The Land of Enchantment

Once upon a time, there was a girl looking for a job and a place to live.  She applied for a job online and the kindly human resources lady invited her to come out to New Mexico for an interview.  So on December 9th, the girl flew out to Albuquerque, New Mexico.  The interview went very well.  She really liked the people and the job.  But she was also staying through the weekend to evaluate the city.  Could it be a place where she could live on a permanent basis?

The girl had chosen to stay at a local bed and breakfast.  She figured that would be a good way to really experience local flavor and talk to the owners about the city.  However, the night before the interview, the owners called and said they were going out of town on vacation - but that they would have someone meet her for check in; and give her a voucher to a local place for breakfast.  Undaunted, the girl went ahead.  She drove to The Spy House  .  It was really, really cute, and only 5 minutes from the job.  When she went in, the lady who met her to check in told her that she was the only guest for the weekend.  So she had the entire house to herself all weekend.  Not exactly what she had in mind, but at least she didn't have to worry about disturbing anyone (except for the rabbits and the goose out back!).  This historic home was originally owned by David Greenglass - brother of Ethel Rosenberg, the soviet spy, who  with her husband, was convicted of trying to steal atomic secrets for the Soviets in the 50's.  It was also a film location in the Crash series.  They have a photo of the owners with Dennis Hopper on the wall in the kitchen.

Albuquerque, like many places, is a veritable melting pot of ethnicities - the majority being Hispanic and Native American (Navajo and Pueblo).  The Native Americans were the first inhabitants (see Petroglyph National Monument) followed by the Spanish around 1540.  The city's name comes from the Duke of Alburquerque in Spain - although the first r was dropped at some point.  Albuquerque is in Northern New Mexico and is sheltered on the east side by the Sandia Mountains.  It's easy to navigate around the city as the Sandia Mtns are always east.  The land is stark in varying shades of browns.  The sky is an incredible blue and the light is so amazing that artists of all natures flock here.  The city enjoys four distinct seasons - never too hot or too cold for very long.

 Also running through Albuquerque is "the mother road", Route 66.  So, of course, the girl had to eat one night at the Route 66 Diner!

Everywhere the girl went, the people were helpful and friendly.  They all wished her well and good luck with the job.  They all had wonderful suggestions for things to see and do.  She even visited the Turquoise museum to see how the stone is mined and cut and graded.  Very little Turquoise now comes from New Mexico.  Most of the Turquoise on the market now comes from China or Chile.  The ladies at the Visitors Center in historic old town provided a map and suggested that she take a scenic route around the edges of the entire city to give her an overview of what the various areas and neighborhoods looked like.  Starting at Old Town, which is comprised of historic adobe buildings that remain very much what they looked like a century ago,  the girl first headed up to Los Ranchos and Rio Rancho.  She tried to get a glimpse of the Rio Grande River as she drove up Rio Grande Boulevard, but alas, there were too many buildings and fences in the way.  She did manage to get this one blurry shot from the car....

From Rio Grande Blvd, she took the Tramwy Road along the Sandia Mountains, through the Sandia Indian Reservation, past the Sandia Casino, and down along the southeast side of the city, passing the University of New Mexico, and merging once again with Central Avenue - better known as Route 66.

On the final night of the visit, the girl couldn't decide what to do next.  So she picked up a local paper and on the second page found the perfect ending to the trip.  One hour by car later, she entered the Jemez  Indian reservation in the Jemez mountains.  It was 7 pm, already dark, but surprising light from the full moon shining overhead.  The Jemez mountains were still covered in snow from the recent winter storm, but the winding roads were clear.  She followed the signs to the Jemez State Monument, ruins of Indian pueblos and an old spanish mission. For the past 3-4 years, the Native people have been celebrating Christmas at the monument with Luminarias.  Historically, instead of red and green electric christmas lights for Santa, the luminaries were used to light the path to the Christ child.

