Bluff Point State Park

After six months of living apart, my wife recently joined me here in Connecticut and we've already begun checking out what the greater New London area has to offer. This past weekend we decided to check out Bluff Point State Park as it's one of the few public beaches that doesn't charge an obscene price to park (it's free!). What we discovered is that it's no ordinary beach where you park and you're on sand after walking a few meters. It's actually a hiking and jogging trail, and you have to walk about half a mile before you get to the actual beach area. We ended up walking the entire loop, which according to rough estimates is about 3.6 miles. I took some photos as it was a beautiful day, despite being somewhat cold out (~40 plus wind chill).   Overall, it's a very nice trail to run, walk, or bike on and the trail is mostly even (no major ruts). There were no extremely steep grades. If I had to guess I'd say the steepest grade was about 8 degrees. Here's some highlights:

Sandia Man Cave

This past Saturday my wife and my in laws decided to take a short trek up to the Sandia Man Cave. It's quite a coincidence as I recently asked my friends for some free or inexpensive things to do in the Albuquerque area and my good friend recommended I check out the Sandia Man Cave.

Inside the cave, looking out

I should warn those looking to make the trip that the caves are off NM-165 which is not a paved road. It's a dirt road which is pretty smooth in most areas, but there are some definite areas where I had to slow down to a crawl. We were driving my Ford Five Hundred and I didn't want to bottom out. So, heed with caution if you're in a low car or it's been raining.

Some websites say it's a .47 mile hike but it felt a little longer than a half mile. It's a gentle climb up to the cave and will give you some breath taking views of the surrounding area.

One thing my dear friend failed to mention is that upon arrival to the cave, you must go up a spiral staircase that actually hangs out over the ledge. There is nothing underneath you as you climb up the stairs except air. That being said, the staircase felt very sturdy and I just didn't look down as I went up the stairs.

Hopefully you enjoy my photos I snapped during my hike and if you're in the area, it's worth checking out. You will give some incredible vistas of the Sandia Mountains and Las Huertas Canyon. You can view more photo hosted on my other blog at Wordpress.com!

Views: Sandia Man Cave by Jordan Meeter