Taos New Mexico Sunset

This is a sequence of pictures taken at sunset at our campground in Taos, New Mexico

Farmington to Santa Fe, New Mexico

American quirkiness:  At Mom and Pop's RV Park, in Farmington, New Mexico, a miniature railway and town built by the 80 something owner.  The trains aren't working now, but the owner says, maybe next year.

We visit the Bolack Museum of Fish and Wildlife.  The owner of our RV park told us this was "the best kept secret in New Mexico, no, in the world!"  A quintessential american story is told in photos and newspaper articles framed on the wall - a self-made man striking oil on his well-considered purchases of land.  He eventually becomes lieutenant governor and governor of New Mexico. The human history is more interesting to me than his collection of animals. An avid hunter, the museum is largely made up of hunting trophies.

A collection of seeds at the Museum.

On the way through central New Mexico, we spot a forest fire.  Planes and helicopters drop water and retardant.  It's an important topic on the local news - it spread to about 50 acres and was contained fairly quickly.  New Mexico continues to suffer from draught.

On to Santa Fe where I go to the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum.    The kids are with Dad on the central Plaza. Georgia O'Keeffe lived near Santa Fe for many years and the near-by area is the subject of many of her paintings, especially in the latter half of her life.

The Museum is small and has only a tiny portion of her life work.  But it also contains things like these art materials from her studio.  I'm not really touching them or the glass!

A close-up of a painting O'Keeffe made of a door at her home.  I'm seeing her brush strokes for the first time - something not usually captured in art books.  

Her camping implements.  O'Keeffe would go by herself or with others into the dessert to paint.

Santa Fe is a jewelry lover's paradise.  It's filled with beautiful silver and stone jewelry.  Here is one little jewelry store window.

Back to the Plaza. The kids always find friendly people and dogs.  The plaza brings together the many people of the area: among them, tourists, Native Americans, Mexicans, the well healed, and an assortment of pan-handlers. 

Phil considering the possibilities.

On Santa Fe Plaza, Native Americans offer their wares as tourists browse.  I bought a beautiful turquoise pendant set in silver with the artist's name stamped on the back.  It's very pretty.

Public transportation is pretty good in Santa Fe.  We take the bus to and from our RV park.  Gwen and Phil play with their balloons on the way home.

On to Taos, New Mexico tomorrow.

Route 66, Arizona to Aztec Ruins, New Mexico

Route 66 in Williams Arizona, just south of the Grand Canyon.  

The things you'd expect to find.

Seemingly poised for a photo.

Descending south in Arizona, around Sedona, it becomes hotter and dryer.

On to the Aztec Ruins.  The name is a misnomer.  Not built by the Aztecs of Central America but by the Pueblo people, early settlers mistaken associated with the Aztecs.  

We visit the reconstructed Great Kiva that served as a community meeting place and sanctuary.

Earl H. Morris, an archeologist from New York's American Museum of National History, supervised the reconstruction of this Kiva in the 1930s.  Now I wonder about how it might have been used ceremonially as we pass under the squares of light.

Wandering through a "great house" a multi-storied, connected building where people lived.

Neal, amongst the ruins of a great house.

Though lotted before it was protected as a national monument, portions of the original structure remain.  Passing through these doors, we wonder if the early Pueblo were short or they contracted low passages for some other reason.

Gwen at the end of a "hallway"

This is an original ceiling we pass under.  The dry weather has helped to preserve it.
Some earlier visitors have left graffiti.  

When we ask Phillip what he did today, he says, "I did what sister did."

The rooms can be clearly seen here, behind Gwen.  

This archeological site is a hidden gem worth seeing - larger than some more popular sites.  It has much in common with Chaco Canyon but is easily accessible.

Scientists are able to use the timbers used in construction to determine when the  structures were built.  Outer ring dates of beams indicate the ruins where built in two phases - one around 1111 AD and another around 1118 AD.  They can also determine how long the structures were occupied by dating the timbers that were used for repairs these were added from a tree cut in 1269AD.  They are not sure why the site was abandoned after this but speculate, drought or, political, religious or social issues.

Grand Canyon National Park

Moonrise at Lee's Ferry

The area is a staging ground for rafting trips in the Colorado.  Some rapids are visible here.

Morning coffee before heading off for the Grand Canyon.

A beach, a cold morning, as we explore the edge of the Colorado River.

  The Colorado no longer reaches the Bay of California due to human use along the way.

The water of the Colorado is ice cold.

As we make our way south, giant boulders, seemingly set down by giants,  give the appearance of an alien landscape.

A bridge over the Colorado River.

We cross through the Navajo Nation to get to Grand Canyon National Park.  

Our first view of the Canyon.

Looking down.

There are many miles of the Rim with varying views as well as the option of hiking in to the Canyon.

We arrive during National Parks Week and it was very crowded.  People from around the world speaking many different languages surround us at a popular overlook. The Park has a shuttle system that drives up and down several miles of the South Rim.  Riders can get off and on freely once the entrance fee is paid.

A discussion about the Canyon.  Go ahead Neal, explain this.

Vertigo!  I'm glad there are strong railings everywhere we go though some intrepid tourists leave the safety to explore other outcroppings.

One last picture before we leave the South Rim and go to our campsite a half mile away in the Park.  It's nice to spend the night right in the Park.  Neal will come back to the morning for sunrise while the rest of us sleep.