I took a shortened walk this morning. We wanted to get started because we had a longer drive today. I spent my day looking for campgrounds, making reservations, making a shopping list, working on the blog, taking pictures, booking a tour for Sunday, and navigating.
We were about an hour from the Arizona border and as soon as we left New Mexico, the scenery really began to change.
At some point this afternoon, the RV turned over 100,000 miles…that’s a lot of adventures!!
We did a bunch of errands this afternoon and stayed in the Walmart parking lot in Page.
We found a great little restaurant, Bonkers, which served outstanding Italian food. Tim had a blackened salmon with shrimp and kale in some sort of sauce with fettucine. I had the chicken special with spinach and sundried tomatoes in a pesto cream sauce on linguini.
My walk this morning took me through a nearby neighborhood. The highlight was right here in the campground, a beautiful rose garden. My grandparents had beautiful roses and seeing these blooms this morning brought back a flood of treasured memories.
Today, our adventure was to travel to Chaco Canyon and to visit the cultural site there. We left with this hand drawn map.
At the intersection of the highway and Route 7900 we had 21 miles to go. The first 5 miles were paved. The next 7 miles was rough gravel washboard, and the last 4 miles to the National Park was hardpacked rutted dirt road.
We stopped at the Visitor Center and the ranger gave us a brief overview of the park and things to do. Tim was interested in hiking trails. The ranger recommended the 5.4-mile loop trail at Pueblo Alto. She stated that the trail began with a fun little rock scramble and then continued along the cliffs with views of the ruins below.
This butte, Fajada Butte, is a sacred place. On the top the Cahcoans had a solar calendar that helped them detemine the solstice, marked holidays, and determined their planting and growing seasons.
We did walk among the ruins, as we made our way around the park loop road. These ruins were created earlier than the Aztec Ruins we visited yesterday. These great houses were built from 850 to 1150 and inhabited until about 1250. In contrast to the ruins we saw the other day, these have had relatively little repair work. The tops of the walls have been sealed with mortar to keep moisture from leaking into the walls and joints. The lumber for the beams in these houses was hand carried from a forest 50 miles away.
Pueblo Bonito is the largest and was the most developed of the great houses here. This is a representation of what the community looked like.
We had lunch in the parking lot near the trailhead for the Pueblo Alto Trail. In the lot, we met a 75 year old man from New Mexico. He makes the trip to Chaco about 6-7 times a year. He was an avid cyclist, cycling about 100 miles a week, until a year ago. He was hit by a drunk driver while riding in a bike lane. Both of his legs were smashed and he couldn’t walk for three months. He is still undergoing physical therapy, or physical torture as he calls it, 2 times each week. He brought his grandson here today. The man was going to work on walking correctly with his two walking sticks, while the grandson, his fiancé, and the dog were hiking the trails. This guy is truly an inspiration!
I wasn’t sure that I really wanted to do this hike, I had already walked 3 miles in the morning…but I didn’t say anything and instead mustered up my enthusiasm and my energy. I am so glad that I went! The beginning of the trail was ¼ mile of that “fun little rock scramble.” Up we climbed. It was challenging in places…but nothing too hard for us and once we were on top, I realized that it was fun!
The trail was marked by cairns. Sometimes it took an effort to find the next one. I was glad I purchased the backcountry hiking trail guide. It helped us decide from which direction we should approach the loop. This may have saved us from getting “lost” later in the day. Sometimes it was hard to believe that we really had to follow the cairns…YES…that is really the trail!
Pecked Basins were carved into the sandstone along the path; sometimes round and sometimes rectangular. Archeologists believe that these were repositories for offerings.
Terrace View…wow…sometimes when we are hiking there are places that take your breath away…
The overlook onto Pueblo Bonito was amazing. Seeing the community from above puts things into perspective in a whole other way. These great houses were huge, well built, and preplanned so that even as the people built and added over the centuries…it was all part of a master blueprint.
