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10 July SmokeA week or so ago the Surgeon General pronounced that, "There is no safe level of second-hand smoke." Further, he added that even a few minutes of second-hand smoke can put your health at risk. A few minutes?
From that do we infer that there is some special ingredient in cigarette tobacco that is extremely deadly as averse to the pollution that we all breathe regularly? Our air is filled with poisons from manufacturing and emissions from our fossil fuel burning vehicles and yet that is nothing compared to a few minutes of smoke from a cigarette?
I do not smoke cigarettes. I smoke a cigar in the evening and a smaller one before supper. There was a time when the smell of cigarette smoke was quite pleasant but no more. I suspect that is because of the filler added to tobacco to offset the tobacco companies' losses to all the law suits. Still, are all those fillers so deadly that even the briefest exposure to their smoke is terribly hazardous?
What amazes me is that I don't see any rebuttal to the Surgeon General's statement. He is not God, folks. He is as open to question as any other government official but no one dares to speak against the opinions of what amounts to the highest medical position in the country. Have we become such sheep that we blindly accept everything that we are told by our government?
Anti tobacco fervor is very popular among politicians who see it as an easy way to gain approval from their consituents. Much easier than addressing issues like global warming, the high price of oil and natural gas or help for the 45 million Americans that have no health insurance.
The day could very well come when tobacco is made illegal. Then it will become as big an enforcement problem as heroin, cocaine or the other drugs that government seems to be powerless to control. Is this really what we want?
07 July Northwest New Mexico and BeyondWhat the heck, I thought that being retired meant that there would always be lots of time to do anything I wanted to. Well, here I have been back from my Northwest New Mexico vacation for three weeks and I'm finally getting to put the photos on the rather neglected blog.
We left on June 10, drove for about 3 and 1/2 hours to the town of Bloomfield which is just East of Farmington. I had heard very good things about the Best Western Territorial Inn so we decided to give it a try. I can't say a lot of good things about other Best Western hotels but this one certainly lived up to its reputation. The first thing you see is the beautiful lobby with its hand painted murals close to the ceiling. In the room everything worked perfectly which is in itself very unusual. The staff were very friendly and treated us as if they were glad that we came to visit. The included breakfast was ample, scrambled eggs, biscuits and gravy, danishes and even a waffle if desired. All in all an excellent motel to use as a base for exploring the area.
On the first day after we arrived we went North to Aztec, New Mexico to see the 1100 year old ruins of the first settlement that the Anasazi, previously a nomadic tribe, built on the site. What is left is very awe inspiring. How the buildings were built is still relatively unknown, one of the mysteries that drive archeologists crazy. There are many round structures with no roofs that were kivas, places for religious ceremonies. The Grand Kiva has been reconstructed and is being used to this day by the Acoma Pueblo indians for their private ceremonies. They believe that the spirits of their ancestors still live there. They certainly must be friendly spirits because there is a feeling of calm and peace inside the building that pervades the atmosphere.
Next day we went West through Farmington to Shiprock in the Navajo Nation. The city is named after the huge rock formation that rises out of the desert like a fantasy castle. It is sacred to the Navajo and when you see it you understand why. As you drive through the city it seems to follow you. Indians believe that mountains are alive and I can understand that. They always seem to be changing depending on the light, atmospheric conditions and time of day.
We attempted to find our way to Four Corners National Park but, after we drove for miles on the highway, I became convinced that we had gone wrong and were lost. When we got back to Shiprock, I asked a man who was coming out of McDonalds where the Four Corners was and he told me, to my chagrin, that I was going in the right direction and that I was almost there when I turned around. Oh well, we got to see a lot of scenery.
On the third day we took a very ambitious route. We went North and stopped at Durango, Colorado for a few hours. Durango is a charming town that first appears to be kind of a tourist trap with streets lined with shops. However, the stores have all kinds of interesting items and the friendly people who run them seem to enjoy talking to visitors. There is a hotel that has been restored to its 1880's glory. When I walked into the lobby, it literally took my breath away. I have never seen such a beautiful restoration. All the dark wood and fittings were perfect and made me feel that I had stepped into a former time.
After lunch we drove East to the Mesa Verde National park. After a circuitous 15 mile drive to the top of the mountain with breathtaking but somewhat scary scenery dropping off the side of the road we stopped at the visitor's center. There are many different cliff dwelling areas but we chose the one that was easiest to walk to. The dwellings were also built by the Anasazi but at a bit later time than the ruins at Aztec. They were equally as impressive and we took a lot of pictures.
From there we drove further East to the town of Cortez, Colorado where we found a nice brew pub on Main street that provided an excellent bock beer and some very good lasagna.
After supper we drove South towards Shiprock. The sky had been cloudy but, as we drove out of town, the sun came out, lighting the wonderful rock formations including Chimney Rock. All along the route we were shown the real beauty of the desert Southwest. After reaching Shiprock, we headed back Eastward to Bloomfield. We had driven in a circular route for about 10 hours. We were very tired but it was a really good day that gave us a lot of memories.
On the last day of our vacation we finally found the Four Corners National Monument. There's not a lot there, just an Indian Market and a metal plaque where you can have your picture taken standing on the only place in the U.S. where the corners of four states meet, Arizona, New Mexico, Utah and Colorado. We bought a very nice vase with an intricate design from a Navajo artist. Then the wind picked up and threatened to blow at 40 MPH. There is a line of portable toilets out there that have not been properly anchored and we were told that the last time the wind blew like that, they all were knocked over. We really didn't want to stay for that so we left rather quickly.
Overall, we had a wonderful time and came back with a lot of memories and many pictures which make up the photo album on here. There were still a lot of things to see so I think we'll be going back sometime, maybe in the Spring. For one thing, I would like to spend more time in the shops at Durango. There is this one custom hat maker...
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