By Patty Wilber
It sure can be difficult to make time to do things for fun, but it is usually worth it. Especially if it involves riding with friends!
Golden Open Space 9/19/2014–my date stamp is wrong!
For this adventure, Linda and Mary Anne said we should go to the Golden Open Space.
This area was acquired by the City of Albuquerque in 1964. Why, I wonder? It would probably take at least hour and 15 minutes to get to the Golden Open Space from downtown Albuquerque today. In 1964–I have no idea. Hours, I bet!
In a two minute Internet search I failed to find a 1964 City of Albuquerque map, but I did find that the population was about 201,189. In 2014, the City proper has 558,000 and the metro area is close to a million.
I also found a map of the open space. Click here to see.
We rode around the perimeter of a canyon then dropped in.
We looked at the scenery and gabbed.
Linda knew there was LIVE (running!) water. In New Mexico, if riding in pinon-juniper habitat, water is a very big deal. Linda and Mary Anne had already seen it, but no matter. We were headed to agua that actually flows over the ground–like a normal stream!
Just go down a canyon and turn right at the cave.
Turn right at the cave.
At this point, as we headed down Arroyo Seco, we were probably out of the Golden Open Space, and on State land. “Arroyo Seco” means “dry arroyo”.
Mary Anne and Tulip in the water in Arroyo no Seco.
Penny contemplating Arroyo no Seco
It gets better!
A pool!
Penny, the whuss, would not go over there because “it’s boggy!” We are going to have to work on her trail bravery after her two year i-am-a-show-horse hiatus from wilderness adventure. In her defense, she had no issues with the water itself.
This was our original destination, but looking down the Arroyo no Seco, it appeared there was wet a good ways on.
And wow!
How amazing is this?
The horses liked the area, too.
A nice lunch break for equine and humans, alike! We ate in the shade with some ants.
This was supposed to be half-day trip, but because of my “Let’s go a little father!” (that got us to the over-hanging cliff), the fact that one of us forgot something at the lunch spot so we needed to go back, and I made a left turn one canyon too early (I forgot to look for the cave!) so we had to back track there too–just a little–I didn’t get home until four! (Left at 8 ish). I am guessing we rode 12 or so miles.
We have tentative plans for another trek in a few weeks…after I get back from visiting Sydney (Penny’s girl) in West Virginia and elk hunting with Jim at Camp Kingsbury.
I like both my jobs (teaching biology and training horses) but it sure is fun to spend a day playing on horseback.
Especially with great company and WATER features in unexpected places!
What a wonderful ride! And finding live water is always a good thing.
Morgantown right now next to the Monogahela (spelling). Good grief. SO MUCH WATER!!
One of my favorite places to ride! Especially in the winter….warm with NO wind! My son is on the volunteer trail building team and has built trails that will be connecting 2 separate mesa loops with that lower canyon route. An updated trail map is in the works. Check with Jim Satler of ABQ Open Space. We’re also working on building a parking area at the trailhead large enough for several horse trailers. Yay!
That is wonderful about your son and the new amenties there Lisa! The trails are nice and we had wondered who had put so much time into them. Now get him on an equine and send him out with BCH!!
Can we go hiking there the next time we visit?? So beautiful. Is the water the result of a spring?
Mom
Yes we can! It would be hot in the summer though!