White Rock and Bandelier National Monument

With yesterday a clear blue sky and temp about 60 we decided to go exploring again. We drove to White Rock, a small community near Los Alamos, and walked the Blue Dot Trail of the White Rock Canyon. This canyon was carved out by the thousands of years of erosion of the Rio Grande. Can't say the colors were spectacular, but the scenery was magnificent. Black lava rock and dirt made up the entire walk and we saw the Rio Grande's full-force on how it carved out the area. It was too steep to crawl down and walk along the river so we just took the rim walk. From this walk we decided to drive towards Bandelier National Monument in Los Alamos and just do a drive tour. The fire from June which destroyed over 60% of the park and it's surroundings was evident everywhere we looked. In order to visit the NM you had to take a shuttle in - the parking area was also destroyed not only from the fire but the flash flood in August that took out many roads as well. Los Alamos is known for it's leading role in coordinating and leading the development of the atomic bomb back in the early 1940's and this complex is still going strong and has diversified. We had to pass through a security check at one point. We wonder how they managed to escape the fire - we could not see any damage to the buildings.

After driving around Bandelier and Alamos, we started back on the road towards Santa Fe when we passed a sign showing Tsankawi Prehistoric Site Trail of Bandelier National Monument and decided to stop and see what this was all about. I had read that there were ruins and a hiking trail that showed hieroglyphics. What a neat trail! We saw cliff dwellings, ancient ruins where the ancient Pueble Indians lived, cave dwellings and some of the hieroglyphics. And did we get filthy dirty in the process. The trail is carved out of white tuff ash and over the centuries you can see the foot prints of people as well as animals that traveled on the cliffs. If you look closely at the picture you can see one of the ladders we had to climb. making the hike a little hairy. I am not sure I would hike this trail again - we had to wrench our legs and bodies in places just to move forward. At the end of the trail we heard alot of birds and thought they were nesting inside many of the caves we saw. However, after the first wave of birds calls died down, they started up again in another direction. It was snow geese flying south for the winter and their calls were echoing off the cliffs. We saw hundreds if not thousands of these birds overhead. How cool!

Cochiti Dam and Tent Rocks National Monument

We survived the storm, thankfully only got spurts of snow flurries but lots of rain. When the sun finally peeked out on Friday morning there was snow again on the surrounding mountain ranges. Yesterday we had cabin fever and with the sun shining brightly and the promise of a nice day, we took a drive about 15 miles south of Santa Fe to the Cochiti Dam which is one of the Army Corp of Engineers' dams built to help ease flooding of the Rio Grande River. In the visitor's center we watched movie clips and learned alot about this river which originates in Creed, Colorado and flows all the way to the Gulf of Mexico by Brownsville. Amazing that last winter we not only crossed this same river in Los Ebanos, TX but we biked along the same river in Bentson State Park near McAllen, TX. We hiked one of the trails around the visitor center which eventually takes you to an overlook of the reservoir made from the dam. Very pretty area, a small Hobie cat sailing out on the lake and we saw camping on one side of the reservoir. The camping area is run by the Corp but it only has electric, not water. We don't like living like this in the RV so unfortunately while these campgrounds are very pretty and cheap ($10/night), we would not go there because we don't want to have to worry about getting water into tanks and then dumping when we leave.

From Cochiti Dam we drove about 5 miles south and stopped at Kasha-Katuwe (which means white cliffs) Tent Rocks National Monument, on the Cochiti Pueblo Indian Reservation and run by the Pueblo and the Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management. And again, we are glad Dave has the pass into the National Parks because the fee is waived if you have the pass. As we got within 1 mile of the monument we were awed by what we saw. Cone-shaped tent rock formations are from the products of volcanic eruptions that occurred over 7 million years ago and left ash, pumice and tuff deposits over 1000 feet thick. Pretty cool cones and way on top of the mountain - looks like a basketball sitting on a cone. We walked the cave loop trail which took us by a cave that was dug out by early man and you can still see the smoke stains on the cave roof. Signs said to beware of snakes which we didn't see but we were alert at all times. Large black crows flew overhead making strange muted sounds and their 'caw-caw' to each other was a treat to watch and hear.

