We were ready for another road trip. We drove North to Bernalillo on I 25, then turned onto 550 to the village of San Ysidro.
San Ysidro is the only surviving settlement of the original seven "Pueblos de los Jemez" formed under the Spanish crown. Jemez is pronounced Hay-mess.
From there we turned onto 4. What a beautiful drive with so many things to see and do. You may follow along with us by using the map.
Our first stop was at the Walatowa Visitor Center for information.
They had a replica of a field house and an oven (horno) located on the grounds and you can see them below.
The horno, or oven, arrived with the Spanish. This oven helped to bake bread and other baked goods.
Inside the visitor center, we enjoyed learning more about the people and their history.
The pueblo cannot be toured without a guide, so we opted out.
Don't you just love this corner fireplace? I love the architecture in New Mexico and have visions of us living here...I would just have to have a fireplace like this one.
Following are some photos of the beautiful red rock area.
The next place we wanted to visit was closed on this particular day. We did manage to get a couple of pictures from the road.
The Jemez Historic Site.
The role of the Franciscan mission system played an important part in the colonization of New Mexico.
They say this is where you will see some of the best preserved ruins in the American Southwest.
These buildings were built in 1621. Before the arrival of the Spanish, the villagers conducted their religious ceremonies in underground kivas. This village is known as GEE-say-wah-tuu-wah, which is a Towa word, "village by the sulphur." Only 18 percent of this site has been excavated!!! Archaeologists believe this village was first occupied in the 1300's and is ancestral to the Jemez people.
We were so disappointed that they were closed!!!
Time for lunch, belly up to the bar!!! Hey pardner, where are your cowboy hat and chaps?
Jemez Springs is where we stopped at Los Ojos where I tried their chili stew along with tacos.
Soda Dam and my how you could smell the sulfur.
An interesting stop where there is a little waterfall coming out from behind the rock.
Next on the route is Battleship Rock where there is a picnic area and trails.
We had already had lunch, so opted out of stopping here.
We had our bathing suits packed and really wanted to take a dip in the hot springs, but time did not permit!!!
Jemez Falls was our next stop with a hike to the falls being longer than we had time for, but we did it anyway...would not take the time to do it again as this was as close as you could get and just was not that exciting.
Then past the vast area here known as the Valles Caldera National Preserve, New Mexico's super volcano.
Our final stop on this scenic byway was a visit to Bandelier National Monument where we climbed inside an ancient cliff dwelling.
This is an underground kiva where religious practices were once carried out...a rather large one.
This was a special place where important decisions and knowledge was passed on. One entered from the roof by ladder down into a darkened room where torches were the only light.
The canyon and mesa country is part of the Pajarito Plateau. The pink rock of the canyon is volcanic ash called tuff making it look like Swiss cheese. The holes in the cliffs were rooms. These structures before you were probably used for food storage.
A petroglyph I noticed inside one of the rooms was of this macaw.
Just had to climb into one of the rooms that had been occupied by these ancient people.
What an amazing place and made pretty good rooms to live in.
We talked about how they did not have nice sidewalks to climb up to these walls.
You can see how the rooms connect. On the ceilings that are darkened is from smoke from the fires inside which hardened the tuff.
This is certainly a fascinating place, much like Mesa Verde in Colorado.
Evidence of human activity here dates back more than 10,000 years.
The Jemez Volcano erupted more than one million years ago.
We say bye for now and recommend this drive for all to see.
Until next time...
We got to go out on the refuge by ourselves!!! I can drive now as Wallace opens gates.
The rise in the background is called Black Butte, a nice landmark.
We came upon this female box turtle.
We saw a herd of pronghorn.
Our reason for being here was to pick up this trailer.
Kathy, refuge manager, purchased these plants to replace some that died from lack of water.
Wallace and Jim worked on the irrigation system and got it working...the filter gets plugged.
We thought this privet would look good in this space in our front yard.
Wallace and I removed ten dead trees prior to the planting. There was a dead cottonwood in that empty space. We talked to Kathy about how nasty these trees were and the fact that they are brittle. We are replacing all those dead cottonwoods with privet and desert willow trees.
Our reinforcements showed up. Two SCA students and Jim (not pictured, you will meet him later.
We managed to get all ten plants in the ground with two to spare.
We are checking other plants to see if they will put on new growth now that they have water...some of them are coming back.
AND look who dropped in on us just after we got the plants in the ground. Phyllis and Nathan. It was so great to catch up with them again. They are now back in Florida on the beach!!!
Our next assignment was to drive to Valle de Oro refuge to pick up this brush pile and take it to the zoo for the elephants. We were told it was a small pile. We were flabbergasted when we pulled up to see this!!! At this point we already have the trailer full with that much left over. We took this over to the zoo where they graciously accepted it but said they did not want any more!!!
Next we were to take this trailer full of metal to the metal pile, but first the tire had to be changed as it had a big bulge in it.
I was sick this day...Kathy, Jim and Wallace went out to dig up some coffee cans buried next to rebar that were used for some kind of research.
This was out near the wolves pens and they were able to observe them from afar. I was so upset thinking I might not get this opportunity to see them.
Wallace digging up a can.
I was home sick when our friendly rv repairman, Dale Hanson called saying our cooling unit was here and he would like to install today...YEAH!!! We are so thankful the refuge had a fridge here we were able to use while we waited for this fix. It is now fixed!!! Dale came to the refuge to put it in. Wallace had a surprise when he got home that afternoon...no more traipsing over to fetch!!!
