Our labor this Labor Day

 For a long time I have wanted to make the Blue Dot- Red Dot loop in White Rock.  You go down from Overlook park on the Blue Dot trail to the Rio Grande, follow the River Trail for a couple of miles, and then climb up the Red Dot trail.  But I have, quite frankly, been afraid I would be one of the many people who have to call search and rescue to get out once they get in.  The loop has around 2,000 feet of elevation change, between about 5,500-6,500 feet above sea level, and is almost 5 miles long.  And the uphill is all at the end. Well, I decided that today was the day! So at about 7:15 this morning, we dropped off the edge and into the canyon.  You can see the trail sign above.  And below, you can see one of the "Blue Dots" that mark the trail in the foreground and another toward the middle of the photo.  Yes, that IS a trail! We switch-backed in rocks for about a mile, going over level benches, then dropping again through the rocks, until we leveled out with the river below.

 When we hit the river level, these dots below showed us which way to head on the River trail to meet up with the Red Dot trail.  We hiked downstream beside the river for a couple of miles.

 Below: it was an awesome sight to look back at where we'd come from!

 We were quite surprisedto find there is a real "bosque" along the river: a forest, wet environment that was quite different from the surrounding area.  What a difference a little water makes!

 We came to the falls of the Pajarito Spring.  It was a lovely spot with a deep pool, and so unlike anywhere else in or around White Rock.  No wonder they call New Mexico the Land of Enchantment!

 Around the falls, we lost our trail a little, and had to search for some dots.  We eventually found the Red Dot below, along with the fauna: a local centipede.  We saw dozens of these along the route, along with dragon flies in bright blue, and swallows and other birds.

 The last mile of the Red Dot was back out of the canyon-- and, as you can see below, it was pretty steep.  It went up like this across rock faces for most of that mile.

 We were heading to the top of these cliffs:

 

It was quite a climb!  But lest I pat myself too hardily on the back, I should mention that my mother-in-law, who will turn 85 on Wednesday, kept up with me every step of the way!

 It was a beautiful hike, and a real accomplishment for me.  We climbed out just before noon, and were happy to climb into the car we had left on that end of our route before leaving from the other end. Now we'll see if I can still move tomorrow... What wonderful labor this Labor's Day! I hope you are having a wonderful day, too, Gentle Reader!