We’re passing through Taos and stop to walk around a bit. It’s our first time here and I’m pleasantly surprised. I thought this town would have an expensive, touristy vibe, but it’s actually an interesting place.
All kinds of artists live and work here. This statue is pretty amazing, right?
I read about this park in a National Geographic guidebook. In addition to a lake, excellent fishing, hiking trails and a well-maintained campground, the park is home to a Dinosaur Trackway site where there are more than 500 tracks from four different species of plant-eating and meat-eating dinos. These tracks were left along the shore of an ancient ocean more than 100 million years ago. The tracks were exposed during the construction of the dam at Clayton Lake and were revealed when the lake over-flowed into the dam’s spillway after a big storm in 1982.
After being totally fascinated by these tracks we took a hike on a trail at one end of the lake. We heard so many different kinds of birds! My Merlin app identified them, but they were very difficult to spot in the cottonwood trees.
We drove into the little town of Clayton for dinner and were treated to this work of art on the way there.
And this display on the way back. Our last night of camping until later on this summer! We have really enjoyed every place we stayed and can’t wait for the next trip.
Homeward Bound
Friday, May 17-Sunday, May 19
Friday May 17-we start for North Carolina. Friday night, we made it to Checotah, Oklahoma after a day of driving past feed lots, pastures, hayfields, grain silos and windfarms. And those lovely skies.
Saturday, May 18-we stop for the night in Crossville, Tennessee, and on Sunday we have a chance to meet our friend Jennifer for lunch in Asheville, NC. We arrive at Barrett and Bryce’s house in Hillsborough, NC Sunday night.
Today is Wednesday, May 22 and I am writing this at B and B’s. It’s a really good time to be here with family. We will visit Tim, Li and our grandson Eli in Durham this weekend, then spend time with my sister Tricia next week. We expect to arrive at home in Belfast, Maine on Tuesday, June 4-gotta get the garden in and catch up with our friends!
Thanks for reading about our adventures-God willing there will be many more to come.
It’s a short drive from our campsite at Canyon de Chelly to Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park, which is said to be one of the most photographed places on earth. It is quite impressive, to be sure. The visitor center is swarming with tourists and features a rather tacky gift shop.
It’s really windy and we’re bad at selfies!
We go down the road to the Navajo Nation visitor center and find a market with vendors selling art made by Navajo and Zuni makers. We had a pleasant conversation with Raymond Valento, a white man married to a Navajo woman-he’s been representing Zuni and Navajo potters, jewelers, sculptors and weavers for over 60 years. We bought some jewelry, of course! Andy picked out a little bear fetish made of jasper as a possible stand in for Buzz Roadkill (nothing can replace him!). These animal carvings have symbolic meanings-in the Zuni tradition the bear guards the West. It is more correct to call these objects carvings rather than fetishes, because they have not been blessed by a shaman.
More car shots as we traveled to our next destination. This is Mexican Hat Rock. Unbelievably beautiful!
We spend the night in a motel in Farmington, NJ. We meet a couple from Hancock, Maine! We encounter people from Maine everywhere we go.
On Monday, our next campsite is a huge state park with several campgrounds and a large marina.
Our campground is Crusher Hole-almost completely empty. There are so many birds here! My Merlin app identifies several species by sound, but they are difficult to sight. We do see ospreys passing overhead with fish in their mouths. This is supposed to be one of the best trout fishing areas in the country. The sunsets are awesome!Monday, we make a day trip to Chaco Culture National Historical Monument. Our tour guide at Canyon de Chelly told us stories of the people who lived here, and we were inspired to visit. In keeping with the theme of our trip, access to this site involves 20 miles of washboard gravel road. I think some of my teeth are getting loose!Chaco Canyon was a cultural center for the Ancestral Pueblo people who lived here from 850 to 1250CE. It served as a hub of trade and ceremony for many peoples who gathered there. This place is central to the origins of several Navajo clans. The great houses of Chaco were constructed during the 800s. They were oriented to solar, lunar, and cardinal directions. Sophisticated astronomical markers, communication features, water control devices, and formal plazas surrounded them. A system of roads connected more than 150 great houses throughout the region. These were not heavily populated villages but may have been used more for ceremony and trading and as impressive examples of “public architecture.” Wood used in their construction would have been hauled by hand from over 50 miles away. Roy took us on a tour of Pueblo Bonita, the largest of the great houses. The public is allowed to follow trails that go around and inside these dwellings. Roy led us through a succession of small doors into small rooms. These corner windows were built to serve as astronomical markers. Two face east and are called solstice windows because they were used to view the sunrise on the winter solstice.