Red Sky In Morning...

For many years Dave and I had a sailboat which we sailed on Lake Erie and we knew this saying by heart, and followed it's warnings....Red sky in morning, sailors take warning; red sky at night, sailors delight. Which means red sky in morning, there is bad weather coming soon. Red sky at night - a beautiful day tomorrow. This is what we saw this morning at 7am out our dining window, looking west towards the Jemez Mountains. Oh boy are we in for it! The forecast for today is falling temperatures, rain throughout the day, turning into snow showers by 8pm with temps dropping into the mid 20's overnight. But, tomorrow the temps raise again to the mid 50's and this front will be long gone. We also saw a double rainbow not long after this picture was taken, Dave ran outside to take photos and bam - the rain started.

Right now, noonish, the sun is out, the wind is howling, and the outside temperature has dropped 10 degrees from a high of 56 at 10:30am and falling steadily. We are prepared for winter even if it's a quick 24 hour stint. This campground has sights for 150 rv's and right now about 25 are left. As I said the other day - mass exodus to south. One couple we talked to on Sunday said they were leaving on Monday to go to Durango - well, we hope they made it because Colorado is being hit with a winter storm and they were driving right into it. We also can see snow on the mountains now where it wasn't there about 5 hours ago. Better on the mountains than here! We make it through the next day or so and we are good. We have decided to move to Las Cruces which is 40 miles north of El Paso, TX sometime early next week. Distance is 270 miles south - and we are amazed that just this small distance will make our life more easy.

Abiqui'u and Jemez Mountains

There is an impending snow storm coming in tomorrow night into Thursday with temperatures dropping into the 20's at night and only 40 during the day - so, we decided to take advantage of the really nice weather yesterday and ride up into the mountains west of Santa Fe. Most of the information you read about Santa Fe keeps pointing to the picturesque sandstone formations and mountains that Georgia O'Keeffe painted and we went to find out if it was true. As we drove north and west we passed numerous small towns where the remains of ancient Pueblos are and these small towns are inhabited by Native American Indians. There are 19 Pueblos in New Mexico and each Pueblo settlement has a casino within the reservation. We were surprised at how busy each casino was. We drove to Abiqui'u (AB-ih-cue) where Georgia first set up a paint studio and gallery and she stayed there until she purchased a ranch (Ghost Ranch) some 30 miles more north of Abiqui'u some 10 years later. We were wow'd big time. We stopped at the Abiqui'u Dam run by the Army Corp of Engineers. Beautiful area. We definitely saw where Georgia got her inspiration from to paint, the red rock cliffs in the background, the crystal blue skies. From this area we then drove into the Jemez Mountains which is reported as a scenic byway which winds through the mountains and the Santa Fe National Forest south into Albuquerque. Every turn - wow. At one point we crossed over the Continental Divide - and when we did - we both remarked about our hiking adventure in the Rocky Mountains. I felt sorry for Dave - asking him to pull over so I could take pictures. There is so much history in this area that we have decided that we need to come back some day and explore the area to it's fullest. What we are surprised about - we thought we would be in warmer weather, similar to El Paso, TX but we are too close to the Continental Divide and the mountains and therefore, cold nights are the norm. We will move soon to much farther south to where we don't have to worry about disconnecting our water hose at night and bringing it in, and running heaters to stay warm. For the rest of the week, as we prepare for the storm, we will just hunker down and watch the world go by.

