My last Walk to the Sandia Rock House

My last Walk to the Sandia Rock House

It was the best place to go to get your head set straight. It was a peaceful solace moment in time when you could breathe the mountain air and not feel infringed by the shear overbearing presence of people down below in a city that doesn’t sleep at night. My special attachment to this Rock House goes back when I came to visit New Mexico and was in awe of its raw and natural beauty that has since been invaded and eroded by people.  

I  used to walk and hike the trail by myself on those days when solitude was the choice of the moment and the conditions were right to seek a moment with my glorious God above as I stood there just a little bit closer to Him on the mountain. I saw the beauty that surrounded me as a sign that all is beautiful if you choose to see it that way. 

Wildflowers showed the way to and from the beaten path pounded by rain, snow, hail and yes unluckily people.Covered with purple yellow and other bright colors, you could stare for hours and enjoy the spreading vines on the ground or climbing on the trees and fences around you. If you were there at the right time of the year you would be entertained by hummingbirds looking for their nectar and not trying to get in anybody’s way. 

Besides the natural beauty of the wildflowers was the stunning view from 11,000 feet above the Rio Grande and the state of New Mexico. It was awesome and never forgetting that is engrained inside my head forever. 

Depending where you were standing the view covered the entire southwest skyline as the view is for miles and miles seeing the desert on one side and the plains on the other. It was always a breathtaking and unimaginably awesome no matter what time of the year your came.

I haven’t been up that way for over two decades now. I am wondering if the rock house still stands and if it does, I would like to have my ashes thrown into the mountain air and fill the mountain side with my remains that was once a life form and a human being. I heard it was no long a place for solace as it is heavy crowded and now a most visited spot on the crest of the mountain. 

I stayed away from the Sandia Peak tramway for it was always crowded with people. I usually drove up the backside off the side of the mountain past the ski areas to enjoy my solstice majestic views with God and nature hand in hand. 

I didn’t frequent the restaurant although I did visit it when I took the kids up there to get hot chocolate or other goodies. I know the view from there is breathtaking as well but nothing beat the view of the world sitting on top of the Rock House where you could stare for hours without anyone bothering you or interfering with you meditation or thoughts. It was the perfect place to be. 

The one thing you notices is the chilly breeze and the high winds on a stormy day. The rock structure had endured the severity of all kinds of weather and was already put to test as it faced the very edge of the crest of the mountain. I had been told it was built in 1936 and twice destroyed by wind and fire.

There were other rock structures at the base of the mountains that attracted party goers and turned out to be a most popular place for people to party and get drunk. I had no desires to go to such a place where the natural beauty was destroyed by mankind. 

 I had heard there was another one at the end of the La Luz trail but again, I chose this rock house because I wanted to be alone and spend my time talking to God Almighty and tell him how much I loved Him, need Him and trust Him. 

This rock house is special for it was the place where I bared my soul to the world and to my maker. This is where I came for the peace I needed to turn my life around from the evil twisted and warped ways I had lived and never wanting ever to return to such a place. I needed the rock house more than it needed me. 

From the top of the world I could see the stars at night shimmer with energy and thunderhead clouds forming during the day to pour the wetted moisture over the Rio Grande valley. I could see the snow on other mountain peaks and I could smell the freshness in the air that was so virtuous and so clean it cleansed my soul of any toxins seeking to hide inside.