We knew there was a chance of rain even as we began our hike. The light rain didn’t bother us much. I had my new rain resistant jacket and I was comfortable…but as the rain began to fall harder, we looked for a place to take shelter. We found a rock ledge that we sat under and we waited about 20 minutes for the shower to pass.
The Chacoan people created roads to make it easier to get from one place to another, The terrain in this area is very rough and the people walked. If there was an obstacle, they had to find a way to circumvent it. This is a portion of road only partially excavated.
Chacoan Steps where we took a break.
Because it was raining and because we still had miles to go and because we had seen lots of other ruins, we decided not to add an extra mile to the hike to see Pueblo Alto.
Jackson Stairway – These steps were carved into the side of this cliff. The steps are now very fragile and dangerous and no longer used.
The views from the edge of the cliff.
There was second chasm that we had to negotiate. It was a narrow and steep descent. I used my hips to wedge myself against the rocks as I searched for my next foothold…again another fun little challenge.
The rock in the distance was the one we had to pass through to get down to this level.
And because it was a loop, we had to go back the way we came. There was that ¼ uphill on the way that became ¼ mile downhill on the reverse route. I scooted down a lot of this portion…it felt like the safest way for me to get down! We were laughing and smiling all day! Hopefully you can tell that we enjoyed the day from our pictures of one another!
We finished the hike in 4 hours. When we got back to the Jeep it really began to rain. The dirt road was muddy and the Jeep got really dirty…another sign of a good day.
We still had a long drive back to town. I was imagining a cheeseburger. Tim was imagining a beer with his burger! I found a steakhouse in town that would meet our needs but when we finally got there…it was gone! We ended up at Lotaburger. I even had fries with my burger smothered in green hatch chiles and pickles and lettuce and tomatoes and mustard and bacon and cheese. We were so famished that we ate them in the Jeep in the parking lot. We never have burgers…that made this taste especially delicious…a rare treat!
It is so easy to be motivated to get up and walk when you are surrounded by natural beauty that changes as you travel. The campground sat on bluffs 150 feet above the reservoir. I walked all the way down to the water and back up again. It was great exercise! The colors of the cliffs and the sky were muted in the softer morning light. This is my “me” time…my quiet walking meditation.
As usual we began the day without a true destination…no plans. I spend a lot of time in that co-captain chair with a map in my lap and GPS in my hand!
We wondered if we should continue on Route 96 but it seemed rough and narrow and we had to be on it for more than 50 miles…or should we go on 84N? Tim found a place called Echo Amphitheater that looked interesting. We decided to head up 84 and see it. We took a hike. This natural sandstone amphitheater was created by cascading water. This place was lovely. We were able to catch the sun shining into the curvature of the rock.
Tim tested the echo effect. Watch the video with sound!
Legend has it that Navajo tribe members took settlers to the top of the cliff and killed them. Their blood ran over the rock ledge creating a permanent red stain. The legend continues…Settlers later executed Native Americans in this same place adding to the bloodstains. The echoes are said to be the voices of the unquiet. In reality, the red stains are a kind of rock varnish. Whether or not the legend is true…the west is certainly fond of its ghost stories.
Northern New Mexico is so incredibly picturesque. With its scenic byways, grassy plains, mountains, mesas, deserts and villages, this has so far been one of my favorite trips. New Mexico belongs at the top of my list with Colorado and Arizona and Utah. Nova Scotia, Baja, The Yukon, British Columbia, and Alaska are in their own category altogether!
We found a place to camp near the town of Bloomfield. We parked and ate and left to go see Aztec Ruins National Monument. These ruins were not actually built by Aztecs but by the Ancestral Puebloan People. This great house and community is situated along the Animas River and was built in the 1100’s and inhabited through the 1200’s.
This large round building was a kiva, a ceremonial space.
A smaller kiva.
A snake skin in the hole…where is the snake? Surely not to far away!