Taos Pueblo, Place of the Red Willows

I got back here to Santa Fe from my 10 day visit to Phoenix on Wednesday and yesterday we decided to head up to Taos to see the Pueblo. The drive to Taos took us on a scenic route through the Rio Grande Gorge - beautiful with the cottonwoods and willows in their golden fall colors and a river that flows along the roadway. We noticed that snow on the mountains was still evident from the snowfall over 2 weeks ago, we were at an elevation of about 5600 feet, climbing to about 7000 feet by the time we got to Taos. Taos Pueblo, "Place of the Red Willows" is the oldest continuously inhabited community in the USA. Scientists have dated the Pueblo to at least over 1000 years old and the Native Americans who live there say it is as old as creation according to their oral traditions. The details of their traditional values are guarded as sacred and will not be divulged because of their past history of oppression and slavery. Today over 1000 Tiwas live in the community of Taos and of the 1000 about 100 still live inside the Pueblo. No electricity, no water, the only amenity is wood stoves and the occasional use of propane. We were quite impressed with the day, finding out that of all the Pueblos in New Mexico, we visited the one and only Pueblo that was inscribed in 1992 by the World Heritage list by USESCO as the first living world heritage location. This means that Taos Pueblo has aboriginal status to the land and the continent.

The Pueblo has it's own tribal council and its officials and warchiefs are elected every year and has the duty to protect the wildlife and natural resources as well as the civil and business issues within the village and the relations of the non-Indian world. As you look at this picture you see colored doors which is the Spanish influence of the 1600's. Over the centuries Spain has tried to rule the Tiwas but the Tiwas revolted. Then the US Government came in and ruled the area and again the Tiwas revolted and murdered Governor Bent, thinking he and his people were gone, the Tiwas were again free in following their culture. But, the Army came in and with the Mexican/American war of the 1847 New Mexico became a US territory but allowed the Tiwas their continuing living conditions in the Pueblo. The buildings are made out of adobe, a mixture of water, straw and earth and must be maintained and replastered every year. Artists and craftsmen were located inside the village and you could purchase anything from bread, pastries, jewelry, artwork, paintings, drums, flutes, music, leathergoods. It was sad to see how the economy has also hit these people - many people just looked and didn't buy any of the goods. I on the other hand - supported them. I bought some yummy pastry, got some jewelry and an ornament. Very talented people!

Santa Fe Snow!

We moved yesterday morning from Santa Rosa to Santa Fe, New Mexico - a planned move - to be near civilization, especially when I will be gone from the 10th to the 18th in Phoenix grandchild watching. I wanted Dave to be secure being close to stores if he needs it. The down side is that we are 55 miles from Albuquerquie where I fly out of Monday - the cost of airline was 5 times more flying out of Santa Fe than Albu. So be it. And, in order to be in Albu we would have paid about $70 a night since the balloon fest is still on until Sunday. Most campgrounds are booked until this coming Tuesday, we are lucky we found this one - which has got to be the nicest place we have stayed at so far in our 2 plus years of moving around the country. And the cost? Only $20 a night! We look out over the Sangre de Cristo mountain range - part of the Rocky Mountains.

When we left yesterday it was 65 and sunny but as we drove the 88 miles northwest to here, heavy clouds were abundant and the temp had dropped 20 degrees. By the time we set up and got comfortable a light rain started. By 6pm a steady rain which lasted until 1am. And then - the temperature dropped, big time. And - by 5am the frost was abundant. What we got this morning was a beautiful view of the mountains - snow covered! Tonight it will be colder, space heaters and the furnace will be working to keep the chill out.

Our plan today is to go into old town Santa Fe and walk around and look. Grab dinner then head back in time to crank up the heaters and furnace more. We don't leave these on while we are gone, the cats just curl up in sleeping bags I put on the bed and chairs. A neat thing Santa Fe does is on Friday nights from 5pm to 8pm all museums are free which generates lots of traffic. And there are over 250 restaurants to choose from. This area is a haven for artists and I am looking forward to seeing what they do. We will visit the Georgia O'Keefe museum - she was a world renowned black and white photographer. Once I get back from Phoenix we plan to explore Santa Fe more and go into Albu for a day or so and then we will head much more south into warmer weather. Texas is not in our plans anymore - we will go due south to probably Deming, New Mexico for a spurt and then?

