After leaving the southern area of Arizona, our plan was to head North and visit Winslow, Flagstaff, Sedona and then up to the Painted Desert and the Petrified Forest……our plans changed! North means cold……and boy did we notice a big change in temperature as well as some rainy weather. We are trying to escape cold weather! The road construction and closures in the Petrified Forest would have also made our travel plans a little more complicated so we decided to move on and head east towards New Mexico. Don’t worry, Arizona, we will definitely be back!
We DID make it to Winslow, Arizona however and stood on that famous corner with the flat bed Ford that The Eagles made famous in their smash hit Take It Easy.
We also visited Meteor Crater which happens to be the best preserved meteorite impact site on Earth before moving on. 50 000 years ago a meteorite estimated to be around 150 feet across and weighing several hundred thousand tons, struck the northern Arizona rocky plain with an explosive force. The crater it left behind is large enough for 20 football games to be played on its floor all at the same time.
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| To the very far left of the photo above, you can see the Visitor Centre |
New Mexico, known as the Land of Enchantment, was already home to Native Americans for the last 20 000 years when Spanish explorers arrived in the 1600’s. Home to 19 Pueblos, there are more cows and sheep in New Mexico than people! This was certainly evident as we drove the I-40 towards Albuquerque! The vast amounts of grasslands and odd rock formations told another geological story of this area. One such place we visited 52 miles North of Albuquerque and 35 miles South of Santa Fe was Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument. The cone shaped tent rock formations this area has become famous for are the products of volcanic eruptions that occurred 6 to 7 million years ago that left pumice, ash and tuff deposits over 1000 feet thick. Boulder caps sit precariously atop many of the hoodoos. The canyons we traversed through are the result of wind and water erosion creating an interesting landscape and spectacular scenery. The 3 mile hike through Canyon and Cave Trails was a feast for the senses.
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And yes!! We made it to the top where there was snow!! 
The hike in and out was truly a remarkable experience and we were in awe the entire time! The video below shows a portion of the trail known as "the slot".
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Bandelier National Monument located near Los Alamos in New Mexico was another fascinating site we visited on the following day.The monument preserves the Ancestral Pueblo homes and territory of prehistoric people dating back 10 000 years. What makes this site so fascinating is that the homes were carved into cliff faces and we had an opportunity to get inside and really learn about how these people lived.
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| Steve climbing into a dwelling. The people painted the roof of the cave with black soot to harden the sandstone. |
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| Steve took this pic as I was climbing up the ladder into the cliff dwelling. Below, in the field, are the remnants of other housing and gardens where crops were grown. |
The vertical holes seen in the picture above were used for floor support beams. Archaeologists are able to determine how many stories each dwelling was.
The sign here says it all!!! Four ladders to the top!!
