, Thailand and walked the 4-day long Incan Trail leading to Machu Pichu in Peru, but outside of the La Luz trail in Albuquerque I have not hiked in and camped in any New Mexico Mountains. I decided to change this for the Labor Day Weekend this year. A quick search on backpacker.com's website and I discovered a close hike in the Santa Fe National Forest, which isn't too far from Albuquerque. After a quick stop to REI (who has unofficially non-financially sponsored me since I worked there in 2001) I set off towards Highway 50 and 63 to ... read more

We only have one week off work, so it's time to head towards home.... The valley of the Pecos river, as it flows out of the Sangre De Christo Mountains is one of the most beautiful and special places I have ever been. It's not the kind of spectacular beauty, like the Grand Canyon or Rocky Mountains, but a subtle magical play of light and colors. We come here often as we can. Comanches and Apaches have traveled, camped & hunted here & left flint arrowheads and other artifacts. Other ancients before them. At present it is a center of New Mexico Hispanic culture. One decends from the high dry Juniper Country into a fertile and watered valley. Buildings are made of adobe. Every bend in the river reveals new beauty. Fields are narrow, divided by ... read more