Bluewater Creek Canyon

We took a road that we had seen deer, elk, and turkey on many years before. It was rough and got rougher until we found we had come to the end of the road. We decided to step over the barbed wire fence where others had done the same before us. We walked out to the edge of a canyon and looked down, or tried to. We couldn't see the bottom. We could see many miles to the northwest beyond the canyon. The rock ledge was intriguing. There were black streaks down the almost smooth rock at one place. I wondered what could have caused the streaks like that. Had it been water falling over the ledge some time in the past when there wasn't the drought we are having now?
     Suddenly we heard an eagle scream. The big bird did it over and over. And then we saw the birds flying against the side of the ledge. Knowing that they are such big birds they looked small up against the side of the huge rock wall. They disappeared but then were back to fly right over our heads. We were so interested in looking at the eagles we almost forgot to try to get some photos and the only one I got was blurred.
       It was a wonderful experience to see the eagles. I think they were golden eagles. They just didn't look right to be juvenile bald eagles that have the dark heads. We agreed that rock wall would make the perfect place for an eagle nest but as much as we looked we couldn't see any sign of one. But we could only see the wall across from us and not the one right under our feet.

      When we got back I goggled around until I found out that the canyon was the head of Bluewater Creek Canyon that runs into Bluewater Lake that is just west of Grants according to the Cibola National Forest website. There is a hiking trail along the creek that is about 2 miles long. I would  love to be able to take the hike but old age doesn't make for good hikes. 

Walking the Continental Divide

Last night I accidentally found a wonderful program on our local PBS station which is KNME here in Albuquerque. It was a two hour show on walking the CTD or the Continental Divide. You ask what is the Continental Divide. The Divide is the geological area where the rivers and streams decide which direction they are going to flow. East of the Divide rivers flow east. West of the Divide rivers flow to the west. On the North American Continent it starts down in Mexico (that I know about) and runs north into Canada. Or I always thing of it going from south to north because I have been on more of it in New Mexico than any other state. This program was about a man who walked it from Animus, NM at the US/Mexican border to Glacier National Park where it enters Canada; a distance of about 3,100 miles. Thats a lot of miles and a lot of walking and he did it from early spring through summer and into fall. It must have been a heck of a trip. Of course it was of so much interest to us because we have seen so much of the Continental Divide considering we have lived so near it so much and took road trips that went near it at other times.
My sister lived near Animus, NM for a long time. From there he went up through Lordsburg, NM to Silver City, NM to Grants, NM to Chama, NM and the NM/Colorado border. We lived in Silver City for a number of years and have visited the other places. We have been near the Divide in CO, as well as where it wanders up through Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana on our road trips. This show has some of the most beautiful scenery you could ask for.
If You are interested in seeing this show contact your local PBS station or go to /www.flaglerfilms.com/