We want to come back to this magical place and spend more time among the ruins and on the numerous hiking trails that we didn’t have time to explore. It’s thought that only about one percent of the dwelling places in this area have been excavated. The Navajo people would prefer that no further excavation be allowed, and I agree. It’s wonderful that we have an opportunity to glimpse a piece of this rich history and fitting that most of it be left undisturbed.
Headed back to Navajo Lake. Every mile is a blessing.
We spent Thursday night in Page, Arizona. Not much to report-it’s near Lake Powell, which we don’t see from our motel room. Friday morning is a lovely drive to Canyon de Chelly (pronounced Chay) National Monument. This is the second largest canyon in the US and is located in the Navajo Nation near the Four Corners region.
The drive is beautiful.Cottonwood Campground is right behind the visitor center-it’s very quiet and nice to be nestled among the cottonwood trees. We’ve learned that these trees were planted by the CCC to help control erosion in the Canyon, but they are not native and have prevented the growth of other native species such as willows and are therefore being removed in some places.
There are no public trails at Canyon de Chelly, but visitors may drive the rim and there are amazing views from the overlooks. We met some Navajo artists selling jewelry and art at some of the parking lots and had a chance to talk to them and buy some of their work.
This is Spider Rock. Navajo legend says that a Spider Woman lived on top of this rock and would take naughty children up there to teach them how to behave. If those children didn’t learn her lessons, she would eat them! Their bones remain to this day-that’s why the top of the rock is white.
To go into the canyon, visitors must have a guide. The canyon is co-owned by Navajo residents and the Park Service. Guides must be Navajo residents of the canyon.
We decided to take a tour, and we are so glad we did. This is Devonnia, our guide. She took us and 3 other people on a 3-hour tour. She grew up in the canyon with her dad and grandparents. Today, there are about 60 families who own property there, but all except one woman live there seasonally. We discovered the reason for this on the tour. The landowners farm and keep sheep and horses, which are brought out of the canyon during the winter. The Navajo tribe is matriarchal. Land is passed on to the oldest woman in the family. In de Chelly, if there is no heir, the land reverts back to the Park Service.
People have lived in this canyon for 5,000 years. The first inhabitants lived in the cliffs from around 2500 to 200 BCE and left images on the canyon walls to tell their stories. This site is thought to have been a birthing place. Kokopelli, the symbol of fertility, is shown here on his back-representing new life. Between 200 BCE and 750 CE a group called the Basketmakers, named for their weaving skills, began to farm and become more sedentary.
Devonnia pointed out this symbol, which she said was probably left here in the 1940s. It is considered graffiti by archaeologists, but she grew up with its lesson. She drew a picture of it in the dirt and told us the story that her grandmother taught her. It represents the transition from the world into which Navajos are born into the “glitter world” of modern culture. The lines between the two worlds represent culture, language, civility, ego and greed. If younger generations lose their cultural knowledge, their language, and the civility taught by the Old Ones, they will turn to the “me” culture and fall victim to a world of greed and materialism (glitter). Devonnia said she has witnessed the truth of this story in the younger members of the Nation who have fallen victim to drugs and alcohol and have lost their way. As she talked, I felt that this Truth is a truth for all cultures, and I thought about what I was taught as a child- “do not forsake your mother’s teaching,” and other similar Christian scriptures that remind us to hold onto the traditions and the values of our ancestors.
Ancestral Pueblos followed the Basketmakers. They are the ancestors of today’s Pueblo, Hopi, and Navajo peoples. These people built multistoried villages and kivas the remnants of which we see today. At some places in the canyon, the walls are more than 1,000 feet tall. Devonnia pointed out several “trails” leading up some of the walls-narrow ledges and ancient carved hand and foot holds. Her grandmother, who is 73 years old, still does guided hikes in the canyon and climbs those impossible- looking trails. We asked Devonnia if she climbed them, and she said, “Yes! I can’t be outdone by my grandmother!”
The canyon becomes impassable at certain times of year, as evidenced by the remains of an unlucky driver. There are no real roads and we were driving through water for much of our trip. We saw markers denoting quick-sand areas. This explains why most families only live there seasonally.
I will always remember this place. Devonnia holds stories that have been passed down in her family for many generations. We feel grateful that she is willing to share them with her guests, and we feel grateful to be welcomed on this land that is sacred to the Navajo Nation and their ancestors.