Fortune was smiling upon the girl to have discovered the celebration was that very night.  The air was cold and biting.  Cars lined the roads.  But the path through the ruins was brightly lit and easy to follow.  At the top of the hill, on top of the mountain, next to the Spanish mission, they had lighted 2 bonfires to get warm by while a group of Native Americans from the Jemez reservation, drummed, chanted and danced in full costume.  This group plays all around the states and is mostly comprised of one family.  The speaker and drummer talked about being honored to be able to celebrate Christmas here on top of the mountain on this night.  He talked a little about their traditions, and of their hope to some day go overseas to dance in other lands.  Standing in the cold, looking at the surrounding mountains, the luminarias flickering merrily, the bonfires burning fiercely, the warriors dancing and chanting to the drum... the girl looked up at the star filled sky to the full, bright moon and smiled.  She had indeed found the Land of Enchantment!

The End
or, rather,
The Beginning

Stay tuned for more of the girls adventures, including the possibility of moving cross country and finding a place to live within 2 weeks!

Endangered Wolf Center

As I write this, it is windy, grey and rainy in St Louis.  A cold front is moving in tomorrow - so the forecast is pretty dismal for the next few days.  Fortune, however, smiled upon me this morning and held off the rain until after I left the Endangered Wolf Center in Eureka, Missouri.  The Endangered Wolf Center is a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of wolves and other canids through managed breeding, education and research.  They are directed by the federal government, but do not receive any funds except through private donations.  The Center was originally founded by Marlin Perkins and his wife.  His daughter is still on the board of directors.

Tours of the Center are by reservation only in order to limit the wolves exposure to the public.  I signed up for the 2 hour - program and tour, which includes a walking tour of the wolf enclosures and also an educational program indoors.  Our tour guide, Michelle, met us at the entrance to open the gate.  I must have still been half asleep though!  Because as I pulled up there was this intercom where you had to dial a number to be let in.  I didn't see anyone at the gate.  So first I hit the dial button.  Then I saw the sign that said hit 1 first, then the dial button.  Then I had to figure out how to make it stop dialing (the * button).  So I hit 1, then the dial button.  Then I saw the other sign that said for the Wolf Center you should hit 3 and the dial button.  So I started to re-do it again - when I heard something and glanced up.  The tour guide had the gate wide open and was looking at me like I was a moron!!!  Boy did I feel stupid and sheepish.  I quickly apologized and stated that I was apparently too busy reading all the directions to notice the gate opening.  She directed me inside the gate, and into the gate house - graciously refraining from commenting on my idiocy.

After checking in at the gate house, paying for the tour and making sure everyone was there, Michelle directed us back to our cars.  The Center leases land from Washington University Research Center.  So we had to drive almost a mile back away from the main road to get to the Wolf Center.

We opted to do the walking tour first, in case the rain started.  So Michelle led us down several roads, graveled and paved toward the wolf enclosures.  The wolves are all wild and with a few exceptions are able to be re-released in the wild.  Most of the enclosures are double fenced, and the chain link is buried deep in the ground to prevent digging out.  A few of the wolves are either too old, or have disabilities that would prevent release - but they are never tamed.  The first enclosure was pretty small - because the residents were pretty small.  They have 3 Swift Foxes - a male and 2 females.  This enclosure had tall sides with razor wire at the top - which was electrified by a solar panel.  Michelle explained that this was due to the large population of native Raccoons who could eat the baby foxes when they are born.  Here's a couple of pictures - between the chain link, the child running back and forth at them and the "swiftness" of the Swift Foxes, it was hard to get a good photo.

Next up was a Red Wolf enclosure with 2 males.  They were a little standoffish, but consented to come down close at one point to sniff out this invasion.  The Red Wolf is one of two species of wolves in the United States.  This Center has assisted in the repopulation of the Red Wolf in North Carolina.  They are a smaller wolf - often confused with Coyotes - for good reason it turns out.  The Red Wolf was down to only a few hundred in the U.S. and on the endangered species list.  When they began to capture the wolves for captive breeding to improve the numbers, they realized that only 14 of those hundreds had pure bloodlines.  The rest had crossbred with coyotes through the years!  So those 14 were the ones that have been brought in to captivity to replenish the population.

