Today we decided to get up relatively early and get going. So we hit the road by about 9:30 (we still have a car rented). Actually went out to Los Alamos, based on a recommendation from the Lonely Planet Guide. And they were right: I had only the connection with the A-bomb, which was not exactly a draw for us. But there was a lot of other history in the town and of the area that we explored through their excellent museum, as well as the A-bomb stuff. And even that was more balanced than I thought it would be. So we spent a few hours there, then went on a trip along their Highway 4, which is the scenic route in that area.
That meant driving down to White Rock, where there is not much of interest except an amazing scenic lookout, over the valleys and mesas of the local canyon, and along the Rio Grande River. But it is also on the way to Bandelier Monument National Park, which I had wanted to go to because of the areas of old Pueblo ruins from about 500 years ago. And it was amazing (wait 'til I can add pictures to this). There was about a one-mile self-guided trail around a series of different types of Pueblo houses. they ranged from caves dug into the cliffs of tuff (compacted volcanic ash), to self-standing structures partly dug into the earth, and partly above the earth level. One of the involved climbing ladders up about 140 feet into a Ceremonial Cave, then down into the "kiva" where they lived; that one was scary, particularly on the way back down the ladders, with a strong wind blowing me sideways. It gave me a whole new respect for the women who would go down to the stream at the bottom to get water and then bring it back up again. Also helped me to understand why their average lifespan was only 37 years!
But the weather was wonderful, the scenery was terrific, and it was exactly what I had wanted to do here, so I was happy (at least when I got to the bottom of the ladders from the Ceremonial Cave).
(Apparently, this country was shaped significantly by a volcanic eruption about 1.5 million years ago which spewed 200 cubic miles of ash onto the surrounding country: enough to cover the entire state of New Mexico to a depth of over six feet if it had been spread evenly. Which of course it wasn't, so the area we were in, close to the eruption, was covered to a depth of hundreds of metres. And then has been eroded by water and wind - and glaciers - over the centuries to give the hills and canyons there now.)
We wanted to finish the scenic route, so took off in the car after seeing the pueblos, and the highway took us up the Jemez Mountains to and into the extinct crater of this volcano, then down the other side of it. As you can imagine, it was pretty exciting. The crater was about a mile in diameter, and is now an active farm, complete with cattle. We had hoped to get a hot spring bath in the town of Jemez Springs, but the baths were closed, so we had to settle for a beer instead.
Then back home to Santa Fe, through amazing country with yellow to ochre-coloured hills, some in the shape of mesas, some in dramatic hills and cliffs. The scenery was stunning, and varied enough to remain always interesting. We got to Santa Fe, stopping at the La Choza restaurant for a meal. Now, as I said to Darlene, I don't think it is the New Mexican food which will bring me back. They are very proud of their green and red chilies, and the meals they cook with them. My taste buds are used to the relatively bland Ontario diet, and couldn't stand the heat at all. So we had a nice meal without the chili or the salsa (but enjoyed the guacamole). And the decor and atmosphere were hot and more to our liking, so not at all a waste.
But always good to get back to our little apartment, and get my wife into a bath, and me onto this computer.
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