Smokey decided we were eligible for lifetime senior pass.So we headed a bit south to explore our cultural heritage.And to see the iconic Pueblo Bonito.This was our first half price campsite now that we are of that distinguished age.Water is always an issue – such an interesting location that was chosen.Lucky we got to watch a spring storm roll in.It gave the walls and rocks another dimension of color to Pueblo Kin Keltso.Pueblo Kin Kletso is the start of a hike to top of mesa.A bit of a slot canyon hides the trailAllows you to look back down on Kin Kletso.And even see the river in the Chaco Canyon.View of Pueblo Bonito from top is outstanding.As is adjacent Pueblo Chetro Ketl.An appreciation of the magnitude of scale is had by walking through the ruins.And getting an interior perspective. Magnificent craftsmanship! Truly amazing to appreciate the amount of work.William Henry Jackson discovered this prehistoric stairway carved in the sandstone cliff when he was photographing this area in 1877. It is believed to be part of the Chaco Road system heading to the north.Is there really an end to the trail? How far do these roads travel?Guess it is time to head back to the Travato and make our way north…But first another hike down the valley to Pueblo Wijiji.
Near Las Cruces, we enjoyed this spot in the Organ Mountains NM for a few nights – meeting up with an architecture friend for a Rotary event. First time here in the Travato http://tealsky.com/2015/12/08/organ-mountains-new-mexico/
Pecos National Monument added to our knowledge of ancient cultures – especially with their fabulous pottery display.
A gorgeous day to experience the plateau and structures.
So many layers of history
Facsinating kivas. We also toured the civil war site as part of the monument and noted how the scenery was not exactly the same as today with all the farms having cleared the land.
We appreciated the re-purposing of the existing building.
A close up photo of the original building.
El Morro means the headland and this is the landmark travelers aimed towards in their desert crossings.
It became a place to leave your mark – to tell part of your story.
Most were very anxious to reach this water supply – we enjoyed the reflection and serenity.
Settlers, conquistadors, friars – so many passed this way and had remarkable stories to tell.
We thought this looked like a bottle of wine!
We walked to the top of the rock – this overlooks a box canyon with amazing goelogy.
It was windy but we appreciated the sculpting effects like this amazing character pine.
Contemplating all that have enjoyed this scene.
CCC workers carved these stairs into the rock. We thought we had been transported to Greek Isles.
Ruins on the top that have been stabilized and preserved.
Near by El Malpais we found this great BLM campground which we stayed for a few nights.
The lava flows are what makes it the badlands!
Imagine walking over miles of this uneven surface.
We took the Rims Narrow Trail to the arch overlook – gorgeous vistas for the entire walk.
We are thinking bear print – we saw several of these but no bear. Lots of animal tracks.
On the south side of the park are these unmarked ruins.
We camped at Apache Creek, Gila National Forest – we had this entire campground to ourselves. In the morning we saw 4 javalinas walking up the hill.
We stopped at Catwalk for this hike into the canyon. It was originally water lines to a mine. The CCC turned that into a walkway and it has been maintained ever since. Part up the canyon is still closed due to a fire/flash flood.
What better spot to have lunch? Gila Wilderness.
Thank you Aldo Leopold for loving this area so much, that you spent your life working to preserve areas as wilderness for all those that came after you. We really appreciate it and have so enjoyed this opportunity to explore so many wilderness areas as well as other public lands.
June 1 we flew to San Antonio, Texas. We were chauffeured by Rick, cousin of Barry Gorden (Motown Music Founder), to KerRVille where our van was waiting. We learned so much about how to operate it from Keith, for which we are very grateful. We also appreciate the small town service of Otis, Todd, Shannon and Keri. Thank you so much!
We bought a Winnebago Travato 59K which is a converted RAM 3500 high top extended cargo van. This is the layout of the 21′ length – everything we need!
We did not linger in Kerrville because of the intense rains forecast. We drove to Fredericksburg in the rain and spent the night there. We had a pleasant evening but it did rain all night – so we know our van is waterproof!
Our first National Park with the Travato is LBJ childhood home. The Texas White house is closed due to flooding but we enjoyed our time here very much. Good movies on both LBJ and Lady Bird – seemed like a good start as they did much to preserve some of the beauty of our country.
We took a ranger led tour and sat on the front porch.
We left early and drove to Ft Stockton to skirt all of the storms. We were successful!
Our first purchase was this fresh water hose. Newbies trying to figure this out. We love that the Travato is fully self contained and that the solar panels recharge the “house” battery.
The little kitchenette, 2 coach seats swivel with airline type trays, overhead cabinets have lots of storage, 2 twin beds that can push together and also tilt for reading/TV viewing. Sliding screen door and lots of windows – good cross breezes.
After a visit to Ft Davis Historic Site, and the local library, we headed up into the hills and found this The Nature Conservancy Trail and picnic area.
Seemed like a good spot for wine o’clock and then to spend the night.
Guadalupe National Park with Chollas blooming.
Our camp site for 2 nights. Interior of van is 6′-3″ so Henry does not hit his head.
An automatic awning over the picnic table. Wine O’clock in style!
We got up early and hiked Guadalupe Peak. A 3,000′ elevation gain!
This formation of El Capitan from the top reminded us of Michigan lower peninsula.
What lies ahead? We wander into New Mexico.
The Mexican Trestle Bridge hike in Cloudcroft where we spent a night.
We went to the space museum in Alamogordo. This was the moon model behind Walter Cronkite when he gave all those updates on the astronauts. Pretty interesting that it is preserved here.
Capitan is home of Smokey the Bear and they have a museum to him.
Leaving the Organ Mountains in the rear view mirror, we headed to El Paso, then Pancho Villa State Park museum for a history lesson, Rock City for a picnic lunch, and up the next mountain range to another National Monument.
A late afternoon stroll to the Cliff Dwellings was the perfect time of day to experience the hike and the sunlight.
The architecture is so fascinating. A volunteer guide was present to make sure we did not miss some of the details.
Amazing stone work. This dwelling was not lived in for very long.
A panorama of the setting sun over the wilderness. We spent the night in the campground and hiked another canyon in the morning.
Gorgeous Panorama of beautiful White Sands National Monument.
The undulating and shadowing was very picturesque.
We hiked 6-miles or so and enjoyed the rippling pattern on the dunes.
An Angle of Repose…
So sculptural! This reminded us of a Henry Moore Reclining Figure.
A Minion has landed. Always on the lookout for UFO’s in NM – ha!
From one Minion to Another: Thinking of my great nephew and wishing him a very Happy Birthday!
More Aliens on the horizon.
A full criminal back ground check allowed us access to the White Sand Missle Range museum – can you see our campsite in the distant mountains?
Can you just catapult this into the air? They also had a V2 rocket inside of a building with explanations – building on some of the knowledge we gained in Los Alamos.
A gorgeous sky. It was fun to photograph the Final Frontier.
