Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Dwellings with a view....


We decided to re-visit the Silver City area for the sole purpose of going to the Gila Cliff dwellings. We are so happy that we did too! In speaking with the park volunteers we learned several things that we were unaware of: 1) US budget cuts have increased the need for volunteers to serve as rangers and guides in our national parks;  2) this is the last cliff dwelling site to allow visitors the ability to enter and walk through the actual dwellings. All of the others are now just photo opps from afar.  We are so thrilled that we had already visited Mesa Verde and Canyon de Chelly back in 2000....we got to scamper around those sites like monkeys high on bananas!


Gila Cliff dwellings park offers a glimpse into the homes and lives of the Mogollon people who lived in this area over 700 years ago. By the time the area was "discovered" much of the artifacts documenting the Mogollon culture had been removed and so the photos below are considered to be examples only of what they may have used.


 








The monument is a mere 44 miles outside Silver City and the drive through the pine forest at 7200' is breathtaking, even the 18 miles of unmarked winding yet paved roadway is, with a few hairpins turns to does hold your attention.

My 3 min movie will take you through our visit to both the cliff dwellings and a spot down the road with pictographs and a dwelling that doesn't require hiking boots and a walking stick.



If it wasn't for the volunteers this monument would most likely be closed...we were so happy we decided to take the time to tour it. There were several trails that begged for a hike, however, the park closes at 4pm daily. We will just have to come back. Dear Silver City maybe we'll see you next year.

~Ciao



Friday, February 17, 2012

Caving at Carlsbad Cavern in New Mexico




Mission accomplished....we found Carlsbad, New Mexico. Getting here from the highway was fun. (The main street is undergoing a complete repaving, including left turn lanes...must be driving the small business owners nuts.)  We can check this park off our bucket list....although we would have loved to have seen the night flight of bats...alas, they are in Mexico until late March when the weather warms a bit here.

We were so sad to see the area around the caverns...apparently a fire last June (2011) swept through the park and closed it for 2 days. New foliage is appearing so not all is lost, but it will be quite a while before the cacti and agave plants are back to their once former glory.

Today we 'just' walked the "Big Room" of the caverns....our self-guided tour took us 3.5 hours. We were just amazed, with every turn we came upon such exquisite "decorations" - the term the park employees use. For all the early "trampling" - way before the paved pathways, railings and curbs - it is astonishingly unmarred. Or, maybe I just wasn't looking far enough into the nooks and crannies.

We'll do the Natural Entrance and the guided tour of the King's Palace tomorrow.

So many photos, far too many to do justice here - do a short movie is before that will give you an idea we hope of some of the beauty we saw 750' below the surface. Short, only 1.42 minutes...enjoy.




Enjoy~~

~ Ciao.












Thursday, February 16, 2012

Past meets the present....

To say that parts of  New Mexico is old is akin to saying the Sun is hot. There are parts of New Mexico that are not only quite dusty but astonishingly almost brand new.


We spent some time at the Museum of Space History in Alamogordo (say that fast 3xs...) recently - nestled up against the Sacramento Mountains and behind a very modern NM State University, the grounds also are home to the Clyde W. Tombaugh IMAX® Dome Theater.

Originally this started out as a "Hall of Fame" to those who were instrumental in all things flight/space related and then in 1976 the state of NM took over and created the museum as it stands today. Not only are there lots of rockets, astronaut related gear/clothes/history, there is also 153 portraits of "space" pioneers which grace the walls as you walk down from the 4th floor on your self guided tour. We did converse with a volunteer docent who was able to provide us with some current information about the surrounding topography, missile/rocket testing, federal/state/city land acquisitions



Outside there are quite a few rockets, missiles and space vehicles to look over. This rocket, Little Joe II, can be seen from 2 miles away in downtown Alamogordo. Little Joe was used to test the Apollo launch escape system.


White Sands National Monument can be seen on the left side of the map below. The dark slash through the center (top half) is the remnants of early volcanic eruptions.

After our visit to the museum we drove out to the Three Rivers Petroglyphs - and spent a good 75 minutes, very windy 75 mins roaming around the landscape snapping photos of petroglyphs that have been in the 'hood for 600 years.
 This was an amazing walk, even with the wind.


We took a lot of photos, far to many to put into this blog so I made a 2 min movie of the best ones.

ENJOY the look back into the past today.


~ CIAO....

Monday, February 13, 2012

White Sand (s) in the desert

Imagine white sand dunes in the middle of the desert? We had no idea just how white, how blinding white the dunes would be in the noon day sun. No ordinary sand either...the dunes are gypsum...soft not gritty like the beach sand I know on the Oregon coast.

Welcome to the White Sands National Monument - outside Alamogordo, New Mexico - gorgeous day, beautiful setting. I found the geology fascinating...all created by water and wind.
Visitor Center

 
Desert meets dunes - who knew there would be 275 sq miles of sand and no ocean in sight.
Very deceptive - looks like snow.


Wind creates ridges....apparently the winds blow here and the dunes are ever moving...
 Picnic areas are protected from the winds with wind breaks that match the dune lines....

We were thrilled to be here on a non-wind day...can not imagine the sand storm that would create.


 ~ Ciao

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Baja Adventure - Part TRES - MUCHOS Beach Activities

getting up early to watch the sun rise and have coffee never got boring.....however,
on several occasions during our weeks of preparation to travel down Baja we discussed what we would do with our time while parked on the beach. We are not beach people...you know - the people who go to a beach, spread their towels, lather on the sun screen (or not) and lay down to bake. There is nothing wrong with this activity...however, our days of rving are filled with museums, hikes, national parks, historical buildings and the local history of whatever village, town or city we might be touring. Boy, were we pleasantly surprised! In addition to just sitting and reading a good novel, walking leisurely through the surf and interacting with the many beach vendors we discovered much, much more to the fine art of boondocking on the beach in a foreign country....

Our first day in town we attended an art
show to benefit the volunteer animal clinic
Patron of Animal Welfare.

These panels are actually cement slabs/tables/benches/counter-tops with cut glass designs embedded.












SeaKelp baskets <

Weekly art classes are available
for those who want to learn a new craft...
led by artisans that winter here as well.

                              Sea-grass basket weaving >
Gourds

In addition to the arts - other activities included:
 Geocaching/hiking
 Fishing
Kayaking
Paddle-boarding

bird watching....includes pelicans (shown), blue-footed boobies, egrets, herons, vultures, gulls and hummingbirds, ravens and assorted songbirds.









Baja has many beautiful and ancient Spanish missions....scattered throughout the countryside. Day trips to see Mission San Javier, Mision de Loreto Concho, or Mission Santa Rosalia de Mulege .


Other day trips to view pictographs near Mulege and Loreto were also on the calendar....


and drives down arroyos found us viewing trees


or to discover an oasis along the way.....


and when all else fails....deciding to learn now to cook in a solar/sun oven - not that I did.
 But one does have the time to learn if so inclined.

or looking for and collecting shells...


We discovered a variety of activities that filled the hours between sunrise and sunset and still managed to lather ourselves with sun-screen....


~ Adios amigos~