Petroglyphs

After a hearty breakfast burrito at the Duran Pharmacy lunch counter (voted best red chili in Albuquerque) I headed for the Petroglyph Monument just outside of town. It's not so much a monument as a protected canyon full of volcanic rock that has been carved on over the last 1400 years or so. Here are a small selection of carvings that I located over the mile and a half hike into the canyon. Some are the work of Pueblos, Spanish, early settlers and sadly some modern graffiti. Many of the petroglyphs have been used for target practice over the years and thieves have removed some of the primitive art. You would need someone watching the canyon 24 hours a day to enforce the $5,000 fine for disturbing the petroglyphs. I met some nice folks from North Carolina on the hike. Penny was very interested in the art, Stuart thought they all had something to do with sex.
This was a nice change from the day spent holed up in my coach yesterday. It started raining at 5:30 in the morning and didn't stop until late in the afternoon. Luckily I had gone to WalMart and bought a few books the day before - westerns by Elmer Kelton. You may remember a Tommy Lee Jones movie "Good Old Boys" that was based on his work. They are set in central Texas around 1920.
I think I'll try to take in an Albuquerque Isotopes baseball game tonight.

The Isotopes lost, but I got a free hat. A hot dog, a beer and a ball game - a good night.