Out next destination is Clayton Lake State Park in Northeast Mexico. I look on the map and notice that the Ghost Ranch is (kind of) on the way. This is the place where I accidentally left Buzz Roadkill, and I still feel his absence as our traveling totem. I confess to Andy that I am fantasizing about going back to the Ranch and finding him around the entrance where we took his picture on the day we were there. Andy being Andy, he didn’t hesitate to say, “Let’s go look for him!”
A couple of hours later, we pull up to the gate and get out of the car. He’s not on the sign, and he’s not around the signpost on the ground. We look for several minutes without success, and I am just about to give up when Andy says, “I’ve got him!” Sure enough, there he is-on his back in the gravel several feet away.
We’re ridiculously glad to see him.He’s had a bit of a rough time-a gash on his lip and some ground in dirt, but he’s basically ok and back in his place on the dash. Sorry, Buzz! I promise I won’t leave you again. His return feels like a good omen, and we carry on down the road.
We get an early start Sunday and see this along the way.
There’s something interesting to see around every curve!
We arrive in Moab in time to hang out in town and do some shopping (and laundry-laundromats usually have wi-fi and give us a chance to catch up on correspondence and blogging). Moab is a wide-open kind of town that caters to hikers, campers, off roaders, and all kinds of local characters. It’s crowded, but I like the energy. Gear Heads is a huge outdoor store and we spend some time in there and come out with a new tent. It’s made by Nemo, a company that makes all kinds of camping equipment and offers a life-time guarantee. We’ll post a picture at the next camp site.
I booked a kind of tiny house/room at a place right in town called Kokopelli West.
I booked this through Hotels.com because it’s so convenient, but they neglected to send me an email with our door code, so we had no way to get in. This is yet another place with no one on duty; totally self-service. Fortunately, the housekeeping staff helped us by calling the owner and getting the code. I need to stop using these 3rd party services and book directly through the hotels, but anyway…we got in. It was really great to take a shower after 3 days of camping in red dust!
We walked to a Thai restaurant and had a really excellent meal.
Monday, May 6
We’re not quite sure where to go next. Arches is nearby, but their campsites are all reservation only and are booked up months in advance. These days you even need an advance ticket to enter the park-that seems like a hassle and when we pass the entrance there is a long line of cars backed up-we keep on going. We do stop by Capitol Reef National Park long enough to take a walk out to an overlook and get some pictures.
We’re headed to Bryce Canyon National Park and take the scenic route through Escalante. We travel over some very high mountains-with steep drop-offs…we have a knack for finding those curvy roads!
Boulder Mountain Summit 9600ftI take a picture about every 5 minutes while Andy is driving…they never turn out very well, but these hundreds of photos help us remember how beautiful and variable this landscape is.
I’m checking the weather for Bryce Canyon and it’s not looking that favorable…a low of 28 and high winds. We’re pretty hardy campers but the wind thing is daunting, so we check into the Bryce Canyon motel in Panguitch, Utah for the right price of $56 a night.
It’s a very small town that caters to the Park traffic and has a lot of motels that have been in operation for a long time. There’s an actual person at the desk-her name is Kristen and she has come from her home in Arizona to help out a friend who owns the motel. She’s very friendly and gives us restaurant advice. All of Main St smells like smoked meat as the 2 or 3 restaurants there are barbeque places.
Tuesday, May 7-Bryce Canyon NP
We’re coming to accept the reality that visiting the National Parks is not the same as it used to be. This morning the visitor center at Bryce is like the mall at Christmas. We wait in line for some time to talk to a ranger at the information desk about dispersed camping at Zion, where we hope to go next. They only have reserved campsites now so we know we won’t get into their campgrounds, but we hope that the rangers can give us some advice about where to camp outside the park. The rather bored looking person behind the desk says he doesn’t know anything about that-end of discussion.
We’re kind of annoyed and disappointed, but it’s a beautiful day, we’re in the park, and we’re going to take a hike. The Two Bridges/Queen’s Garden combination loop does not disappoint. It starts at Sunrise Point and ends at Sunset Point about 3 miles down into the canyon and back up. It’s pretty easy until the 500ft elevation gain at the end-totally worth it for the views and the beautiful day.
Tonight while we were waiting for a table (and some brisket) at the restaurant, we talked to someone who had just come from Zion. She said it was shockingly crowded. As much as we love Zion and really wanted to go there, we may just skip it. We’ll see what tomorrow brings!
Canyonlands was one of my favorite parks when we did our last trip in 2017, and I have been looking forward to our return.
