"Bill's Excellent Adventure!"

5/11-12/07 Fri/Sat. - I've been to the volcanoes! After an aborted attempt yesterday to find the right access road, I went to the Petroglyph National Monument Visitors Center and got fresh directions to this third section of this national area. Picked up a quart of water (they recommend during summer months to take at least a quart of water for every 30 minutes on a trail out here.)

There are three extinct volcanoes in a row not more than a couple hundred yards apart. Quite facinating, but really quite barren. The views are spectacular, as are most from this region. See my May photo gallery for more info (go to the bottom of the page.) If you haven't done so already, use the new link I have created to locate the Volcano trip by categories. It's a pretty slick menu system. Let me know how it works for you.

Being an airplane buff, yesterday I drove a few miles south to Kirkland AFB to look at some static display of planes at the NM National guard. The Gate told me to go to the visitor's center and see if I could find someone to "sponsor" me onto the base. Well, got inside and the guard told me to call the base operator and see if they could put me in touch with the right outfit. That I did and got stuck in a lovely circle of automated redirection. Not knowing which office I should attempt to contact (a lazy guard was no help) I ended up on a voice message for some office. I gave up and left. I'll try again on Monday and see if I can figure out if anybody can sponsor me onto the base. I get the sense they just as soon not have me on base, so I may have to get a little more aggressive about it!

I've spent the better part of the last few days working on my XS Energy Commercial accounts, contacting Coffee Shops and setting up appointments to do a "show and tell". We'll see how it all works out and what refinements I need to make in the web site as well as my presentations! This is really a test run to work out the bugs. If I get commitments that's great but my definition of "success" dictates that just making the effort is a success at this stage.

I've got about 4 days left here before I head for the Santa Fe National Forest to camp for a week or so. I am really going to play all this by ear and I'll probably cancel my reservations in Colorado and take my time and enjoy NM longer. Although much of the landscape is bleak, punctuated by incredible mountain ranges, it has a facinating draw for me.

See ya! Stay in touch!