New Mexico on to Arizona

We left off our last post after we traveled the Turquoise Trail near Santa Fe, New Mexico.  These next pictures in that area but the other side and north of Santa Fe.  We drove up the Jemez Mountain Trial, a national scenic byway.  The Valles Caldera is a part of the trail and it is a beauty.

Far reaching grassland surrounded by the volcano, amazing.  We went about two miles into the caldera to the ranger station and talked to the ranger about the area.  A forest fire had come through there two years ago and how it has helped revitalize the forest.  Cool!  

Moving on, we went to the town of Los Alamos and through security and were told NO PICTURES!

The government town is mostly made up of the National Research Laboratory.  The buildings were so big and really something to see!   You'll have to go on your own!

Next we continued on to Bandelier National Monument.  This was the main goal of this trip!  Here we were able to see ancient Pueblo dwellings in the cliffs.  Literally they lived in the holes in the cliff.  Protected by the weather in the south facing cliffs.  They were farmers and grew grains. 

These caves make our RV look even better to us!  How they did this and sustained themselves and grew their families, Wow!  

We really enjoyed hearing about these ancient ones and their way of life in this harsh land, thousands 

of years ago.  The average lifespan was 35 years.  Yet they ate healthy and certainly exercised.  Leads me to conclude I should eat, drink and be merry!  

On our way out of New Mexico, we stayed one night in a town called Gallup.  It is home to the Zuni Pueblo.  Also is famous for The El Rancho Hotel.  When Hollywood was at its height, many stars came and stayed here while making movies set in the desert.  Pictures of every actor of the thirties and forties we could think were on these walls.  

They also had many of their local artist paint the walls of buildings around the town.  We saw several of them and found them most interesting!

The next day we entered Arizona! 

We went to Winslow, AZ and couldn't resist "Standing on the corner" as the old song by the Eagles went.  So don't forget to "Take it Easy"!

That afternoon, we drove to the location where a meteor had hit the earth many centuries before.  Here among all this flat, flat land is this amazing sight.

A fitting end to such an interesting day!

Once again I am going to stop before fully catching up with where we are.  But time has flown, Alan wants his dinner, and the Arizona sun is setting....