80 million years ago, this area was covered by sea, which deposited layers of salt and sand. When the sea receded, the sediment layers were pushed up by tectonic movement and then eroded by water to form a variety of rock formations. What’s left are amazing displays of natural art.
We arrived to find the campgrounds full, which was not a surprise. The great thing about this park is the availability of dispersed camping nearby. The helpful person at the information desk in the visitor center gave us ideas of places to look. The Bureau of Land Management runs several camping locations that provide simple amenities such as pit toilets, fire rings, and picnic tables. We wanted to camp at Hamburger Rock last time, but it was full. Today, we got lucky!
We found the perfect spot under the rocks!
It’s the best campsite ever!
We set up and had time for a short hike that we did last time and really enjoyed. The Cave Spring trail goes past an old cowboy camp and some cave shelters with pictographs.
The rocks here are amazing.
In the evening, we went to a ranger talk at the campground. Lauren talked about coyotes. They are smart, resilient animals who continue to resist extermination by various private and government agencies. I enjoyed the talk but was distracted by the evening light on the rocks.
My favorite hike in this park is the Slickrock Trail. The path is entirely marked by rock cairns and is a bit of a scramble. The views are 360 degrees and breathtaking.
I felt I was on Holy ground. How could I doubt it? The evidence is undeniable.
Temples
Altars
Baptismal fonts
And the rocks…
and of course, the trees!
It was quite windy while we were hiking and Andy was worried about our tent. I kept saying it would be fine, but sure enough, when we got back to our campsite, it had blown over. We were able to re-stake it, but it got some new rips and the zippers were full of red dust (so were our sleeping bags). We got this tent before we were married and I remember telling Andy it was our first joint real estate investment. It’s been from Maine to California and has served us well, but it looks like it’s time for a new one.
On Friday night the 4 wheelers started to arrive. This sport is a big deal around here, and while the National Parks don’t allow off roading, the BLM property is wide open. They raced up and down the dirt road around our campground stirring up dust and making a lot of noise, and also created long lines at the one pit toilet in the campground. We have been previously spoiled by relative solitude and quiet, so this takes some getting used to.
On Saturday we went back to the park and hiked a few miles of the Big Spring Trail. It has some challenging rock , but we managed ok. Saw some magnificent rock formations.
Our last hike was the Pothole Trail, an area with many holes and pits in the rock. These holes fill with water after a rain and allow plant growth. Many areas looked as if they had been professionally landscaped. This photo is kind of dull because I had something smeared on my camera lens, but it was a lovely little desert garden.
Canyonlands still rates as one of my favorite places to camp and hike. So glad we had some time there. Next stop, Moab, Utah.
We arrived at Mesa Verde around 4:00pm, set up camp, and drove further into the park to have dinner at the lodge. The food was pretty good, especially so because we were starving. We shared a bottle of wine and talked about highlights from the trip so far. It’s hard to pick a favorite moment because every day feels like a wonderful gift. We’ve met so many interesting and friendly people, seen so many incredible sights, and relished our time together.
We have been to Mesa Verde before, and we came back because it is beautiful, and because we are so fascinated by the ancient dwelling places here. Unfortunately, the tours of these sites don’t start until later in May, so we won’t be able to go inside them. This happened the last time we came-damnit! We should have planned a bit better.
Mesa Verde was established by Teddy Roosevelt and the US Congress in 1906. It is the largest archaeological preserve in the United States and is known for one of the largest cliff dwellings in North America. The inhabitants of these dwellings came from the 4 corners region around AD550 and lived here for 700 years.
The park opened for the season just a few days ago, and the advantage to that is an almost empty campground and not many people on the trails. The campground is very nice, and the facilities are exceptional for a National Park (meaning there is running water in the toilet at the campground, and there are showers and even a laundromat at the visitor center).
Spectacular, right?
We did the Petroglyph Point hike-it’s about 2.5 miles but took 3 hours due to a few challenging rock scrambles and many stops for photographs and exaltation. We met some very nice people on the trail-always a bonus to connect with fellow travelers.
I’m obsessed with these dead but mighty trees and the way they stand out against the sky. I’ll restrain myself and just post one of the many photos I’m collecting. “Only God can make a tree,” indeed. I’m grateful for the hands that built these steps!Our country is so beautiful! Something to be seen around every corner.?hey!Check out the love birds!
On Wednesday, we hiked the Soda Canyon trail, which is only a mile or so and offers some great views of the dwellings.
