10-4-09 A hike to remember (pics from the onset of the hike with the hill behind us to the views from the top of the hill)

10-4-09: Today the family hiked up a mountain located behind our subdivision and it turned into quite the adventure. We climbed 1,100 feet which took about 2 hours; we picked out the best route possible since there wasn't an established trail and there were many cacti and scrub brush around. The top of the mountain consisted of a flat expanse covered with green grass. There were a couple of large radio antennae, cattle, and homes/maintenance structures? We walked around on top for about 1/2 hour trying to find the easiest way down but there were a lot of vertical cliff faces. The descent actually took longer than the climb (2.5 hours) due to having to traverse small cliffs and go through/under thick brush; there were plenty of spiderwebs and prickly shrubs that our fearless leader (Mike) tried to clear to allow his family an easier passage. Everyone was worn out (Sasha included) when we finally arrived at our house. After a 1/2 hour rest, we walked to the park so the kids could paint plaster figurines. A family sets up a tent, chairs, and tables each Sunday and sells figurines for 10 to 20 pesos (0.75 cents to $1.50) depending on the size of the figurine; they supply the paint and brushes and the kids enjoy themselves for 1-2 hours! Then we picked them up McDonald's happy meals as a recompense for a long day!

9-20-09

9-20-09: Here's a little info about the city of Zacatecas. It is located in central Mexico so we are not by the ocean or beaches which are the popular sites to vacation for Americanos coming to Mexico. The name Zacatecas comes from the Aztec word "Zacatl" for grasses (Zacate in Spanish); thus Zacatecas refers to a place where grass is abundant. The city is situated at a height of 2496 meters or 8189 feet and was founded in 1546. Our hometown of Monte Vista, CO is at an altitude of 7663 feet so Zacatecas is 526 feet higher!