Rio Grande Gorge

Wild Rivers Recreation Area

Barking Up The Right Tree

While in Taos, my wife and I drove out to the Wild Rivers Recreation Area for a little hiking and sight seeing. My wife wanted to touch the Rio Grande so after waiting for some thunderstorms to pass through, we hiked the Little Arsenic Trail down into the Rio Grande Gorge.

Following a long and seemingly endless series of switchbacks down into the canyon, we were tired but happy when we finally reached the riverbank. The trees by the water had a beautiful red color and I loved the patterns in their bark.

The hike back up was even more punishing, but I was excited to find a tarantula sharing the trail with us, the first one I've seen in the wild.

Rio Grande Gorge State Park

The Height of Fears

Both my wife and I are afraid of heights — especially me. So we were pretty proud of ourselves, after having climbed the wooden ladders to the kivas at Bandelier National Monument, for walking out into the middle of the bridge over the Gorge.

I had a pretty good grip on the railing at all times and never really felt comfortable, but I did it. Someone apparently thought it was a beautiful bridge (at least back in 1966), but I can verify that it's a tall one and, more importantly, that I walked across it.

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