Sagebrush Trails

• SF2T 2026 Day 9, June 17, Wednesday
• Start S6-6 Ojito Trail
• End Taos Plaza mile 133
• Miles walked: 6

Ojito trail had dozens of mountain bike humps.

Getting to Witt Road, I stop at Taos Cow for a scoop of blueberry ice cream and lots of ice water.

In the community of Cañon, I see dozens of prairie dog mounds on both sides of the street, very actively scurrying around in the morning. With such a dense population, how have they not exhausted their food sources?

Shops near the plaza are cute, and I play tourist.

Finally I reach the Plaza at Taos. Per the guidebook:

Walk into Taos Plaza, past the Veteran’s Memorial, and over to the steps of the gazebo. These steps mark the conclusion of your journey.

But the plaza is entirely surrounded by chain link fence, with workers and heavy equipment busy inside.

Aarghhh.

I take the blue bus from the Taos County admin building to Española, and another blue bus to Santa Fe, and the train to Albuquerque, for a well-deserved shower and night in a real bed.

Finished audiobook The Invisible Man, by H G Wells.

• SF2T 2026 Day 8, June 16, Tuesday
• Start S5-5
• End S6-6, overlooking Taos from heights
• Miles walked: 20.1

Hiking alongside Rio de la Olla on FR438, I see beaver dams between brushy banks.

Later I see a larger dam, right alongside the road. Notice the short thick gnawed logs.

On FR437 the route is along Rio Chiquito, where one can view gnawed logs for dams. Did Mr Beav lose interest in a half-chewed log, or is he coming back?

On this wider river are wider beaver dams, though I see no lodges.

I was just thinking how the dams would gradually raise the water level and flood banks, and that the river was not that much lower than the road in spots, when sure enough, the road got flooded.

I climb up the steep Drake Canyon Trail, more of a road. Would anyone really hike this, other than getting to a better trail, or is it for ATVs?

On Ojitos Trail I can see Taos below.

Finished audiobook Destiny Times Three by Fritz Leiber.

Finished audiobook The Colors of Space, by Marion Zimmer Bradley.