Northern New Mexico~ February 24-26, 2006
By now I am used to comments like “Now you see her, now you don’t” or “Where are you jet-setting this weekend?” I am quite happy to wake up at a different state every Saturday and wonder “Where am I this time and for how long?” Thanks to my friend Matt Lohmar (who couldn’t forget that his brother and father went diving at the “Blue Hole” and he was too young to go), I spent an amazing weekend in the Land of Enchantment; dove the Blue Hole, hiked into a crater, visited pueblos, saw where the Manhattan Project was set, walked around in the streets of legendary Santa Fe, saw Georgia O’Keefe’s original calla lilies and rode world’s longest aerial tram to 10,378 ft, watching the sun set over Albuquerque.
		My flight got in quite late on Friday, so I decided to spend the night in Albuquerque. I had never stayed at a Travelodge and their prices seemed to be so low that I decided to try. What an experience it turned out to be (!) I think “Travelodge Albuquerque” will always give me goosebumps. Let me put it this way; it was so unsafe that the receptionist had me call him once I made it to my room around the corner and locked the door. The room was cold and the heater didn’t seem to be capable of heating a room that size. Pillow cases were dirty; but my body clock being two hours ahead at midnight in Albuquerque, I wrapped a t-shirt around a pillow and fell right asleep. Compared to that one time my aunt lifted the pillow to unleash a couple cockroaches in Cairo Hilton, I didn’t think it was that bad. Maybe I’ll stay at a Comfort Inn next time.
I thought the change in landscape from country to beaches in North Carolina was impressive; New Mexico was breathtaking -especially the drive through Carson National Forest. Since I only had a weekend and a mission to dive the Blue Hole, I only did Abq – Santa Rosa – Las Vegas – Raton – Taos – Los Alamos – Santa Fe – Abq this time. In the south, there is a town named “Truth or Consequences” and I have got to go there! I’d love to visit the Trinity site too.
	Saturday morning, I headed towards Santa Rosa, to find the famous Blue Hole. This was going to be my first fresh water dive, and first solo dive-- excluding the 200 other people that happened to be diving the hole that day! Due to its constant 61F water temperature, obviously Blue Hole attracts divers from all around – I met people from Colorado, from NM, even from Texas who were there to do their certification dives. I can understand nitrox and dry suit, but how can you do open water certifications in a well that is 60 ft across??? It was no different than a pool.
		After the first 15 minutes I kind of got bored from going in circles on the bottom, so I decided to watch the students do their drills. There was a PVC square structure suspended at 15 ft, and the students actually held on to that while the instructor shows them what to do next. I guess they’ll build buoyancy skills later. Santa Rosa dive center is right next to the Hole and you can pretty much rent anything you need from there. A tank of air was 5$ and weights 3$ - they don’t have soft weights.
	The hole is at 4,700 ft elevation (rounded to 5,000 ft), therefore its 81 ft depth (rounded to 90) feels like 108 ft. The students driving back to Colorado thru the Raton pass had to off gas for a couple of hours. I was only driving to Las Vegas (NM) not at a higher altitude, but I had to do laundry anyway so I off gassed waiting for that in Santa Rosa. The hole was full of interesting artifacts; golf balls, skulls, a memorial stone for an instructor that passed away recently… There is also a passage; and a grill blocking entry to it. I heard that although it’s OK to swim thru it (looked 1.5 times as wide as an average build diver), some divers haven’t come back and therefore the grill was placed. ß Tired diver tow
Divers are required to obtain a permit from Santa Rosa police to dive the hole, and they cost 8$. I stopped at the Police Department first, and the officer there said I could get one at Santa Rosa Dive Shop. The lady at the dive shop said they didn’t sell permits anymore and that the police comes to the site and issues them. Well, for the several hours I was there, noone asked for a permit or a C-card. After after Santa Rosa I headed to Las Vegas, a beautiful little town about a half hour north. I stopped at Stella’s Café for lunch and had some posole soup.
	After lunch I treated myself to Montezuma hot springs; right by the Montezuma Castle (almost invisible in the top right corner in this picture). The water was HOT! I felt pity for the lobsters boiled alive. Having read the Secret Life of Lobsters, I ‘chilled’ myself in the 40 F air first and then jumped in, but it was still too hot. I got back on the road to make it to Raton before dark.
		I didn’t see a single police car on the way between Las Vegas and Raton, therefore I made it there well before dark. Then I drove to Capulin Volcano; I think the last time I was there was 1999. I hiked to the top and decided that the next time I visit; I should bring a wing and glide towards Sierra Grande. There is a stretch of trail that is just long enough to gain speed, and the bushes are short enough so it seems they wouldn’t be an obstruction.
Sunday morning, I drove to Taos; hoping to visit the Pueblo that had impressed me a lot back in 1999 when I visited with my American family. Unfortunately, it has been shut down for public for the next 7-8 weeks so I wasn’t able to visit. There isn’t much to do in the touristy downtown Taos itself – at least not for the short amount of time I had – so I grabbed my long delayed morning coffee and drove to Los Alamos. Where were all the young, handsome scientists? I didn’t see a soul in the streets. I wish I’d called up a couple friends from MIT NED who work at the National Lab there, but I didn’t think about it beforehand.		I went into the LA History Museum, got a book about Oppenheimer and the Manhattan Project, and then headed south to Santa Fe. Stopped at a Pueblo on the way to Santa Fe, but didn’t take any pictures as I’d heard that may bother native Americans sometimes. My first stop there was Georgia O’Keefe Museum. It was pretty small but I probably toured it three times, from start to end. Calla lilies… took my breath away…
	Like the rest of NM, Santa Fe was full of jewelry stores and art galleries that I really enjoyed. There is so much there that I’d like to come back to see.
	Sunday evening my adventure ended at Sandia Peak tram; what a great way to end a great trip… Before I turned my rental car in at the airport I had just enough time to stop at the Frontier Restaurant and have a cinnamon roll for my friend Mark J.(wish you could have been there with me). During this trip, there was only one person on my mind; a woman stronger, braver than I could ever imagine myself becoming. While I was on my way to Albuquerque on Friday, she was sitting through chemo for the 29^th time. Annecim seni cooooook seviyorum.

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