Posted by 8 miles
Today was a very easy walk in to Ghost Ranch a location made famous by Hollywood western movies, a place of retreat for artist Georgia O’Keefe and dinosaur fossil discoveries.
Initially it was a quick road walk on gravel roads before the trail would lead off across country towards Hwy 84. I was in a solid rhythm walking on the road, tuned into an audio book when I thought it was time to checked my maps. Sure enough the map checking timing was spot on, I had overshot the turn off but luckily it was just 0.1 mile, easy to pick back up again cutting across country myself.
A short walk across open farmland put me on a small hill overlooking the Hwy and the surrounding cliffs. On the other-side of the Highway was all Ghost Ranch country. It truely was a place of natural beauty comprising deep, multicolored canyons and bluffs, plains, grasslands. With the different colours of rock laid down billions of years ago, exposed with the passage of time one can see why Georgia O’Keefe loved this place.
I arrived just pass 10am. I had cell service and could see that my new shoes were with UPS and had been loaded onto a delivery truck in Santa Fe but had not yet arrived. Not knowing if they would show up today or not I booked a room for the night which would include dinner tonight and breakfast tomorrow morning. UPS estimated arrival by 9pm tonight. If my shoes did show up I could continue on trail. If not I could wait through part of the day tomorrow but would have to move on and hitch back once reaching Chama.
I have a food box to collect here and some shoe insoles that had been delivered on time but unable to check in just yet chose to collect them later. In the meantime I found table and chair in a patch of shade with another hiker named Priest and am making the most of cell service while I have it. Plenty of time in the day to look through the onsite museum and be on the lookout for a UPS delivery van.
Just after 1pm and still waiting for check-in I spied the UPS van driving up the main office. Success. Shortly after an email notification saying my shoes had been delivered. Talk about relief.
The rest of the afternoon and evening was spent completing the standard chores of getting showered, getting the laundry done and sorting out my food bag. So good to have a clean shirt. Even though it had only been a few days the amount of salt crystal lines that had formed during the hotter days was incredible.
Dinner was a join affair with multiple groups staying at the ranch for the weekend. Amongst the eclectic guests at my table were Steady, 3 people doing a weekend long water painting class and a women about to enter into 3 days of silence. Conversation over dinner moved every which way but the hikers really had the centre of attention. Everyone was just so intrigued with what we were doing and there was a million and one questions on the day to day of what we are doing.
Mick Beckers 