Bandelier National Monument

Today we carpooled with Jerry and Marilyn and had a full day. We started by driving about 50 miles to Bandelier National Monument, an Anasazi cliff dwelling ruins.





























Besides the cliff dwellings, there were pueblo style dwellings in the canyon.

























Connie and Joe climbed into a cliff opening.










Inside we also found petroglyphs.
















Are these petroglyphs too?












We ended our morning with a very nice picnic lunch.

Friday and Saturday

Friday was a "free day" so after a very nice breakfast made by the guys, Leta, Marilyn, me, and Connie decided to check out the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum. The exhibit was very interesting but we couldn't take any pictures, and since the Visitor Center person had told me that the State Capitol had eight of her painting we decided to go.



















The Capitol building has no dome but the ceiling above the rotunda is beautiful.
















One of the historic buildings near the Plaza has to keep its original look, which means the brick is only painted on the stucco finish.
















ON THE ROAD AGAIN--Saturday morning we lined up and headed for Taos. Along the way the road followed the Rio Grande River.





















In the afternoon we visited the ancient Taos Pueblo--the only difference being the doors put into the sides of the structures and the fact that the Natives have commercialized their homes by turning them into shops. The fresh bread was baking in the horna (outdoor adobe oven).





























This picture goes with the Capitol picture. There were no O'Keeffe pictures at the Capitol, but the hallways became a wonderful art gallery full of wonderful artwork of local artists. This multi-media buffalo was amazing. (Click on the buffalo to see what it's made of!)

Rancho de las Golondrinas

Today we took a short trip into the Santa Fe countryside--low rolling hills covered sparsely with pinon trees and cottonwoods.


The road led to Rancho de las Golondrinas, a hacienda dating to the 1700s viewed today as a living working hacienda. We arrived as the bread was going into an outside oven.



The adobe structures held living quarters, chapels, kitchens, and barns. Everything was grown or made on the early hacienda. The ranch also took some time leaps and we saw what a ranch would have looked like in the 1800s. A very interesting, busy tour!

After a dinner of leftovers that we were all able to share, Shelly shared some information on Navajo rugs and turquoise jewelry. There is shopping to be done!

I wish I had had my camera for the later evening as we "all" did crafts. We gals made a beaded kerchief that will enhance any western outfit, but the guys were busy carving fetish charms out of soapstone. They were supposed to be bears, but the one I saw looked like something else--a snowman maybe, and Mitch went through two or three of the soapstones (he was trying to carve with a butcher knife instead of a file) and I'm not sure if any of them turned out! The guys will finish their project later!

Check out our Caravan blog at www.landofenchantmentii.blogspot.com!

Land of Enchantment Day 2

The party has started, with getting to know the other 13 couples plus one on the caravan, and enjoying a great meal that included from scratch gaucamole, pico de gallo, black bean soup, chicken enchiladas verdes (with red sauce too), steak fajitas with grilled peppers and onions, Mexican Casserole (pork with a corn dressing), and a pineapple/coconut pudding dessert. Mitch was chief chef and everyone seemed to love the food. There was certainly plenty of it!


Today we took a trolley tour of the downtown area of Santa Fe. We learned of much of the historical beginnings of Santa Fe, drove down Canyon Road filled with art galleries one after the other. The bronze statues of all sorts are fascinating. This particular gallery had an outdoor display of children playing. (Click on the picture for a close-up.)



Santa Fe's capitol building is the only one in the U.S. without a dome. It is, interestingly enough, designed in the shape of the NM flag, a circle in the center with four rays radiating from each side of the circle.


The Palace of the Governors was a historical museum, but outside under the portal (porch) along the sidewalk sat 68 Pueblo artisans displaying jewelry, pottery, sand paintings, etc. on a rug or blanket on the sidewalk to sell to the tourists as they walk by. (Click on the picture to see some of the jewelry for sale.)

A couple of days in Santa Fe

We decided to take a walk near the Plaza in downtown Santa Fe. We were told to check out a couple of churches--the first the oldest mission church in Santa Fe, dating back to 1610. The oldest house in Santa Fe was across the street.
Then we visited another church that touted the spiral staircase with a story--After the church was built, the Sisters and girls at the school found it difficult to climb the ladder to the choir loft. After the nine-day prayer a carpenter showed up on a donkey with a hammer and a T-square.

He proceeded to build a spiral staircase with two complete 360 degree turns without any supporting features or any nails. (Only later was the banister added.)

Then he left without being paid. When the Sisters decided he couldn't be found, they figured they would just pay the lumber company for the wood, but the lumber company wasn't aware of any outstanding charges. The conclusion the Sisters came up with was that St. Joseph was the carpenter himself. To this day engineers have not been able to figure out how the staircase was made.

An unusual anvil cloud and sunset.


Today we started the prep work, with Marilyn and Jerry's help, for the kick-off dinner that Mitch is cooking for tomorrow night.

On the road again--into New Mexico

We didn't mind leaving the mountain driving and found the route coming into Santa Fe very pretty.

Pagosa Springs, CO

One last hot springs--this one has 18 pools terraced along the San Juan River with temps of 94 to 107 degrees.







Verrry nice!!!

On the road--again--southwestern CO

Everything I said about eastern Colorado not having any mountains is made up by all the mountains in the southwestern part of the state. Today we traveled up the mountain, then down the mountain, then around the mountain, then through the mountain, and then we did it all again and again and again!




The road was well paved, but as you can see, just wide enough for the rig, with not much for a shoulder and one side went up and the other went down!






It wasn't fast!


















And the little construction made it interesting!
















But the scenery was beautiful!

Two Days to Play

Yes, Colorado is mountains and we took the Million Dollar Road to Silverton. That's 23 miles of mountains and curves to reach the Red Mountain Pass at 11,700. The scenery was spectacular and Silverton, a mining town in its day, was quaint and offered a good lunch.



With all that driving, we checked out the hot springs nearby and found them to be very relaxing. This pond was about 102 degrees and the snow covered mountains made a beautiful background.




Today was haircut day, but we also found the Russell Stover's Factory Outlet. We bought so many boxes Mitch didn't know where to start!

This is Colorado

We hit the road for a 100 mile trip from Canon City to Gunnison. And we really found Colorado. The scenery changed from high desert to mountains. And the road went around all the mountains as it followed the river. And then it went uphill, and more uphill, and then we saw the sign that said Monach Pass 6 miles! We ended up at 11,312 feet! The map is deceiving when 100 miles is curves and hills!

This morning was cool, but the sun was shining, so off we went. A must see/do was the boat trip on the Gunnison River. After descending 232 steps and hiking half a mile, we boarded a little tour boat and away we went.




The two hour trip would take us through the Black Canyon of the Gunnison.






















The black color on the face of the rocks gives the canyon its name.























The scenery was spectacular. Chipeta Falls was named after the wife of a Ute Indian.


















This is Curecanti Spike.







As we neared the end of our six mile trip, we came upon a different view, and it is starting to turn colors. Does that mean winter is close behind?










After our boat trip we decided to do some more sightseeing and headed to Crested Butte where we planned on having dinner. Had to stop to take this picture--haven't seen this much snow in who knows how long. It was gorgeous! However, I'm glad it belongs to Colorado.