Just in back of the 2 red wolves was a lone, Mexican Grey wolf named Anna.  She is an older wolf and extremely dominant.  She is too old to breed anymore - had her last litter a few years ago.  And she is too dominant to be in with other wolves.  Her mate died last year.  She was partially hand raised as a pup, so even though she is still basically wild, she is too used to humans to be released in the wild.  So she will live her life out here at the Center.  Michelle explained to us that her daughters (several of which remain at the Center, one of which has been released in the wild) were also extremely dominant and had to be separated from their parents early on - instead of remaining as a pack.  The daughters were trying to take over their mother's position as alpha female.  The Center did not want to promote inbreeding, so they separated the daughters to a next door pen (where the red wolves are now).  However they continued to fight through the fence and so had to be separated further.  Michelle also explained that the wolves who were the most trouble (the most dominant, fought the most, etc) were the ones who thrived best when released into the wild.

The wolf enclosures ranged in size from 1/2 acre to 3-4 acres in size.  Still, it was a smaller operation than I had thought it would be.  But I guess you need to take these things very slowly and carefully.  They have permission this year for 2 pair of wolves to mate, the Swift Foxes and also to obtain a female for the African Wild Dogs.  They also have a pack of Maned Wolves which come from South America and are not really wolves at all.  They are extremely shy and solitary and refused to be seen in their enclosure.  Although we could certainly smell them!  We thought it was a skunk - smells just like it.  But our guide told us that the strong smell was their way of marking their territory.  The African Wild Dogs, however, were not shy in the least.  This predator, which looks similar to hyenas, has little fear of humans and can crush bone with up to 2500 lbs of pressure.  The animal handlers do not go into their enclosures at all.  They have trained the Wild Dogs to lay down and to put their paws up on the fence standing, so they can do a cursory exam from a distance.  But they are very dangerous.  They have strange sounds they make - little yips and whistling calls to each other.  The 3 males in the enclosure were very social with each other - and immediately came over to the fence where we were standing so they could pee and mark territory, and then they flopped down against the fence with their backs to us.  That is an incredible sign of self confidence and lack of concern in a wild animal.  Sort of their version of flipping the bird and saying, "piss off" to the hefty newcomer in the room to show they aren't afraid.

I'd like to mention 2 other wolves among the many we saw today.  One of them is Rocky.  He was born in the wild, but in a time of severe drought.  So his siblings all died, and he was the only one to survive.  Because of his weak condition, he was pulled in from the wild and partially hand raised.  He survived but was left mostly blind and slightly lame.  Rocky was neutered, and will live out his life in captivity.  He had a very difficult time adjusting to captivity, but thanks to a few companions, he had adjusted quite well.  Here is a picture of his companion, who came up close by to sniff us out.  Rocky, of course, stayed too far back to get a good picture.

Next up is Bob - so named because he had a shortened tail.  Bob passed away not too long ago, but his memory and his progeny live on.  Bob was slated to be killed in the wild because he was poaching cattle.  Like most of the endangered Mexican Grey wolves, he wore a radio collar so they could track his movements.  So they tracked Bob and shot him.  Saw that the collar was not moving, and knew they had gotten him.  But when they went to find the body, all they found was the collar that they had shot off of him.  So they went hunting.  Found Bob.  Shot him again.  Went looking for the body - and there goes Bob running by.... so they hunted again, and for the third time, shot him.  They found blood.  Went looking for the body.  And there goes Bob, running by again!!  He'd taken a bullet in the hip and kept on going!  So they opted to trap his mate and pups and lured him in that way to captivity.  He lived the rest of his life in captivity - both as a reward for his survival skills and to keep him away from livestock.  He even got a girl pregnant in captivity while she was on birth control!  What a guy!  You can read more about the wolves, and see a picture of Bob on the Endangered Wolf Center website.