Tim could tell as we walked through, that the great house had been modified and changed several times. There is evidence of different stone, mortar, and styles of construction. Tim was able to find chisel marks on some of the stone. As a mason, Tim was amazed by how so many people of different skill levels for hundreds of years worked together to achieve the same goal and build what they did. It is obvious that the people took pride in their work. Using rudimentary tools and methods. Then, for the buildings to last so long…well he cannot imagine that anything he ever built will last 1,000 years.
This site is continually being bolstered and repaired in an effort to keep it for future generations. It is estimated though that 90% of the masonry has never been touched and is in its original state…almost 1,000 years later! The wooden timbers that at one time supported the roofs were gathered from 20 miles away. The Puebloans used spruce and aspen and pine trees from higher elevations where the trees grew taller and the wood was stronger. They also did not want to strip their own surroundings of all the standing trees.
The doors were very small. The people were shorter but additionally, smaller doors made the walls stronger and made doorways easier to block with hides or stones to preserve warmth and create storage spaces.
The life of the people that lived here was very hard. Survival was a lot of work. The construction of these great houses, planting and harvesting vegetables, storing water, and the creation of baskets and pottery were just a few of the accomplishments of this society. By the 1300’s, this site was abandoned. The people moved on perhaps due to drought or perhaps for other reasons. Ancestral Puebloan People still live in this area and work hard to keep their culture alive.
When we got up it was cold inside the RV and outside it was 32 degrees with frost on the ground. Not only that, but there was a blanket of thick fog. We decided to forgo our walking and exercise this morning and just leave! Of course, as we pulled out the fog began to lift!
We took a very narrow and curvy scenic ride to Taos.
Once in town, we found a Smith’s grocery that had everything that we wanted. It was still early in the day. We traveled on. The terrain changed with scrubby desert flora like pinion trees, creosote bushes, sagebrush, and lots of low growing cactus.
We traveled through the Rio Grande River Gorge…the view was gorgeous! The road followed the bends in the river for miles. We saw men flyfishing and people in a rubber raft negotiating the strong current and the rocks.
We could see the storm from along way away…we only got a few sprinkles though.
We arrived at Riana Campground at the Abiquiu Reservoir and settled in. We enjoyed a sushi picnic and then some quiet time. It rained for a short while and then we went for a hike.
Another chilly morning and another good walk! First along 127, a small country road, and then on Main Street. 3.5 miles!
The prairie dogs chattered as I walked by.
Later this morning, we packed our picnic and headed back to Red River for our 4WD adventure.
We started on the trail to Greenie Peak. This trail took us from 8,750 feet to over 11,220 feet at the top. The aspen trees with their gleaming white trunks, are just now changing colors. Golden coins dripping from branches and quivering in the breeze. The tall spindly conifers stand sentry and smell heavenly.
At the peak, we were treated to spectacular scenery.
We took another way back down the mountain to Cabresto Canyon.
We had our lunch by the creek.
We saw lots of wild turkeys, lots of chipmunks, lots of raptors, and a squirrel…no mountain lions, no bobcats, no bears, no elk, no deer…they all live here though! Oh…and range cattle…
There was another steep 2-mile road that took us to Cabresto Dam and Lake. It seemed odd to go up the mountain for 2 miles to get to the lake…but there it was!
The road took us to the town of Questa. Eagle Nest, Red River and Questa are villages on New Mexico’s “Circle of Enchantment.”
The sky became gray and heavy but it never really did rain.
We had a great drive! We were tired this afternoon and rested. Tim took a bike ride this afternoon. He quickly realized that pedaling a hill at more than 8,000 feet of elevation challenged his lungs!
Tomorrow we will travel to Taos on another scenic route.
Directly across from the campground there is a trailhead for the Lakeview Trail. The hike leads all the way to the Visitor Center for Eagle Nest Lake State Park. It was a mile. I walked all the way to the marina and then decided to take the road to the highway and back to camp. It was a clear and chilly morning…only 39 degrees when I left…but lovely! The route I chose took me out of the way and the end result was a great 4-mile walk.
