I delayed my departure from Colorado Springs by 3 weeks, until the very first day of October, in order to get my traveling companion. Her name is Meghan, and she was all of 9 weeks old at that time. She's a West Highland Terrier puppy, or "Westie", and already an absolute delight!
Upon leaving Colorado Springs, we drove just a couple hours south, to Lathrop State Park outside Walsenburg, CO in order to keep the Meghan's first ride brief. But she did fine, and we camped there for a couple days, enjoying short walks and the fantastic views of the Spanish Peaks, which the Indians regarded as the "Breasts of the World."
When we left there, we drove west across the North LaVeta Pass, and just south of Blanca Peak, which I "shot" from a Rest Area along the highway.
From there, we continued south to revisit Heron Lake State Park in New Mexico, but stayed just one night, being chased out by the forecast of freezing temps for the next night. We drove about 60 miles or so south over a ridge to Abiquiu Lake and the Corps of Engineers (COE) Riana RV Park. This is a very nice park with provisions for full hookups, and also for dry camping in a very pleasant area with great views of Cerro Pedernal, which Georgia O'Keefe painted many times.
At Sunrise
During Afternoon
A couple days later, freezing temps were forecast for this area, too, so we moved to White Rock, NM, south of Los Alamos and 7 miles east of Bandelier National Monument, and where we could stay at the White Rock Visitor Center for $20/night with good electrical hookup. It was peaceful and quiet both nights we were there, and there's a free Shuttle Bus service to Bandelier from May 14 to October 15 that runs every 20 minutes from 9 AM until 3 PM daily. But when I went inside the Visitor Center to inquire about the hours of service, the lady there said that if I were to drive out earlier, I could get in with no problem, but during the hours from 9 to 3, visitors 'must take' the shuttle service. There are other exceptions, too, for disabled, overnight backpackers, visitors staying at Juniper Campground in the National Monument, bicyclists, or if there's a pet on-board (NOTE: pets are NOT allowed on the trails).
I was extremely impressed by the geology of the area, and by the way the Ancestral People adapted to the area, and by how they adapted the environment to serve them. There was a period of great volcanic activity in the area about a million years ago, and the nearby Valles Caldera is the remains of of one vast eruption, which blew ash that was carried as far away as Iowa. It also generated a massive ash flow, some of which was welded together by its own heat into a layer of lightweight and relatively soft rock called tuff, but still hard enough to form cliffs. When humans first came to this area, they were able to use other rocks to carve openings into these cliffs to form useful shelters, and they also used blocks of tuff to form houses in front of the caves they had carved out. Many, if not most, of the caves were elevated and accessible only by ladders.
Tufa Columns - see all the very tiny people?
Tufa Cave
But sometimes, nature steps in and things go awry.
The next day, we drove to El Morro National Monument, which is a huge sandstone bluff at the base of which is a huge (200,000 gallon) waterhole. This a natural waterhole, fed only by runoff rainwater rather than by any spring. And there are over 2,000 handcarved messages, dates, signatures and petroglyphs around the bluff, carved by Spanish and American travelers and by the Ancestral Peoples who lived here in a permanent settlement of rock houses atop the bluff.
There is a small campground here, only 9 sites of which only 3 sites are large enough for an RV in my opinion and the largest site is rated for just a 27' RV. There are no hookups, but there are 2 or three bear-proof trash bins and one outhouse. There is no charge for admission or for camping.
At Sunrise
Afternoon From The Campground
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Approach To The Waterhole
The Waterhole
A Couple Of The Signatures
P Gilmer Breckenridge 1859
A Fancy Signature
looks like "E Pen Long" from Baltimore
plus R.C. Logan, Ohio, 1866
There are some *very* old writings, from Spanish times, the earliest dating to 1605, fully 15 years before the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock.
And then there are the petroglyphs, which we can't date, but they must surely be truly ancient!
We left the next day, heading for Hatch, N.M. where I bought 5 pounds of frozen roasted Hatch chilies plus 5 pounds of fresh (this year's harvest) pinto beans. We then headed for Benson, AZ where we're camping with some Boondocking friends for about 10 days before heading to Borrego Springs, CA for the winter. While here, the first night I made a fresh batch of pinto beans using some of the Hatch chilies, some chili powder from Penzey's Spice Store, and one chipotle chili in adobo sauce. This batch is about as hot as I would ever want it to be, so may just use less of the chilies on my subsequent batches.
But overall, life is good, and I've really enjoyed the stops I've made this fall.
Hoping all is well with my readers.
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