After the tour, we headed back to one of the many old ammunitions bunkers that exist at this site.  Inside we found the gift shop and a seating area for the educational program.  Tour guide Michelle brought out numerous wolf pelts and cast skulls for us to pet and see.  She told us about their program and about the habits of the wolves.  When the U.S. decided to kill off a lot of the Mexican Grey Wolves, they would kill a buffalo and lace it with poison.  Not only did they kill off the wolves, but also the Swift Foxes who fed on the remains of the carcass as well.  As we have since come to understand, killing off an entire species is detrimental to the environment.  When the wolf was reintroduced in Yellowstone National Park, they found that the indigenous aspen trees and cottonwood trees began to make a comeback.  Without the natural predation of the wolves, the elk in the park had become so numerous and stationary that they were killing off the young Aspen saplings.  According to Michelle, we now have a 40 year gap between the older Aspen trees and the new young saplings just starting to grow back.  This is definitely a lot to think about today.  I did join the Center.  And if you're looking for a place to donate - it's a great cause.  I hope to come back someday to visit again.  Michelle recommended summer time visits to see the Maned Wolves in action - as well as the pups.  Most of the animals were skittish as it is the time of year when they all receive examinations and vaccinations.  So they equate people with being caught.  February is the beginning of mating season.  So after April would probably be a good time to catch sightings of pups!  They offer camps for kids in the summer, educational school programs, and Campfire howl nights (positive wolf stories around a campfire followed by an attempt to get the wolves to howl with you).  I highly recommend a trip here if you are in the area.  After all, Betty White named one of the wolves here (Perkins), and Ted Turner has been here as well! :)

Winds of change

The winds of change are blowing.....

For me, the midwest is synonymous with wind.  I lived in Kansas for almost a year a long time ago.  And it was the wind that I most remember about the weather there.  It felt relentless, constant, wearing -- some days like chinese water torture.  There was even a horrible dust storm in 1988 that was the worst since the dust bowl.  The midday sun was blotted out by brown dust.  They closed the highways because the wind was sandblasting the paint off cars!  I came to hate the wind there.

St Louis is windy as well.  It just seems to make everything harder.  No use fixin' your hair - the wind just blows it every which way - in your eyes so you can't see, sideways.  It dries your skin out; drives the rain under the umbrella, steals the warmth from you on cold days.  Even Jane hates it.  It gets in her ears and she shakes her head like mad and tries to out run it.  So on the still days, when wind doesn't blow, I am thankful and grateful.

They say winds bring change.  I've had quite a lot of that this past year.  Sometimes it makes me dizzy to realize how much my life has changed since last December 27th.  And while I long for some constants in my life -- I'm making more changes.  The interview in New Mexico has been pushed back to December 9th.   While I enjoy the sightseeing, I'm not really enjoying the rest of my travel.  It's very hard to connect with anyone when you'll only be in a place for 3 months tops.  I miss being part of a community.  I miss having friends close by to do things with.  I don't like job hunting every three months and sweating it out wondering if I'll have one (and health insurance).  So I'm looking for something more permanent.

In the meantime, I'm healing a broken heart; remembering who I really am; forging new memories to replace the painful ones; and slowly reclaiming a life I gave away.  That was part of my whole purpose in "taking my soul on the road".  so while the sight-seeing is slowing down at the moment, I am breathing, and healing and learning how to be alone again.  And searching for my path in life... again.  Stay tuned for more.
Julie

St Louis Zoo

The Saint Louis Zoo was started in 1910 on the site of the former 1904 World's Fair grounds in Forest Park.  It is a popular tourist and locals destination as, strangely, there is no entrance fee.  Parking is free if you don't mind walking a bit - you can park along the streets in the park; or if you want to be closer, it's $12 to park in the official zoo parking lot.  I chose to walk - both for exercise and because I was planning on seeing part of the park as well.   Forest Park is one of the largest municipal parks in the U.S. covering 1300 acres (bigger than Central Park).