We took the Jeep and parked in the village of Eagle Nest. We walked from one end of town to the other, popping into small shops. It was a Sunday morning and so it was pretty quiet.
We drove to the nearby town of Red River. We had heard that there were 4WD trails in the area. We wandered through a music festival and went to the Community Center where we got some information about trails.
We decided to stay in Eagle Nest another night so that we can return to Red River tomorrow.
This afternoon, we spent doing normal things. Tim was able to watch football and the race. I was able to catch up on chores. Kyle had given us some venison tenderloin and we grilled it with some asparagus and sourdough bread fro our dinner. It was tender and delicious!
I took my morning walk on the sidewalks in Raton. I walked all the way to the highway and then through town. On my way back, I ran into the grocery store for a couple of things. The store smelled of freshly made tortillas. I picked up some chipotle tortillas…still warm.
We left Raton and traveled along the scenic road through Cimarron Canyon and into the village of Cimarron. This is where the plains meet the southern Rocky Mountains. This area suffered a devastating wildfire in 2018. Cimarron is also the home of Philmont Scout Ranch. Kyle’s troop hiked about 80 miles here when he was 15.
We camped in the town of Eagle Nest at the Golden Eagle campground. The town of Eagle Nest does host both golden and bald eagles who like to feast on the prairie dogs that reside here as well. We have a gorgeous view of Green Mountain from our site.
Old truck of the day.
This evening we packed a dinner of grilled peppers, onions, and chicken as well as those fresh tortillas. We took a rough gravel road, Green Mountain Summit Road, to nearly the top of the mountain, following switchbacks as we climbed to about 11,000 feet. The views of Eagle Nest Lake and the valley below were spectacular. We enjoyed our meal and stayed for a couple of hours, watching the sky change until finally the sun disappeared behind the mountain.
This evening we were able to set up our DISH TV relatively easily…much to Tim’s delight…there is football and a NASCAR race to watch tomorrow!
I had a great morning walk through Clayton State Park. There were lots of buzzards on the rocks near the lake and flying in lazy circles.
We saw several scattered groups of antelope on the way down the road. We were on our way to Raton. We were going to pass right by Capulin Volcano National Monument.
We decided to stop. We went into the visitor center for maps and information. On our way out, a volunteer had set up a solar telescope. We were able to look through and see the sun. It was very awesome.
We had to unhook the tow vehicle because the RV wasn’t allowed to travel on Volcano Road. The road spiraled up around the volcano cone and the views were spectacular. This is the Raton-Capulin Volcanic Field.
From the parking lot there were two hikes. We walked the shortest distance first. It was ¼ mile into the crater to the vent of the volcano. This volcano has been extinct for more than 10,000 years and is plugged with lava rock. These cone volcanoes only erupt once and then lie dormant. This is one of many volcanoes that existed here. It is not impossible that a new volcano could someday form in this area. The natives in this area consider the lava rock to be sacred. It was born in the center of Mother Earth and this volcano is considered a strong spiritual place.
We took the 1-mile loop walk around the rim. The trail rose 305 feet above the parking lot. The ascent was steep as was the descent. We were glad that we have both been exercising because this was a good hike at 8100 feet!
The lichen on the lava rock could be as much as 10,000 years old. The acid from the plants causes the rock to disintegrate and it forms soil for the trees and plants living here. We saw yucca and pinion trees and the whole place smelled like juniper.
We traveled a short distance to the town of Raton. After settling in at the campground, we took a ride through town. We were hoping to take the scenic road to Climax Canyon but it appeared as though the road had washed out a long time ago. At the other end, there was a locked gate. We did find Goat Hill and we had a view of Raton from above.
Old truck of the day.
After a decent Mexican dinner in downtown Raton, it was time to rest!
