On April 5, Darrell & I did a hike with 4 other people from our hiking club. We rate our hikes from D as the easiest, A as the hardest. This was rated as A++. 13 miles and 4,000 feet of elevation gain (all rocky steps). The trailhead is in the Ventana Canyon resort and hotel. The hike is called the Window. We did it!

We approach the window from below. Hard to see, it is a round spot of blue sky at the base of the jagged cliffs.

Upon arriving at the window, we found a geo-cache...you find the coordinates on your gps, and hunt for treasures...this was one of them.

It was hard to get a full picture of the window, as it is up on a rock formation...step back too far, and ....

Our hike leader Tom, and Melinda savor the moment standing under the arch of the window.

Some of the group enjoys a quick lunch on the ledge, with the best view of Tucson ever.

On the last mile of our outing we came across a small gila monster. Darrell antagonized "her" and she hissed at him.

March, 2008:

We took a week to explore Southeastern New Mexico. On our list was White Sands, Carlsbad Caverns, and Roswell. We saw lots of beautiful country, and although it was a little chilly and windy, we had a great time trying out our new rig in the state parks. Pictures were posted as we went, so they are in reverse order.

We had to cross the mountains to get to the eastern side of NM. This is Cloudcroft after a recent snow.

Darrell had to get himself a souvenir from "you know where".