Another project was to install two signs at the rest stops on both sides of the road near the refuge. After cleaning out all the gunk that had collected inside the rim, they slipped right in. We secured them at the top with the rest of the frame. While we were there, we met a fellow from the blood bank on his way to ABQ, I asked him where we could donate, got the address.
The next day we were to take the recyclables to ABQ, what a good opportunity to drop by the blood bank. We got the okay to do that as it was nearby.
We have never had to do this any place else but here all the recycles are weighed before taking them in.
We like the way the area is set up.
That is some of the things we have been doing during our time here, other than staffing the visitor center. Sound interesting????
Exciting things to come...stay tuned.
Until next time...
Would you travel over 100 miles for a piece of pie? Well, we did.
Just had to check out what people were talking about!!!
This is the place we picked for our "pie" experience. I highly recommend it. The people are very friendly.
When we walked in the door, my question for the waitress was, "do you have coconut cream pie today?" She said she had only one piece left...I was in luck. A fellow sitting at the counter said I could not have it as it was his piece and he would arm wrestle me for it!!! We bantered back and forth...the bottom line is, he secretly paid for my piece of pie. Found out his name is Steve and he lives in Pie Town. The waitress is from Alabama and has 40 acres near Pie Town. I asked her what happens in an area like this if you get really sick. Found out they pay $40.00 a year for air lift. I could handle that...I fell in love with the area and the people who live there.
There I am with my coconut cream pie, my favorite. Wallace had their New Mexico apple pie (with chili's). It was lunch time also so we enjoyed a burger first.
We found other things to do on our way.
We saw this sign and decided to check it out and were glad we did.
Another beautiful canyon where we hiked around enjoying the beauty. Found a cholla walking stick, another stick I have longed for.
There were caves we explored as well.
We crossed the divide and saw many beautiful mountains with interesting colors and columns.
On the way is another place we visited.
The Very Large Array. It is a powerful telescope that observes the universe, night and day.
There are 27 dish shaped antennas that are tuned to a kind of light that eyes cannot see. The light is in the form of radio waves. It is an amazing place!!!
Until next time...
The Rail Runner is this train that starts in Belen and travels to Santa Fe, a total of 91 miles.
There are several stops along the way just long enough to pick people up or let them off.
Our trip started at 6:30am departing from Belen. The round trip costing us only $16.00 for the two of us...senior discount.
We sat in the "Quiet Car." You can see there were very few of us in this car.
With a stop at McDonald's, we were ready for our excursion.
It wasn't long until the conductor made his rounds. You pay him on the train. Our first stop was in Los Lunas, picking up a few more passengers.
This stop was at Isletta Pueblo.
In the background is the bridge that crosses the Rio Grande River. The road is the interstate.
You may be able to see the bison.
There is the Isletta Casino with a golf course and this rv park close by.
There are shuttle buses free of charge that will take you places. This one will take you to the casino.
This is ABQ. Next time we will take the train and depart here for the day...but today, it is Santa Fe.
Most people on the train are not interested in looking out.
We saw this little hill with the black cone, and this rainbow to the right of it.
Wallace and I conversed about this, and I guess it was a mistake in the "Quiet Car" even though we were talking quietly. Anyway, this long-haired fellow about five seats in front of us turned and said, "You are in the quiet car, thank you." Oh, my, some people are so up tight!!! I asked the conductor when we got off in Santa Fe just what it meant to be in the "quiet car," and his answer was "some people take it seriously...I noticed you were being very quiet." You can be assured we will not sit in the "Quiet Car" again if you can't even have a conversation!!! Right after that incident, a cell phone rang and the fellow behind us had a nice long conversation but the fellow did not say a thing about that. Oh, well.
We sat on the upper deck on the car right behind the engine.
In each car is this big screen that lets you know where you are at each stop...so here we are in Santa Fe...time for a walk about.
The shuttle bus picked us up at the station along with several other people. We get off here at the cathedral.
Another beautiful church.
Just a little taste of the architecture inside.
St. Fransis of Assissi with his wildlife. I love the adobe style buildings.
And then there is the Loretto Chapel with its unique staircase appearing to hang from the air. This was our main goal for the day.
It was constructed in 1870 with a design flaw...there was no way to enter the choir loft. There was a Novena made to their patron saint, Saint Joseph the Carpenter. This mysterious carpenter arrived and constructed this staircase using only a saw, a T-square, a hammer and tubs to soak the wood.
The staircase contains 33 steps in two full 360 degree turns. It has no center support...the full weight rested on its final tread!!!
The side railings were added later as well as some other supports because of heavy use later on.
Upon his completion of the stairway, the carpenter disappeared without seeking any payment...truly remarkable!!!
San Miguel Chapel, one of the oldest religious buildings in the United States was originally built in 1636.
Notice the open bell tower with a cross at the top.
The fine statues and a high altar are from 1798. By clicking on the picture, it will enlarge for you.
And just down the road is the oldest house in Santa Fe. You can actually see the straw in the walls.
You must take a break at the Plaza, a market square built by the Spaniards where the Santa Fe Trail ended. The photo to your right is the first Capitol building now called the Palace of the Governors, built in 1610. It is now a museum.
Under the portico, Native American traders offer local arts and crafts for sale.
I was tempted to purchase some of those beautiful silver bangles, but at $60.00 a piece I would want more than just one!!!
Lunch was at Casa Chimayo where we enjoyed New Mexican food with those famous chilies.
All of this was in walking distance.
We had an enjoyable time with a nice train ride and time seeing a little more of Santa Fe.
We welcome our newest follower, Nathan and Phyllis!!!
Until next time...