It was probably not the best day to head to the zoo - blustery, grey and overcast - around 60 degrees.  This meant that most of the animals were either inside by choice or due to the wintery weather - by zoo decree.  The sea lion exhibit and show was closed for the year - as they are renovating the exhibit to a new, bigger, cooler one.  Still, I did manage a few pictures of some of the animals.  I had never seen a Red River Hog before.  It was pretty cool and didn't seem to mind the weather.

Here are a few others:

My absolute favorite exhibit was the hippos.  They have a huge water pond with glass windows down below in the front of the exhibit - so you can see the hippos under the water.  All of the hippos were swimming and it was just mesmerizing.  To see those large grey bodies floating so gracefully through the water... occasionally pushing off with a huge foot from the bottom...  Every now and then a space would clear through the murky water as they went off to each side and then a huge snout and head with small eyes would appear, followed by the massive body - slowly drifting through the water.  Just like the other kids, I found myself reaching out to touch the glass whenever they brushed up against it.  They reminded me of manatees - only these creatures are apparently more deadly in person.  Still, I spend a bit of time watching them float to and fro.  I only wish the pictures had come out better...

So as I walked around the zoo, which was not very crowded for a Saturday, I kept asking myself why and how they got around not charging for admission.  It took a bit of sleuthing work at the Centennial Zoo Exhibit and also from some wall commemorations at the entrance to realize that the zoo is paid for by the taxpayers and by donors to capital campaigns.  There are fees for parking, and for the shows, kids zoo, zoo train, carousel, and for the food and souvenirs.  It's an interesting concept and great for the locals - but I feel it fell a little short for the zoo itself.  Apparently the zoo has won awards for it's conservation and research efforts, as well as being among the first zoos in the country to switch to more naturalistic exhibits, and also counting among it's zookeepers the famous Marlin Perkins of Wild Kingdom television fame.  I grew up watching Wild Kingdom.  But as a visitor, the zoo was not well marked (even with the map, I had a hard time getting around) and signage was disappointing.  Outside the hippo exhibit, for instance, was one sign that mentioned how hippos were good for the environment around them in the wild - but it was a tall sign and not well done.  Children wouldn't see it.  And it only caught my eye by chance.  I would have like to see more at each exhibit on what the zoo was doing on research, or  issues the animals were having in the wild.  There were some signs on the big cats and the apes about possible extinction or endangered status, but it wasn't consistent.  And I never did find the chimpanzees.... Just saying....

So.... after wandering the zoo a while, I decided to take a look at Forest Park and The World's Fair Pavilion.  Again, other than road signs, there wasn't much signage available.  Maybe I just really missed the key places, but as a visitor, you'd think they would make it really easy to find.  I was disappointed that there wasn't more historical information/exhibits about the World's Fair.  Granted, I did not visit the History museum - so maybe that's where it all was.  And the only two remaining structures from the World's Fair are the flight cage and the pavilion.  Such a shame that we've lost so much of history.  The World's Fair Pavilion was just a building where apparently they rent out for private functions.  As I got to the top of the stairs, it was clear that there were catering companies setting up for something.  Again, a shame that you couldn't go inside.  Still, I enjoyed my walk.  And having had enough of the midwest wind for one day, decided to head back and pick up Jane from Doggie Daycare.  Slightly boring sight seeing these past few weeks I know.  But I'm working on a possible job opportunity in New Mexico.  So next week's blog may just be about Albuquerque.  Stay tuned.