We went to the Park’s museum. There is a section dedicated to pieces of pottery and other artifacts that were picked up by tourists over the years and later returned with apology for taking what did not belong to them. These days visitors are instructed to leave any relics they find undisturbed and report their location to a ranger. I appreciate the respect for the culture and history of these people that the Park promotes.
Agriculture, tool making, pottery and art. A remarkable people.
One of our favorite shots taken while driving through the park
We learned about a brewery in the closest town (population 500?) and decide to check it out. We like to find a comparison to our hometown pub Rollies whenever we can. Excellent beer, outstanding pizza, and local trivia night is what we found. Everyone except us knew each other, and we felt very welcomed. We met someone who grew up in Maine. Andy asked her why she left and she said she didn’t know! If you’re ever in Mancos, Colorado we highly recommend Mancos Brewery.
Even though we didn’t get to climb down to the dwellings, we loved being here and feeling the presence and the power of the people who came before us. Their descendants return to these dwellings to remember and honor their ancestors. They believe that the Spirits from generations past are still with them. It’s a sacred place.
We traveled from the Gila Wilderness to Santa Fe on yet another curviest road in the world. This route took us over Emory Pass.
Black Range Mountains-Elevation 8,288 ft
We arrived in Santa Fe late afternoon.
We stayed at a lovely hotel in a residential area right outside of town-Casa Culinaria. It looks like a private home and is full of art and antiques. There was no one around; just an envelope with our name and a code to our room taped to the gate. We finally saw the owner on the day we were leaving.
Santa Fe is a beautiful town; all the architecture is pueblo style with no exception.
There is no bad food in Santa Fe. The first night, we went to a place in town and had a gourmet meal at a very reasonable price. We asked our server, whose name is Polly, where she liked to eat, and she recommended a local place with live music. More about that in a minute.
On Saturday, we had an excellent breakfast, found a laundromat, and re-supplied at a local co-op. So far the co-ops we visited have honored our Belfast membership. At the one in Silver City, one of the staff members used to work at the Blue Hill Co-op! We’ve met several people from Maine-we’ve discovered that the world is not that big if you take the time to talk to people along the way.
In the afternoon, we went to the Georgia O’Keefe museum. I saw an exhibit of her work in DC in the 80s and have loved her art since then. This was the reason I wanted to come to Santa Fe.
This piece is called Rooted in Place and is one of my favorites from this exhibit. Andy and I stayed in the museum for a long time-some of her paintings brought me to tears and I was happily exhausted when we left. We found a local art fair and talked to some of the artists-there are several very high-end galleries in town, but we enjoyed the local stuff the most.
On Saturday night, we went to Tiny’s, the place that Polly recommended.
Everyone here seemed to know each other, and there were all kinds of people here.
This is Polly, who came in shortly after us. It’s not a very good picture of her…sorry Polly! She saw us and came over to talk. We learned that most of the people are musicians and have grown up together. There was a house band playing cover songs, and after a while some of them left the stage and some others got up and played a blues set. This rotation of talent went on and on-someone passed a tip jar and the music kept going.
The food was delicious! Polly is a drummer and song writer, and she was going to take a turn-I could have sat there all night, but we need to get an early start tomorrow, so…Santa Fe is unique and interesting. I like the architecture and the art, but it was Tiny’s that made me love it.
We drove by the St John’s campus and took a photo for Barrett.
Our next stop was one of my bucket list places; the Ghost Ranch just a few miles north in Abiquiu, NM. Georgia O’Keefe lived near here in a house that is not open to the public, and she stayed here often. Many of her paintings depict the landscape here. We saw her interviewed in a film and she said that she had traveled around the world more than once but had never found a place better than this. I can understand why. The ranch is owned by the Presbyterian Church and is a center for spiritual growth and renewal.
We didn’t get to stay long but have decided to come back some day and either stay in one of the guest cottages or camp nearby.
On Monday morning we left for Mesa Verde. At some point I realized I had left our little mascot, Buzz Roadkill, on the sign at the entrance to Ghost Ranch. He’s just a little toy from a Christmas cracker, but has traveled with us for many a mile, and we both felt sad…if he had to be left somewhere, the Ghost Ranch seems like a fitting place.
Today is Sunday, May 5. We have been off the grid for a while now and I’m behind on my posts. We’re staying in a hotel in Moab, Utah tonight and I will try and write a couple more posts.
