Thursday, April 20, 2006My grandpa was one of the most wonderful people to have ever graced the Earth. He walked 5 miles a day in to his late 80's and was healthy and sound until he died just two months shy of 94 years old-- in his bed, asleep. His entire family converged just one month ago to share hugs and stories with him prior to his pacemaker surgery. We were all afraid then that he might not see the next day, but he was generously given another month of sunrises and sunsets, and a few more Seattle Mariner wins. May we all be so blessed.
So we packed quickly and headed up to Seattle for the memorial. Of course, I will miss him more than I can say, but knowing that none of us is exempt, I can only be happy that he had it his way for so very long. It was a nice memorial and he will always be with me.
We had prior plans to spend Easter with my in-laws, so the next day, we hopped another aluminum saloon and planted our bums in first class again. (One of the bennies we take advantage of when we can!) Joshua has flown first-class more times in his 2.5 years than most people do in a lifetime! It's funny to see how wide people's eyes get when they see him there. I think it's OK that my son has high expectations in life. Why not? Fortunately, he's incredibly well-behaved as there is added pressure when we're up front. People are paying more to not hear a crying baby.
We arrived in Phoenix and scrambled to catch our connection. Have you ever connected in PHX? Yikes! It's a very large airport requiring more physical exertion than I care to put out, but we made it with about 10 minutes to spare and safely flew another half hour to Tucson. We finally got the rental car and drove 201 miles to Silver City, New Mexico. It's a small, nice old college town equipped with plenty of Old West charm and history including Pancho Villa, Billy the Kid, Cochise and Judge Roy Bean lore. After a nice dinner with my In-laws, we crashed and spent the next day about 30 miles east in the little town they live in. There are adobe houses that have stood for many generations there. The same Hispanic family has lived there since it was Old Mexico. Josh had lots of adventures, and I had to protect him from the rattlers, cactus and giant TseTse flies.
The next day was the best as we journeyed to Gila Cliff Dwellings National Park. If you know me at all, you'll recognize that I seek out ancient pueblo dwellings whenever possible. These were spectacular! The mile-long hike was easy and followed a spring that tucked underground and reemerged in the Gila River. The dwellings were inhabited by the "Mogollon" (mug-ee-yone) people from the 1280's to the 1300's-- a short time for as much work as they put in to building. They took advantage of the natural caves and I could picture myself living happily here. There were plentiful large trout in the river, as well as deer and elk, rabbits and a mesa to plant beans and corn above. The Mogollon shared many traits with the Anasazi who lived to their north in the Four Corners region and both cultures left their comfortable surrounding around the year 1300 for reasons not totally known. Archaeologists speculate that a sustained drought caused them to leave, and eventually, the Apache came to call this area home. Settlers moved in during the early 1800's and a small army camp was set up to protect the homesteaders at Gila Hot springs.
The "Triple Cave" was impressive as it had two levels; the top supported by wooden beams that have been dated to 1280. I loved that we were able to climb up in to these cave dwellings and suppose what it was like to have been one of these people. If you ever find yourself in southwest New Mexico, this trip is really worth your time.We ended our journey the following day with a side-trip down to Tombstone, Arizona. Tombstone maintains the Old West look and feel despite the tourista atmosphere.
Josh flies an ultralight in New Mexico 