Route 66

I awoke to a grey and blustery fall Sunday.  I slept in late - trying to recover some sleep from this past week of staying up too late every night watching the Cardinals win the World Series!!  I decided it would be a good day for some whimsical tourism.  I found a mention of Route 66 State Park online - and decided that would do.  So Jane and I set out among the falling leaves to pursue a bit of Americana in Missouri.

Route 66 was designed as a federal highway in 1926.  It spans some of the most remote country in the US from LA to Chicago.  It has also been called The Main Street of America and the "Mother Road"(by John Steinbeck).  It became one of the greatest migration routes in our country's history - passing through large cities and small rural towns.  Gas stations were plentiful and speed limits very low.  It was most recently featured in the movie, Cars.  Eventually an interstate was built along Route 66 - providing faster access.  And also killing off the small towns, inns, diners and tourist attractions along Route 66.

Route 66 Sate Park is located in the former town of Times Beach along Route 66 just outside of Eureka, Missouri.  Time Springs was reduced by flooding, and then bought out when it was discovered that waste oil sprayed on the streets to reduce dust was contaminated with high levels of dioxin.  The land was cleaned up and turned over to the state park.  Route 66 State Park strives to keep some of the memories alive through memorabilia, displays, souvenirs, etc.  The visitors center is located in what was once a roadhouse, built in 1935.  It was opened as the Bridgehead Inn, then later known as Steiny's Inn, Bridgehead Inn and Galley West.

I really enjoyed touring the visitors center and decided to purchase a DVD celebrating the 75th anniversary of Route 66 - it's history and the television shows that were filmed about it.  The memorabilia displayed included signs and bricks from some of the roadhouses along the way, Old souvenirs, an old gas tank dispenser, a Route 66 motorcycle, Route 66 road sign markers, bumper stickers, diner signs and much more.   Jane enjoyed the State Park - where she chased leaves and carried sticks and played in the grass.

After the walk in the state park, I decided we needed some more time on the road.  Reading about Route 66 made me want to drive it.  So checking the map, I had to get back on the interstate and go down several exits on I-44 to #261.  There I was able to turn to SR 44 (which is the historical Route 66).  At least in Missouri, Route 66 now only exists as a historical route.  I found that very sad.  It parallels the Interstate and at times criss-crosses it.  Slowing down to the 40-50 mph speed limit, I settled in to cruise a bit.  Already it felt different than being in the Interstate.  No worries about passing people, or getting in the way of speeding vehicles.  No keeping a constant eye out for cops while you're speeding. (Whoops, did I say that? ;) )  Instead, I passed aging buildings, small towns, houses, trailer parks, and kooky tourist attractions (yes, they still exist).  The road was gently winding with a few tiny hills.  It's graded just perfectly to cruise along without much maneuvering.  No tight curves or steep descents.  I can see why people enjoyed cruising along on it.

I mean, where else can you see such cool things as Creative Chainsaw Carvings, Gigantic Indian Teepees selling jewelry and tortillas, rundown trailer parks called Paradise, flea markets, farms with rusting fences and mules in the field.... you just don't have time to notice those things when you're flying down the interstate - unless it's on a gigantic billboard.  There is something to be said for slowing down to appreciate things - the life around you.  I definitely want to go back sometime and drive the entire route!

I was enticed off the route by a billboard touting the Meramec Caverns and Jesse James Wax museum.  I had wanted to see the caverns while I was here - so this was as good a time as any.  The caverns are privately owned.  They are the site of a famous escape by Jesse James and his gang - who hid in the caves and escaped through a river.  Dolomite rock (stronger than concrete) forms the ceiling and walls of the cave which includes 26 miles of underground passages.  The tour cost $20 and lasts about 1 1/2 hours.  It probably could have been done in half that time.  And they've added cheesy effects for the tourists that I thought were unnecessary.  But the stalactites and stalagmites were amazing.  I'm glad I saw it anyway.

Once I was out of the caverns, I realized it was late in the day.  So Jane and I headed back to St Louis on the Interstate.  But I have to say, I felt guilty.