When I departed the 15 day marathon of torture at the crazy cat lady's house, I was rewarded with the opposite at Casa Iku, so named for the cat! Not Japanese or Siamese, as the name might imply, but rather an indigenous name from Columbia. Casa Iku is the Airbnb name for the home of Chad and Diana, a most lovely couple who run a Mezcal business in Mexico. Diana is Latina; hence, her decision to give the cat a native Columbian name. Iku was quite a character: for a somewhat frail-looking cat, he had a meow that could awaken the neighbors! He was cuddly yet demanding, especially when it came to getting his twice daily dose of wet food. He also had to be kept on a lease when taken outside; not sure why -- I guess Chad and Diana didn't want him hopping fences and running off. Their house was neat, clean, bright and sunny... with all the creature comforts one could desire. I could have stayed forever! This was also a Trusted House Sitters gig... as good as Marie's place, if not better-- more open and sunnier. It was also conveniently located; very close to downtown Albuquerque. The cat was easy and the stay was great... I was sorry to have to leave on the 8th.
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| A most photogenic cat! Iku is relaxing in his classic pose on my bed in the guest room. He was content to remain this way for hours...most amazing! (At 15 years, he is somewhat of an "old man"!) |
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| As one would expect, he was not a great fan of the harness and leash in the backyard. Hence, the scowl on his face! |
On Friday the 7th, my new friend Sidni and I took off together for the Petroglyph National Monument. We got somewhat of a late start, so did not have time to visit the actual petroglyphs (something on my list for a future date), but instead headed for the area of the park with a series of interesting volcanoes. The day was breezy but otherwise perfect; the ever-changing skies were fabulous. We did about a 6 mile hike that trekked through the high desert and circumnavigated the series of volcanoes. It was a great hike but fairly tiring, especially on the return part of the loop, when a very strong wind kept pushing us backwards. Still, we were rewarded with magnificent scenery all along the way. Well worth the effort!
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| This very wide trail was at the beginning of the hike, leading us to the first volcano. |
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| Sidni, admiring the view |
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| We were graced with these lovely skies and vistas the whole way |
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| Yours truly, posing in front of a distant volcano at our furthest point out. |
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| We stumbled upon this cave along our way! What a great shelter it would make for any critter... it was about 20 degrees warmer inside, with a surprising amount of moss and moisture. Quite the anomaly in this otherwise bone-dry desert! |
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We did feel a few drops of rain, but the real downpour happily held off until the evening.
Next up: departing Albuquerque for Santa Fe, New Mexico, via a very scenic route and interesting old towns along the way. |
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