March 1, 2015 (Big Bend Trip)

View from Boquillas, Mexico

view of Chisos Mountains from hiking trail behind Rio Grande Village campground

Ernst Tinaja

group on Boquillas Canyon hike

Boquillas Canyon

crossing the Rio Grande into Mexico

Jose Falcon's cafe and store in Boquillas

big horn sheep near Boquillas Canyon

my favorite: chips, salsa and Carta Blancas

vegetarian tacos at Jose Falcon's

inside at Jose Falcon's

crossing back to the US

MTB ride to Ernst Tinaja off Old Ore Road

Ernst Tinaja

Old Ore Road

Old Ore Road

road back to Rio Grande Village after riding Old Ore Road

Old Ore Road

Old Ore Road with the Sierra del Carmen mountains in the background

cold, windy hike in Boquillas Canyon

a warm wall out of the cold & wind in Boquillas

February 16, 2015

We finally made it back to the cabin after a 2 month absence related to work and weather.  We had planned to make it to the Mardi Gras parade and festivities last weekend but had to reschedule.  It turned out to be a perfect weekend for riding, and Rick and I were able to ride 20 miles both Saturday and Sunday for a total of 40 mountain miles and almost 5000 feet of climbing over two days.  Unbelievable for mid-February!  

JD and Jill joined us for the weekend.  They hiked Saturday but rode with us Sunday.  It was a nice weekend.

My new favorite at The Western Bar--cheese enchiladas, Christmas-style (half green chile, half red chile) with Moose Drools.

Valentine's Day MTB ride in the mountains with temps around 60 degrees.  You couldn't ask for better weather in February at 8000-9000 feet.

Warm temps were melting the snow.  Start of a very muddy section.

It got so muddy that the wheels wouldn't roll.  Rick fell and began sliding down a hill headfirst with his bike. 

Sharp turn just before the steep walking section.

Rick is removing layers as the bike and I begin our hike up the hill.

Rest stop at the top of the mountain.

Toby chillin' by the fire.

Green chile cheeseburgers with onion rings and Moose Drool.  Life is good!

December 14, 2014

After a three week break, Rick and I spent Friday evening through Monday at the cabin.  It seemed unlikely, but we took the mountain bikes in hopes of at least a short ride on Saturday.  The weather was decent, and we were able to get in another great 20 mile/almost 3 hour ride on many of our favorite trails without freezing to death.

We had Friday dinner at the Western Bar and made a shopping trip into town after the ride Saturday to the usual places and to the newly opened Family Dollar store.  It was actually quite impressive and will make the planning for our future trips much less stressful.  They have a decent selection of just about any basic items you would need.  Before, if you forgot the basics, you got to make a 30 mile trip down the mountain to Alamo!

We ate mediocre nachos at the Lodge, stopped by the bakery, and drove down to High Rolls for some shopping on Sunday afternoon.

Rick worked some more on the downstairs bathroom remodel, and I cleaned the cabin before we headed home late Monday afternoon.

This weekend marked exactly one year since our first trip to the cabin after buying it last December.

Cloud Country entrance by day......

And by night....

View from Mexican Canyon Trestle looking toward Alamogordo and White Sands

Ski Cloudcroft after the snow on Sunday

Christmas at The Lodge

Webcam view on Sunday morning

Toby poses in the wreath

November 23, 2014

Rick left on Tuesday to work on the guest bathroom remodel, and the cats and I joined him on Thursday evening.  He worked on plumbing, built and stained new cabinets, textured and painted the walls, and put up/stained/polyurethaned wainscoting.  The project is not completely finished but is getting close, and it's going to look great.

It had snowed earlier in the week, but Friday's temps were at least upper 40s so we took time for a mountain bike ride from the cabin.  It ended up being snowy and muddy in a number of places, especially on the north sides of mountains and in the trees.  We stayed warm for most of the ride, but the trip down James Canyon ridge in damp, sweaty clothes in the cold was brutal.

We had to make a trip to Alamogordo on Friday afternoon after the ride for firewood and plumbing supplies.  We loaded the trailer with wood with a little help from our bakery friends who were also getting wood.  We didn't ride on Saturday due to time constraints and the memory of Friday's cold ride, but I had plenty of exercise as I had to unload, wheelbarrow and stack the entire trailer load by myself while Rick worked on the remodel.  We headed into town in the late afternoon for our regular trip to the bakery, cheese store, bike shop and Western Bar.  The Baylor-Oklahoma State game wasn't on our tv at the cabin so we watched the first half at the bar (sic 'em!).

I headed back to Lubbock on Sunday afternoon and Rick stayed an extra day to work on the bathroom more.

Peg (the 3-legged deer) is back!  We hadn't seen her since March and thought she hadn't survived.  I wonder where she's been!

November 3, 2014

It was another great weekend at the cabin.  The weather was decent for early November in the mountains, and the mountain biking was excellent!  Same crew as last time.  We rode 40 miles over 2 days with 5 1/2 hrs total riding and 4400' of climbing.  

Rick's new full-suspension Specialized Stump Jumper

End of the road in a new area we rode on Saturday 

Searching for an old trail on the other side

Found the trail and headed up the side of the mountain

The trail

Nice morning by the fire with Toby

At the top of the last climb of the weekend near Wofford Lookout at approx. 9200' elevation.  The legs, and even arms, are toast!