Neighbors!

Saturday we drove into Santa Fe looking around for campgrounds to move to. We decided that Santa Fe was more appealing than Albuquerque and had more historical aspects for us. And, we still could not get any closer to Albuquerque until the 10th (I fly to Phoenix on the 10th - we want to move before then and be settled before I fly out). We found a lovely campground to move to this coming Friday in Santa Fe -with great sunset views over the mountains. Feel much better that we will be near people and businesses. There is NOTHING here in Santa Rosa other than a campground for weary travelers and a couple of hotels and fast food. Zip zero nada nothing else. Makes sense that this campground fills up by dinner time - this is THE only campground for about 100 miles whereas some RVers prefer to overnight in a WalMart since it's free (there are none for 110 miles) and since there isn't WallyWorld - they are forced to come here and pay for the night. In the meantime we are having a great time watching people come in and set up, the show starts about 1pm every day. By 9am the overnighters are gone. Quiet for a couple of hours until the next show. There are some really strange characters. For example - there was (they just pulled out) a motor home that came in yesterday right beside us and we knick named them Big Chuck/Little John (2 TV personalities from Cleveland). Little John is a dwarf and this guy that drove the motor home - small/looked like him, and he backed out of the trailer which they were pulling, an ATV - similar to what Little John drives around in at the WoolyBear Festival in Vermilion. He pulled it out, revved it up, jumped on it - big grin - and drove all over the campground - pellmell, dust flying, scaring dogs and people. People just looked at him, shook their head, turned away. Then Big Chuck (his wife who is a big person) got on the thing after he came back, revved it up and obviously didn't know how to drive it, peeled around, yelling loudly at him if she had to keep the brake on all the time, and then he jumps on it and sits on the wheel well and off they go. Bunch of hill-billies!

One 5th wheel RV that came into the campground Dave says he remembers it - was on the side of the road when we were coming back Saturday from Santa Fe. He went over to talk with them and said that there is a problem with the truck, they limped into the campground and had an appointment this morning at a diesel mechanic's place. While talking with them they asked Dave what our plans were, where were we going for the winter. Dave mentioned the Big Bend National Park of Texas and they adamantly said - don't go there - there's trouble. I need to google this information to verify what ever it is they are talking about then make decisions.

We just plan to sit out the next couple of days, catching up on chores and I plan on doing some quilting. We look forward to moving to Santa Fe - seems there is so much to see and do there but traveling 110 miles one way just doesn't make a fun day - too much time sitting in the car.

Santa Rosa, New Mexico

I took the wheel yesterday and drove us from Raton, NM to this campground in Santa Rosa, about 178 miles from point A to B. Been quite awhile that I have driven the truck/RV and it felt good. Beautiful ride down I25 and then cut off in Las Vegas (New Mexico, not Nevada) down to Interstate 40 and east about 35 miles into Santa Rosa. Not happy with this campground but it was the only thing we could find since the Balloon Fest started today through the 9th in Albu(querquie). And, it is 110 miles to Albu from here - and no campsites available. On Wednesday we plan to drive into Albu to do shopping, stock up, etc. and to check out RV's. This rig is getting just too huge to maneuver. We are hoping some campsites open up and maybe move next Friday to way closer to Albu since I fly out on the 10th to Phoenix. Would make it much easier for Dave to be around civilization instead of this no-mans land town.

Being in this campground was entertaining last night. A neighbor RVer said that they have been there for 3 days, waiting on a campsite to open up in Albu, but they said each night the campground fills up and by 8am, all gone. Which is what happened this morning only it started about 4:30am with RVers leaving to head into Albu to watch to mass ascension of balloons - the kick off morning. Got pretty noisy for awhile. My chore for today is to scout around for a possible campground to move to - and yippee! we have cell service.