The Hidden Valley

Before I left Maputo, my dad asked if there was anything in particular I'd like to do while in New Mexico. My answer was an easy one: camping!

My dad and I have a sweet tradition of going camping in the Jemez Mountains northwest of Albuquerque. In 1998 we discovered a perfect site that my dad later baptized "Camp Stinky" and have been going there pretty much yearly ever since. My dad is a camping maniac, though, and he goes at least once a month, weather permitting.

Anyhow, it's been a particularly rainy summer in New Mexico and as a result there have been all sorts of rockslides and roads washed out from all the water. The main road leading to Camp Stinky was closed, and even the hidden back route was too treacherous to risk in my dad's PT Cruiser that Ricardo and I had borrowed. So it was with heavy hearts that we decided to abandon our favorite campsite and settle for another location. Little did we know that our new spot, later christened The Hidden Valley, would be such a beautiful spot it now rivals Camp Stinky for the best site in the mountains.

Here is the spot Ricardo and I picked out for our tent after much deliberation. Rico had never been camping before and it was fun to be able to show him the ropes for once on something outdoorsy and sports-related.

After setting up camp we my dad, Laura (step-mom), Rico and I all went for a hike into this gorgeous valley not 200 meters from our tents.

Here we are posing in a clearing. You can get an idea of the size of this valley from the picture below of my dad and Laura walking.

It was nice and sunny for the first part of the hike, then some pretty ominous clouds rolled in and we could hear thunder rumbling in the not-so-far-off distance.

But like good old New Mexico, the weather was able to be sunny and stormy all at once. Isn't this Ponderosa pine beautiful? My favorite thing about these trees is that if you get up close and stick your nose in the nooks and crannies of the bark, the smell is exactly like vanilla extract! At least I think so. Rico said it was more like cigar smoke. Go figure.

Here I am with my dad. I'm sporting some nice under-eye circles and was suffering from a serious bout of allergies at the time. My dad looks positively radiant, though, beaming in the understated way that only he can manage.

In one direction the sky was completely black. In the other, lots of sunshine and puffy clouds. Turns out the storm won out in the end, but thankfully the torrential rain only started after we were back at camp and under a big tarp eating Reese's peanut butter cups.

After the rain we built a campfire (!) and had some green chile stew and tortillas. I can't remember the last time it was permitted to build a fire in New Mexico because of the string of droughts over the last 8 or 9 years. But this year, thanks to the rain, we were able to show Ricardo the full camping experience. The only thing missing were s'mores, but I suppose we can do that next time.