With a week off school and Mark itching to get away from the office, we headed south to Santa Fe. We made a stop at the Denver Zoo where we managed to enjoy ourselves despite it being gray and chilly.
We got a "members only" peak at the new Edge exhibit for the Tigers.
We also crowded in with many other visitors to catch a glimpse of Dobby who's birth was a total surprise to the Zoo.
Our first night was a stay over in Colorado Springs and then we headed for the border and into New Mexico.
Stopped for a peek at the Rio Grande Gorge outside of Taos
Taos was our lunch stop. It is such a cool place. Nearly every building in this business district is made of adobe. Somewhere I would like to spend more time.
Our 2nd full day was spent exploring Bandalier National Monument near White Rock NM
We did a hike through the cliff edge ruins of Tsankawi. The trail takes you on a tour across the mesa top.
In several spots, ladders connect the trail along side the ancient stairs carved in the rock
We saw numerous Petroglyphs along the way carved on the soft tuff stone. Unfortunately, this stone easily erodes and many of the drawings have become difficult to see or have disappeared all together.
I was impressed with the original staircases that were used by the Ancestral Pueblo people, especially after seeing the difficulty Kars had with trying to climb them. They must have had much smaller feet.
Equally impressive were the carved foot paths which made for effortless maneuvering along the cliff side.
Pretty cool that we were able to hike the same trails used by the native people.
It took us a couple of hours to hike the Tsankawi loop before we hopped in the car and headed to the ruins in Frijoles Canyon.
The main ruin site on the valley floor is known as Tyuonyi (pronounced very different than it's spelled) the site of a Puebloan civilization.
The majority of the trail remains fairly flat before climbing to the base of the cliffs where numerous cliff dwellings can be viewed and explored.
You can enter the cavates (human carved alcoves) with ladders providing a pretty spectacular view to the ruins below as well as a small glimpse of this once thriving community.
While some of us were tiring out, Mark was motivated to climb another mile to see Alcove House. Kars was up for the trip and joined him.
The elevated site can be reached by climbing 4 wooden ladders and stone stairs.
In Alcove House, they saw a reconstructed kiva as well as niches of homes thought to have been inhabited by about 25 Pueblos.
Mark didn't think the structure itself was as impressive as the overlook view. However, this image from a distance (NPS) is pretty remarkable. Can you imagine climbing those ladders, carrying whatever supplies were needed?
Day 3 we got up early for a hike around Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks
Ready to set out despite a pretty good chill in the morning air
Volcanic materials have created a remarkable mix of cone shaped rocks and slot canyons
Despite a few spots of creative maneuvering, the 3-mile trail was moderate and easily navigated by all of us. The "destination" or turn around spot is at the point when you climb out to the mesa top
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| on top of the world |
The trail became more congested on the way down than it had been going up and seemed to be dominated by groups of Texans enjoying their spring break.
We went back to the hotel to get cleaned up and have some down time before heading to Old Town Santa Fe
I love all the old churches and historical architecture that seems to be everywhere you look.
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| Cathedral Basilica of Saint Francis |
Santa Fe Plaza has a great vibe with an abundance of cultural flavor. We hit the end of the off season which made for a quieter visit than when Mark and I came several years ago.
Vendors outside the Palace of the Governors were starting to pack up for the day.
San Miguel Church built in 1610 ~ said to be the oldest church in the U.S.
Kars and I outside the oldest continuously occupied house
In retrospect, we wish we had planned for more time in Historic Santa Fe. It is definitely a unique place!
When we weren't hiking or exploring the Plaza, we spent a little time chillin' at the hotel and attempting to find the best burrito in Santa Fe. For our girls (at least when they are 10 and under), swimming at the hotel pool is a highlight on trips.
This hotel had a really odd pool layout....a sort of L-shaped half indoor-outdoor and almost no space to watch from deck. I was happy the older girls humored their sister and went for some swims. After a day of hiking, the hot tub is always appealing to Mark;)
Emm enjoyed some light reading on our balcony
The elevator that was visible to/from the lobby was the best. We (Emmrey) rode that thing just for fun!
Our mission to find the best burrito was not successful. Not that we didn't have some good ones, we just couldn't rank them the best. Personally, the winner for me on this trip was at this little establishment, where we had breakfast burritos one morning.
On our last day we explored Pecos and Capulin Volcano.
Pecos is the remnants of one of the largest and most powerful pueblos in northern NM
The site was home to nearly 2,000 inhabitants and was abandoned in 1838
The most prominent structure is the church remains from the Spanish mission. It was really awe-inspiring.
The remnants are from two different churches built about 100 years apart. This shadowed drawing shows the outline of the original church. I imagine it was a massive sight.
A traditional kiva was built in front of the church during the Pueblo Revolt as a rejection of the Christian religion brought by the colonists.
This place was amazing! I am so glad we went a little out of the way to see it.
Our final stop (other than dinner at Jason's Deli) was at Capulin Volcano
This National Monument is a well-preserved, relatively young symmetrical cinder cone volcano
We did the 1 mile Crater Rim Trail Trail around the top of the volcano
The highest point provides unobstructed, panoramic views and portions of five states (New Mexico, Oklahoma, Kansas, Texas and Colorado).
It was another great Spring Break adventure for our crew.
Don't know how we do it, but we always manage to have a terrific time!
