First hike of the new year: down to the border along the river

Our Christmas road trip was delayed by four days because my van's transmission died on me Friday evening while driving home from Chili's, two days before our scheduled departure. It didn't make it to a transmission place until the following Monday, where I was told it would cost $3200 and a week's wait. So I told the shop owner to take his time fixing it, as long as it was ready by the 5th. He agreed. I didn't pick up my van until the 5th.

Eric and I drove to Chicago in the 2002 Ford Escape, racking up 4000 more miles on that boy. He got us there and back safely and now has over 172,000 miles on his odometer to show for it. He came in handy on the 3rd, as we were driving from Santa Rosa, NM to our house after the state was hit with six inches of snow. I'm not sure I'll be doing this road trip in the winter again. Eric's not one who enjoys exploring small towns along the way. Sitting in a cramped car for 12 hours at a time is too much for my aging legs.

It's nice to see the family, though. Weather was nicer this time (as compared to last winter's polar vortex) and I got more walking in.

Sadly, my daughter's four-year-old cat Jake had renal failure and was put down the week before I got there. He was a small brown tabby who loved to chew on my watch band. He had short legs and I'm wondering if he was born with internal organ defects. Carol's cat Frazier is now 16 years old and also losing weight, and I doubt he'll be around another year.

But now on to this year. I'm now doing long-term subbing for a social studies class in middle school and some of the kids are giving me a challenge. I don't have time to walk the dogs after school except for around the hood. My first hike with the hiking pack was down to the border and back, starting at 10:40am and returning five hours later, just in time to get home, shower, and attend a nice birthday party for Kevin's co-worker Bill (and his wife Malyssa)

The dogs enjoyed the walk, although Minnie had some trouble with a few high banks. She's getting too heavy "in the middle" and doesn't have the jump in her anymore. Sieger and Sadie are limber and can still jump quite a bit.

As usual, from the trailhead I took the dogs down the wash that lead to the river, and hiked "illegal" trails south until that faded out and I had to bushwhack back to the trail road to resume my hike. There were so many raptors along the river this time, from falcons and hawks, to eagles and Great Horned Owls. I should have brought my tele-lens! The last two miles were away from the water, and despite the cool temperatures today, I could tell that the dogs were getting tired and thirsty.

It took me almost two hours to get to the border at the river and no sooner did I get comfortable on a rock, than two USBP agents came down to inspect what I was doing, Hikers are allowed to come down this way, but I understand what a nuisance it must be to find out it's only legal American hikers. (There should be a sign-in form somewhere to inform the USBP about hikers in the area, so that agents don't waste their time.)

The agent approached me from the western bank and was talking to me, but I couldn't understand half of what he said. He did ask me how I was able to keep the dogs from wandering off and chasing wildlife. (Maybe because my dogs are hiking dogs and not hunting dogs?)

I totally forgot to even think of packing leashes on this walk.

After that agent left, another one from the east came up to talk to me. The dogs barked at him but soon quieted down once they learned he was going to do me no harm. He was a young man and we chatted for quite a while, about dogs, the wildlife in this area (The agents have seen mountain lions and bears here) and the decrease in illegal border. crossers.

I didn't want to waste much more of his time and thanked him for his duty before returning to the hike northbound. We stayed along the river for three miles going north. The dogs enjoyed the constant jumping into the water. The only wildlife I saw were birds. Coyotes and javalina don't come out until dusk.

I could feel the distance tiring me out. Minnie looked exhausted that last mile, too. Needless to day, all three dogs were happy to get back to the van and slept well the rest of the night.