Texas

We have been watching the weather as we ponder which direction we should take next.  There have been unprecedented storms and tornadoes across the States this year and temperatures are unseasonably high.  The worst of the weather seems to be to the north and east and so we have decided to proceed east and south through Texas to Louisiana, if we have enough time.

As we cross into Texas we are on the Panhandle Plains.  It is flat as far as you can see, hot (around 100 deg.F), and dusty.  At Amarillo Visitor Centre we are encouraged to visit Palo Dura Canyon before we leave.  It is the second largest canyon in the country, but a speck in comparison to “The Grand”.  The cliffs are a nice red colour but it is too hot to do any walking.  Make camp in a side street of a dusty, quiet little town called Silverton.  It is very hot all night.

After an all day drive through corn, cotton and wheat farming country we arrive in Wichita Falls via a short detour into Oklahoma and back.  It is still hot and it was 110 deg.F here yesterday.  Mid summer temperatures are being recorded here already.  Hope it doesn’t last!

Supermarket prices are very good.  We have bananas at $1 per Kg., strawberries at $3.50 for 1 Kg. and blueberries at $2 for 340 g.  RV Park prices are good too. At Wichita Falls we have pool, wi-fi, lake, large sites for $25 for the 4 of us.



Texas - that means oil!




Hot, flat and very dusty




Palo Dura Canyon



Bandelier State Monument & Enchanted Circle

Spent a couple of hours at the Bandelier State Monument looking at the  cliff dwellings of pueblo Indians.  There is a paved walkway along the bottom of the cliffs and visitors are able to climb ladders into the caves and there is evidence of three levels of dwelling having been added to the cliff at certain points.  The caves were decorated with paintings and there are petroglyphs also on the cliffs.  The cliffs themselves were formed by volcanic ash and are 1000 ft. high.

The Rio Grande near Taos cuts a deep gorge into the landscape and approaching by road you would not know it was there.  The area is flat then suddenly we are on a bridge and the gorge drops below to a depth of 1000 feet.  This is the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge.  Where we parked to view the gorge there were Indians selling jewellery.  We could not resist some nice beads.  One stall holder was wearing a lovely turquoise necklace.  John made her an offer for it, which she accepted, so I have acquired a nice piece.  She said she had traded it from another woman who wanted a religious cross she had made from bone.

The Enchanted Circle is a loop road from Taos through Red River, Eagle Nest, Angel Fire and back to Taos.  The road runs through high alpine pine forest at around 9000 ft.  It is Memorial Day Long weekend and we think that everyone who owns a motorbike is on the road this weekend.  We pass streams of them and soon realise why.  There is a bikers rally in Red River and there are an estimated 30,000 arriving for the weekend.  It is an amazing sight with beautiful bikes and bikers in leathers filling the streets.  At Angel Fire we call in to see the first Vietnam Veterans Memorial in the country.  Dr. Westphall and his wife were going to build a resort here.  However, when their son was killed in Vietnam they decided to build a War Memorial instead.  It has become a rallying point on Memorial Day ever since. Apparently on Memorial Day, the hill on which the Memorial stands will be covered in a sea of American flags.  There is a chapel, museum, a helicopter and a memorial garden.  It is a moving place.  As we travel this weekend, there are American flags everywhere.

We have thoroughly enjoyed New Mexico – the scenery, the culture, the food.  The State bird of New Mexico is the Roadrunner and the State flower is the Yucca.  Actors Shirley MacLaine, Robert Redford and Ophra have homes here in Santa Fe.



Three brothers on way to Memorial Day





Field of Rememberance





Main Street, Red River





Dear Mom..



Santa Fe, Capital of New Mexico

Santa Fe, Capital of New Mexico, situated at 7,000 feet with a population of around 50,000 is an utterly charming city.  With a strict building code since 1930's no building is over three storys and must be built in the peublo adobe style.  The city is filled with wonderfull galleries, jewellery stores and gorgeous upmarket boutiques.  It is an artists paradise and one street, Canyon Road, is said to have the highest concentration of artists in the world.  It is a fantasy world  of art galleries of all types, boutiques and restaurants.