Last night it was crazy windy and the tent was flapping and swaying back and forth so much we couldn’t sleep, so at 4:00am we gave up, packed up and left. We stopped in Ruidoso with the intention of visiting the Museum of the American West, but it was closed for renovation so we kept going to our next destination.
Camp Rio is a privately owned campground that clearly caters to RV camping (tent campers are in the minority these days!), but it’s pretty cool with a lot of rustic touches, and it’s also super clean.
Buzz Roadkill feels very welcomed here
Once we’ve set up camp we decide to visit Cloudcroft-a small town about 15 miles away. Our friends Donna and Ellie have been giving us tips about our trip as they were recently in this area and Donna used to live in Cloudcroft, so we’re excited to see her old stomping grounds. It looks like an old western village (which I guess it is) that has been gentrified. One important feature: a Bigfoot Museum! I don’t know if we’ll have time to visit, but we did get a postcard.
We do a little shopping and find the local pub-it reminds us of Rollies.
Every available surface on the walls is covered with dollar bills.
Hope there’s not a fire!
After our sleepless night we’re feeling pretty wiped, so decide to go back to our campsite and take a nap. When we wake up it’s 6:30 and getting dark-we are up for a few minutes and go back to sleep until 6:30 the next morning! I guess we were really tired.
Sunday, April 22-White Sands National Park
I saw a post for this park on Facebook a while back and have been wanting to see it ever since. It does not disappoint.
The park is located in the Tularosa Basin in the northern tip of the Chihuahuan Desert and features the largest gypsum dune field on earth. On July 16, 1945, scientists detonated the first atomic bomb about 75 miles north of the park. The area is now part of the White Sands Missile Range.
Two words come to mind: dramatic and surreal. We hike the Alkali Flats trail. It’s not flat-it’s 5 miles up and down giant dunes with mountain ranges before and behind us. There are a few other hikers, but mostly just us on an alien landscape that is indescribably beautiful. The “trail” is marked by metal stakes, and it’s important to follow them, because getting lost out here would be really bad…everything looks the same and finding the way back would be impossible.
The weather is perfect-it’s about 73 degrees and brilliantly clear.
This place is awesome in every sense of the word.
Monday, April 23-Earth Day
We started the day with breakfast at Big Daddy’s. We heard a conversation between this cowboy and his buddy.
“He kilt her, dint he?” “Naw, he jist tied her to a chair.”
I feel so lucky to be celebrating Earth Day in a part of the earth that is largely unspoiled. The drive down the mountain from Mayhill and Cloudcroft to Alamogordo (home of the world’s largest pistachio, which we don’t have time to see, sadly) is breathtaking.
Andy spotted this on the side of the road and I had to scoop her-love the creepy doll heads
At one of the overlooks we get a view of the Fresnal Shelf, a prehistoric camping area. This site was a seasonal shelter for ancient hunter-gatherers that once inhabited the Sacramento Mountains here in Southern New Mexico. According to archeological analysis of artifacts found here, this shelter was occupied in the late summer and early fall months between 6000 and 500 BCE. Findings include stone tools and basket fragments, but no pottery, as ceramics were not used until later. Andy and I stood for quite a while gazing at these overhangs in the mountainside and trying to imagine the people that would have lived and hunted there.
Today, on Donna’s recommendation, we take a hike on the OSHA trail in Cloudcroft. It was supposed to be a 2.2 mile loop, but we couldn’t quite read the directions and ended up hiking about 5 miles. It was a pleasant forest walk and we got a good view of the restored train trestle that is part of the Cloud-Climbing Trestle Trail.
Where’s the car??
Later in the afternoon after dealing with some housekeeping chores (even on vacation the laundry must be faced), we return to White Sands for a sunset walk through the dunes. Our leader is Ranger Joe who is very knowledgeable about life in this place. He talks about plants and animals (their adaptive abilities are impressive), geology (these dune fields are made of gypsum that washes down from the Sacramento and San Andres Mountain ranges and is broken down by wind and time), archaeology (mammoth, saber tooth tiger and dire wolf tracks have been found here), and the important recent discovery of human footprints left at during the Ice Age; 23,000 years ago. Scientific study of these tracks proves that humans and Ice Age animals lived together here for 10,000 years, and these findings were the impetus behind the change in status of White Sands from National Monument to National Park.
Cottonwoods send out roots as they die and new plants start some distance awaySkunkbush Sumac sends its root system down into the wet sand and “holds on” to survive
Joe’s talk ends just as the sun starts to go down and the moon rises.
I took about 100 photos, but none of them begin to capture what we experienced.
On the Road 