There was a city park directly across from the campground where I was able to take my morning walk.
Today we left Kansas. This is the first time that we have taken time to enjoy being here. Earlier visits had us traveling on windy, rainy days or chunking away miles on the interstate. There are some beautiful places to visit. It was only about a mile of driving and we were in the panhandle of Oklahoma. This is what Oklahoma looks like:
After another 70 miles, we arrived in New Mexico. We drove into the small town of Clayton, parked the RV, and went for a bike ride. We found a coffee shop and shared a pumpkin spice cappuccino out on the deck.
We saw this big white dome gleaming in the distance and pedaled over to see the Union County Courthouse.
We found, quite by accident, the Herzstein Memorial Museum. The Herszsteins owned a general store in the community. They were known to be kind and generous people. They had a foundation that supported this museum, housed in an old church. The collection of artifacts from the ancestors of the locals is tremendous. The director gave us a personal tour. She has a strong passion for history and for all subjects Clayton. We learned about the Santa Fe Trail, the Dustbowl, WPA, Black Jack Ketchum, the Herzstein family, and lots of other stuff!
I was charged with finding our home for the night. Clayton Lake was the perfect spot.
We spent some time this afternoon riding around outside the park.
We did see these pronghorns.
Later, we hiked the Dinosaur Trackway at the State Park.
Seeing these diinosaur tracks was amazing. They are some of the best preserved tracks in the world. This state park was built in 1954. At that time, a dam and spillway was created. In 1982, the spillway flooded and the dinosuar tracks were revealed. There are about 500 tracks. Each depression in the rock is a footprint. Scientists believe there are 4 different kinds of dinosaurs represented. These tracks are 100 million years old. I don’t care who you are…this is really COOL! It makes one feel kind of insignificant in relation to time.
The elongated depression in this picture is an impression of the dinosaur’s tail. The footprints indicate that the dinosaur was slipping in the mud and it used the tail to steady itself.
I was tired this morning and had a hard time getting started. I was awakened several times during the night by the really strong scent of skunk. It seemed like they were very close…but I didn’t get up to check!
It was a glorious autumn morning…perfect for a walk around the lake. The blue herons were “quarking” in their croaking prehistoric manner.
Along the roadside we passed these odd sculptures. We stopped to look and take pictures. The man who created these had very strong opinions! Some of his works of art are downright offensive!
We stopped in the town of Ensign outside the PrideAg grain elevator. We watched a steady stream of tractor trailers line up to offload their cargo of feed corn.
As we traveled along, we realized that there was at least one grain elevator in every town!
And we saw hundreds of wind turbines today.
We have learned that if a town has a gas station…it has a Dollar General Store. They are EVERYWHERE!
We drove through Dodge City and down to the most southwestern town in the corner of Kansas.
The campground, The Prairie RV Park and Carwash, is not much. However, this town, Elkhart, is adjacent to the Cimarron National Grassland. We started our adventure at the US Forest Service office in town. We got a map and were glad to have it as we made our way onto dirt and gravel roads.
Driving through the prairie, we were able to get a feeling for what this area might have been like in the 1800’s, before pioneers and settlers made their way west. In the early 1900’s the land was overgrazed and plowed for crops. The lack of rain and drought caused the dustbowl of the 1930’s. The government purchased land from settlers who wanted to leave. The area was allowed to heal and be restored to grassland. Along the Cimarron River, cottonwood trees grow. Some cottonwood trees were planted in the 1920’s and seedlings were carried downstream during heavy rain and flashfloods. Now trees line the banks of the river…a trickle really. This river runs mostly underground.
We explored the recreation areas and the scenic overlook.
What kind of bird makes this kind of nest?
We are seeing a change in vegetaion as the area is drier. There were prickly pear cacti, sagebrush, and soapwood yuccas growing amongst the long grasses.
It was fun to be out exploring…seeing things we haven’t seen before…learning new things about the land and the history of the country.
