Had an enjoyable week with our daughter and son-in-law, Debbie and Darrell. During the week we went to a concert at the Music Instrument Museum and also went to their special exhibit on Stradivarius and the Golden Age of Violins and Guitars.
Albert Lee at the Music Instrument Museum
Last weekend we went to Prescott to the Merrick’s mountain house in the National Forest near Prescott. We had a great time and had a few natural visitors and watched lots of stars.
Thumb Butte from the house
One of our visitors.
Drove to Las Cruces today in I-10. The desert was beautiful but we were going to fast for pictures. Tomorrow we drive to Carlsbad and will see White Sands National Park and other sites along the way.
One of the joys of road tripping is that plans can change. We decided to change our route from Santa Fe to Canyon de Chelly. Our original rout had us taking I-25 and I-40 for much of the way. Instead , we routed ourselves through Farmington in NW New Mexico. By going this way we ended up on minor (but very good) road through the Navajo Reservation. The scenery was breath-taking.
Shiprock. We could see this for miles and miles as we crossed the desert
The road and scenery in the Navajo Reservation
As we approached Canyon de Chelly, we were on the North rim road. We went in on overlook (Antelope House) which turned out to be one of the most difficult trails to an overlook in the Monument. I ventured all the way to the Fortress Rock overlook by scrambling over sandstone rocks. Linda went part way and waited for me to see the pictures.
Views from the Fortress Rock Overlook
We went to the Visitor’s Center and got some useful information about the difficulty of reaching the various overlooks. We decided to check in to the Thunderbird Lodge and have dinner and go out to see some of the South Rim Overlooks in the evening and at Sunset.
Spider Rock
View from the Spider Rock Overlook
View from the White House Overlook right before Sunset
Sunset over Canyon de Chelly from the White House Overlook
The next morning we visited two more overlooks, the Tunnel Overlook and the Tsegi (Navajo name for the Canyon) Overlook, on the south rim before leaving for Phoenix.
View from the Tunnel Overlook
Views from the Tsegi Overlook. This monument is unique in that it is a joint effort between the Navajo Nation and the National Park Service. The Navajo are permitted to continue living and farming in the monument, including within the canyon, as they have done for centuries. This is part of the cultural significance of the Monument
View outside the Monument from the Tsegi Overlook
Left Canyon de Chelly and drove to Debbie and Darrell’s house in Phoenix. The ride was again almost all non-Interstate roads except for the small portion near Holbrook, AZ where AZ77 used the I-40 for a few miles and the 101 Freeway in Phoenix. The trip was 2247 miles, including some local touring miles, mostly off the Interstate system except for Day 1 and part of Day 2. This compares to a 1,757 mile direct trip, according to Google Maps, from Wisconsin to Arizona. We will again post on June 30 as make our way home on a southern route. Until then!
Went down to the Santa Fe Plaza area to see the sights. We used an audio tour that gave us some interesting information about the buildings and Santa Fe. One of the things we learned was that the headquarters for the Manhattan Project was in Santa Fe. Today it is a Chocolate and Cashmere shop. We also learned about the connection of Jewish people to Santa Fe.
In the Plaza, many Native American craftspeople were selling jewelry and other items. Linda got a beautiful turquoise bracelet and I got a copper engraved guitar pick, Not sure I will use it too often but it is beautiful.
San Miguel Chapel, the oldest church in the continental US
St. Francis Cathedral
Santa Fe Plaza, the restaurant where we had lunch is next to the white building at the end of the street
Linda at lunch at the Plaza Cafe, founded in 1905.
Went out to dinner to a restaurant that had New Mexican cuisine. I had a blue stacked enchilada with green chili and Linda had tamales with red and green chili. Excellent food and the price was reasonable.
Tomorrow we will be on the way to our last stop before get to Debbie and Darrell’s house. We will be going to Canyon de Chelly, a smaller canyon with cliff dwellings in the middle of the Navajo reservation.
Started the day with a visit to the Great Sand Dunes National Park. This is a very popular park and the lot was very full when we got there. There are a lot of other large sand dunes in the US, but this one is unique in that it is right next to the mountains, creating a very spectacular setting. We took a short nature trail and looked at the desert flora. The prickly pear cactus were very small but they were in bloom.
