Day 69, 70 and 71 - Driving from Santa Fe, NM to Memphis, TN
Day 69
We drove 300 miles today and stopped in Amarillo, Texas for one night. We are back into summer temperatures and shorts. Tomorrow we drive to Fort Smith, Arkansas. It is almost a straight shot along the I-40 from New Mexico to Tennessee. Along this route there are many segments of the original cross country highway, The Mother Road, Route 66. Some day we hope to drive the original road or at least what is left of it from Chicago to LA through 8 states. Lots of 60s memorabilia along the way.
Day 70
Another 450 miles today driving from Amarillo, TX to Alma, Arkansas
Day 71
The last 260 miles today from Alma, AR to Memphis, TN staying in West Memphis area in Marion, Arkansas.
Tomorrow we go to Memphis to tour Graceland and sample BBQ.
Tuesday, October 7, 2014
Day 68 - Bandelier National Monument and Los Alamos, NM
We drove about an hour to the north to see Bandelier National Monument which is in Los Alamos county, NM. At Bandolier we explorer the Pueblo's (Cave dwellers) of the Indians that occupied the area 1500 years ago and in some cases still live in them. After our walk through Bandelier we drove to Los Alamos where the first atomic bombs were researched, made and then dropped to help stop WW2 in the Pacific.
Los Alamos, New Mexico. Still being used by the Atomic Energy Commission.
We drove about an hour to the north to see Bandelier National Monument which is in Los Alamos county, NM. At Bandolier we explorer the Pueblo's (Cave dwellers) of the Indians that occupied the area 1500 years ago and in some cases still live in them. After our walk through Bandelier we drove to Los Alamos where the first atomic bombs were researched, made and then dropped to help stop WW2 in the Pacific.
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| In the cave dwelling |
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| Entering a cave |
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| The mud buildings at the base of the caves |
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| The Cave Dwellings |
Los Alamos, New Mexico. Still being used by the Atomic Energy Commission.
Saturday, October 4, 2014
Day 66 & 67 - Santa Fe, New Mexico
What a neat city. We drove to Santa FE and passed through Albuquerque on our way there. Today was the first day of the Albuquerque Balloon Festival which lasts 9 days. Didn't see and balloons since they were all done by 10:00AM. Along the I-40 jackie snapped some photos of lava that had erupted from the Colorado Plateau.
Santa Fe is at the foot of the Santo D'Christo Mountains. A very very nice location. We are staying here for at least 3 nights and hope to see a whole bunch of neat stuff. Days are warm, low 70s, Nights are cool, low 50s.
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We have learned to remove the camper from the pickup making it easier to get around and saving about 2 hours a day when we are at a camp for more than 1 night.
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What a neat city. We drove to Santa FE and passed through Albuquerque on our way there. Today was the first day of the Albuquerque Balloon Festival which lasts 9 days. Didn't see and balloons since they were all done by 10:00AM. Along the I-40 jackie snapped some photos of lava that had erupted from the Colorado Plateau.
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| We saw these lava fields in Idaho, Utah and now New Mexico. It is caused by the same events that created the Rocky Mountains (the collision of the Pacific and North American Plates). |
Santa Fe is at the foot of the Santo D'Christo Mountains. A very very nice location. We are staying here for at least 3 nights and hope to see a whole bunch of neat stuff. Days are warm, low 70s, Nights are cool, low 50s.
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| One of many shopping streets |
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| St Francis of Assisi Cathedral |
We have learned to remove the camper from the pickup making it easier to get around and saving about 2 hours a day when we are at a camp for more than 1 night.
Thursday, October 2, 2014
Day 64 - Monument Valley, Utah and Arizona
After we went to the Canyonlands NP we drove about 120 miles south to Monument Valley. We camped at the location where John Ford and The Duke used as a home base when the filmed the movies that featured Monument Valley and made it world famous.
On our way out of the valley and on our way to Gallop, New Mexico we came across 2 interesting sights, Mexican Hat Rock and The Four Corners Monument.
After we went to the Canyonlands NP we drove about 120 miles south to Monument Valley. We camped at the location where John Ford and The Duke used as a home base when the filmed the movies that featured Monument Valley and made it world famous.
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| The view that John Wayne had of the valley from his cabin |
On our way out of the valley and on our way to Gallop, New Mexico we came across 2 interesting sights, Mexican Hat Rock and The Four Corners Monument.
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| Mexican Rock about 35 miles north of Monument Valley |
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| Standing in 4 states at the same time (New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona and Utah) |
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| The exact Spot of The Four Corners |
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| Some people are not satisfied with standing in 4 states at the same time and have to show off. That's me. |
Day - 63 Canyonlands National Park, Utah
we drove 45 miles from our campsite to The Islands in the Sky (Canyonlands NP). We could only see a small portion of the park. That portion that can be seen from the roadway which only passes about 15% into the park lands. We drove the roadway and hiked one spot to Mesa Arch. It took about 2 1/2 hours to see what we could see. A rain storm Came in as we were leaving and our view of the canyons was no longer available through the clouds and rain.
Video - Panorama of Canyonlands NP
Canyonlands Overlook
we drove 45 miles from our campsite to The Islands in the Sky (Canyonlands NP). We could only see a small portion of the park. That portion that can be seen from the roadway which only passes about 15% into the park lands. We drove the roadway and hiked one spot to Mesa Arch. It took about 2 1/2 hours to see what we could see. A rain storm Came in as we were leaving and our view of the canyons was no longer available through the clouds and rain.
Video - Panorama of Canyonlands NP
Canyonlands Overlook
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| Wild flowers on the trail |
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| Prickly Pear Cactus |
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| Trail markers |
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| Mesa Arch |
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| Wild flowers along the trail |
Tuesday, September 30, 2014
Day - 62 Arches National Park, Utah
A short 5 mile drive from our campsite was Arches National Park. Another scenic wonder and geology lesson. When the Colorado Plateau (which encompasses Utah, Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona) was forced upward by the collision between the Pacific plate and the North American Plate an inland sea that had dried and filled many millions of times was exposed to the dry arid landscape and monsoon rainfalls. Within this plateau was a huge salt mound from the many times the seas had dried up. This salt mound eventually dissolved from the rain water and exposed the hidden cracks in the sandstone that were created when the plateau was forced upward. As more and more rain fell it eroded the sandstone and continues to this day create more sand sculptures. Arches National Park contains over 2000 naturally formed arches. All of which will some day collapse. New arches are being formed and subtle changes in the surface occurs with every significant rainfall.
A short 5 mile drive from our campsite was Arches National Park. Another scenic wonder and geology lesson. When the Colorado Plateau (which encompasses Utah, Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona) was forced upward by the collision between the Pacific plate and the North American Plate an inland sea that had dried and filled many millions of times was exposed to the dry arid landscape and monsoon rainfalls. Within this plateau was a huge salt mound from the many times the seas had dried up. This salt mound eventually dissolved from the rain water and exposed the hidden cracks in the sandstone that were created when the plateau was forced upward. As more and more rain fell it eroded the sandstone and continues to this day create more sand sculptures. Arches National Park contains over 2000 naturally formed arches. All of which will some day collapse. New arches are being formed and subtle changes in the surface occurs with every significant rainfall.
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| Frozen Sand Dunes |
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| Balanced Rock |
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| Elephant Rocks |
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| Arches in the making |
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| Cracks in the sandstone eroded by the rainfall |
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