A $1 day bus pass took us to and from our RV park about 7 miles from town.  An hour city tour enlightened us with the history and highlights and a free shuttle bus took us to any place we had missed. We had lunch at the recommended "Shed", dining on Chicken Enchilada with beans and posole` (corn hominy), and Taco plate of green chilli & turkey, and chicken, both with green and red chilli on the side (getting used to the chilli and it's pretty good).

Jill has hit the bead shops and has had a lovely time with beautifull purchases from the wide range on offer. There wonderfull designs here especially the native American beading.  She will have a lot of beading to do when she gets home!



RV Park office





Bus tour




Town Plaza





Beautifull bronze sculpture, exquisite work, looks like beading





This mountain lion I don't mind!



Albuquerque

From Tombstone we drove into New Mexico across arid, rocky country to Lordsburg then north to Silver City noted for it’s large silver and copper mines.  From here we took a winding alpine byway rising to 6000 feet.  A bit better country with low pine trees and prickly pear.  Saw a couple of deer on the road.  Decided to park overnight beside the road, very quiet with hardly any traffic.

Continuing on this byway through a couple of tiny towns we met the Rio Grande which we followed north through the town of Truth Or Consequences to Albuquerque.  We had trouble locating the RV parks in our book but found a quiet but tired looking park right on the bus route to the city. The owner wasn’t on site till morning and on closer inspection the park was pretty disgusting so first thing next morning we decided to leave (yes, we did pay for overnight but at a reduced rate).  Found the American RV Park on Route 66 and it’s great.  Very new, large and roomy sites, and all mod cons., lawn, trees, pool, even complimentary breakfast in a little café each day.

Albuquerque is a very nice city, spread over a large area and easy to get around. It is situated at the centre of the state of New Mexico and lies at an altitude of around 6000 ft.  The Sandia Mountains rise above it to 10,300 ft.  The country is very dry and rocky except for the area close to the Rio Grande which runs through the city and irrigates nearby agriculture.

Decided to get a rental car for our two days in Albuquerque and headed off to the old historic part of town.  Spanish style adobe and stucco buildings create ample photo opportunities.  Had a Mexican lunch at a lovely café.  Our table was in the courtyard with pond and vines overhead, a guitarist completed the scene.  Our menu included tamales, burritos, served with red and green chilli (not as hot as I expected. Also sapodillas (fried bread eaten with honey).  After lunch we drove to Nob Hill, another historic suburb close to the University, with many restaurants, up market boutiques and nice homes.

Next morning we drove to a petroglyph canyon near the city and actually next to a new subdivision.  The canyon is an ancient black lava flow.  Petroglyph National Monument contains over 20,000 images pecked in stone – some recognizable as animals, people. It is estimated that the images were made 400 to 700 years ago by the ancestors of todays native people. The track was very sandy and after viewing some of the petroglyphs we decided not to complete the 4k route. 

After lunch we drove 70 miles west to Acoma Peublo (Sky City), an Indian village set on a high rocky mesa at 7000 ft.  It is a small area of dwellings surrounded by sheer cliffs and reached by one road.  The road is a modern addition, access originally was by way of a stairway.  A native guide showed us around his village which is mostly inhabited by elders.  Extended families come “home” for special ceremonies.

View from Acoma



Acoma Pueblo atop the Mesa




Hand made pottery in Acoma



On our third morning I returned the rental car to town and John picked me up in the RV.  We then visited RV Camping World, where we drooled at the sumptuous RV’s on offer.  How about the 40 foot beauty pictured for $230,000.

Before leaving Alburquerque we rode the Sandia Peak Tramway (the longest cable car in the world at 2.7 miles long) and lunched at the 10,300 Restaurant.



Hummingbird Nest







Nice toys at RV Camping World









A neat fit