18-February-2024. Gallup, NM

Today I hiked Pyramid Rock! Great name for a big rock ... shaped like a pyramid. 😂

Started the day by sleeping in and then heading to local landmark Earl's Restaurant to fuel up for our hike. I had the Posole and Fry Bread - 2 Native American foods I had never tried before. Posole is kind of like a chili with puffed corn - delicious! And Fry Bread is what we'd call fried dough back home - but instead of topping it was confectioners sugar you can dip it into honey. Yummy!

In order to support the local Native Americans the restaurant allows vendors to go table to tables selling their jewelry. After saying "no thank you" to several we couldn't resist one vendor who had a great deal on earrings – so Sharon and I both might have both bought a pair!

With full bellies (and fun new earrings) we headed out with dog Sunny to hike Pyramid Rock. We were delighted to basically have the whole mountain to ourselves. It's almost 2 miles up to the top of Pyramid Rock and the hike and views were stunning. I was surprised to find that near the top there was quite a bit of snow and the trail was thick and slippery with mud. But we prevailed and made it to the top – an elevation gain of about 1000 feet to the peak at 7500'. A family summited a few minutes after we did and one of their girls lost her sneaker to the suck of the thick mud! Everywhere you looked was like a postcard - beautiful colored rock formations and puffy white clouds in the sky.

It's so incredibly picturesque here in the southwest. I still have trouble reconciling in my head that you can have snow in a desert - amazing with elevation can do!