View from the Visitor’s Center of the dunes with the Sangre de Christo mountains in the background
Prickly Pear in bloom
After our visit to Great Sand Dunes, we drove to Taos, NM for lunch and shopping. Along the way we stopped at the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge. There is a rest area next to the bridge and there are sidewalks so you can safely walk out on the bridge to see the gorge.
Rio Grande Gorge
Plaza at Taos
After lunch we headed toward Santa Fe, and took the High Road to Taos scenic byway. It was a beautiful drive and the road was very good and fun to drive. In Santa Fe, we had a steak dinner. They serve the steak New Mexico style, that is with mixed vegetables, beans, and a cheese enchilada with chili. I had green chili and it was a very different experience from the typical Wisconsin Dinner Club steak dinner. Tomorrow is for exploring Santa Fe. We can’t wait.
We rode the Cumbres and Toltec today. This was something I have wanted to do for a long time. After the Rio Grand Railroad abandoned the line in the late sixties, the States of Colorado and New Mexico took over the line and the C&T was formed. It is a 64 mile railroad with original steam equipment. It was a long day that started with a one hour bus ride to the other end of the line. The scenery visible from the train is outstanding and generally not something you can see without riding the train. It was a long day but the experience and views were worth it. Did I mention the delicious lunch that was served at the halfway station.
Ready to ride the railroad
A number of views from the train, including the Toltec gorge.
We will be visiting Great Sand Dunes National Park tomorrow, and then we will go to the Taos area and on to Santa Fe, where we will spend the next day and a half.
Drove from Norton, Ks to Alamosa, CO on 2 lane US and State highways. For me, it was a reminder of the cross-county trip I took in 1962 with my family. For Linda, it was a reminder of where she grew up. The roads were excellent and the traffic was very light (everyone is on the Interstates). Also, we went through a number of small Kansas and Colorado towns, and saw a lot of prairie scenery. We also saw wheat fields about 2 weeks from harvest, some wells (likely for gas), and lots of cattle.
A limestone outcropping breaks up the prairie.
Grain elevators and trees mean a small town ahead.
A few of the wells dotting the grassland
Cattle bunched together near the highway.
One of the joys of a 2 lane road trip is stopping at unexpected tourist experiences. Near Wallace, KS, we stopped at the Fort Wallace Museum. It was a volunteer local museum and they had wonderful collections of Native American and US Cavalry artifacts. It was well worth the stop.
Us at the Fort Wallace Historical Marker
We are now in Alamosa and will drive to Antonito to ride the Cumbres and Toltec Historic Railroad. It is a 64 mile long railroad using authentic historic equipment. After a long day of driving, it will be great to have a short driving day.
Having trouble with the laptop so the post will be short. Drove to Norton, Kansas to visit the graves of Linda’s Grandparents, Linus and Ruby Warner. They are buried in Mount Hope Cemetery in Almena, KS. It is out in the country down a dirt road.
Individual monuments for Linus and Ruby
Family Monument plus our Honda
View of Kansas countryside from Mt. Hope
We will be on the road to Alamosa, Colorado tomorrow. We are going cross country on non-Interstate roads, so it will be like an old fashioned road trip.
We have driven west on I-80 many times before. We stopped at West Des Moines, IA. On the way we visited the grave of Linda’s Third Great Grandmother, Lucinda Starkweather Kent. She is buried in Avon Cemetery just east of Des Moines.
I-80 in Iowa
Lucinda was the daughter of Linda’s Revolutionary War Veteran. She died in 1866 and was 82 years old.
We had a wonderful meal tonight. We went to a local Ecuadorian Restaurant, Mi Patria. We are heading to Kansas tomorrow. More flat countryside, beautiful in its own way.
It has been a while since we were traveling and we decided to take a road trip to see our daughter, Debbie, in Phoenix, AZ. Yes, we know it will be hot, but we have been in the Phoenix area every month of the year. Rather than drive straight through, we are detouring to see a few sights along the way and also visit some family, both living and dead. We are taking a more northerly route going and coming back by a little farther south route. We will see at least 2 National Parks, other scenic areas and parks, visit Santa Fe, NM and take a long distance narrow gauge railroad from Antonito, CO to Chama, NM. We will post most days during the trip. So follow along!
