Valley of the Gods to Capitol Reef

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9 April, Thursday - Just outside of Mexican Hat we stopped to photograph Mexican Hat, the formation, not the town. A little ways farther and we turned towards Bluff and then north onto a gravel road signed "Valley of the Gods". It was a 17-mile route through a smaller-scale Monument Valley. Great, closeup views of red rock towers, fins, spires and Buttes! Back on the main highway (SR 261) we drove right at a red rock wall not knowing if we would go around it or through it. It turned out that the Moki Dugway went right up the face of it in a series of switchbacks, some of which were unpaved. [Apparently the MD was constructed to bring loads of uranium ore to the mill at Mexican Hat, where the tailings are now covered by a limestone cap which looks from a distance like a gray lake.] That put us up on Cedar Mesa where we stopped at a ranger station and noted all the hiking opportunities in the area. The mesa is also home to Natural Bridges National Monument. We picked up some information at the visitors center then drove part of the loop until we reached the overlook and trailhead for Kachina Natural Bridge. We hiked down the 1.2 miles and 600 vertical feet to the bottom of the canyon and got some photos of the bridge and the nearby petroglyphs and ruins - different here from those in Bandelier - more like pithouses than pueblos, more Fremont culture than Ancient Pueblo/Anasazi. It was sunny and warm so we had a picnic at the Bears Ears overlook before heading off Cedar Mesa down White Canyon, past Hite to an overlook near Lake Powell. We filled our gas tank at Hanksville not wanting to be low in country where the gas stations seemed few and far between. Then we drove up the Fremont River canyon all the way to Capitol Reef National Park. Since it was warm enough and not too windy we set up our tent in the NP campground and cooked supper. At 1900 there was a good natural history Q&A at the amphitheater where we got a couple of our questions answered.

Canyon de Chelly and Monument Valley

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8 April, Wednesday – Here we are in Mexican Hat, UT just north of Monument Valley, much farther along than I thought we would be today. We got out of Albuquerque reasonably early and pushed right along so our first stop was at a really good visitors center at the Grants exit from I-40. After that we continued along I-40 to Gallup and headed north to Window Rock and Ganado where we stopped at the old Hubbel Trading Post which is now a National Historic Site (but still sells cheap souvenirs and expensive Navajo rugs, etc.) By this time the forecast wind was strong enough to keep us from eating lunch outside so we ate on the road. The wind kept increasing and soon we were driving in a sand and dust storm.(photo above left) In Chinle we turned east to Canyon de Chelly Nat Mon, stopped in the visitors center briefly, then drove the south rim road and stopped at all the turnouts.(photo left) The views were good but not as spectacular as they would have been without the dust in the air. Temps were up in the low 60’s but the wind kept the comfort level pretty low. We had sort of planned to camp at Canyon de Chelly but the wind and blowing sand was too much, so we headed on northwest toward Kayenta and Monument Valley. We were really glad to climb out of or beyond the sandstorm and in to blue sky again before reaching Kayenta. The buttes were spectacular in the late afternoon light and we debated what we should do – try to stay at an expensive Kayenta hotel, camp at Navajo Nat. Mon (1300 ft above Kayenta and still somewhat snowy), or move on north to wherever. We tried the first option and found out that all the hotels were full (Huh? In April?). Camping seemed possible but the wind was the dealbreaker so I called the one-star motel in Mex. Hat and got a room. After picking up some dinner we started north through Monument Valley and had great evening light and clear skies for C.J.’s photography.(photo left taken earlier) Descending 1800 ft from Monument Valley, we found the San Juan Inn (photo right)overlooking the river of the same name and finished up our shrimp appetizer from last night. The Mexican hat of the town name is a flat-topped balanced rock on the ridge above. We’re glad to be here during this season, even if all the rustic kiosks along the road aren’t staffed with Navajo vendors, because our host says it is typically 110 degrees in the summer. Cool but comfortable now, and the wind has pretty much stopped.

Los Alamos and Bandelier National Monument

7 April, Tuesday - By 0845 we were packed up and out of Red River on our way through Taos again. The road descended for a while and paralleled the Rio Grande in a canyon. Then past Espanola we began climbing to the mesa-top location of Los Alamos. We spent a couple of hours in the Bradbury Museum watching both movies and looking at the displays of history and current explorations. We left without having exhausted the museum's possibilities.




From there it was only a short drive to Bandelier where we descended the CCC road to the valley bottom. The visitor center provided us with a guide brochure and we set out on the 1.2 mile main loop to see the Ancient Pueblo People (formerly known as Anasazi) ruins (AD 1200-1400). There were longhouses, cliffhouses, kivas and caves (cavates - "cave eights") as well as petro- and picto-graphs. It was short-sleeve weather in the sheltered valley and later we saw the temp climb into the 70's near Albuquerque. We took the Jemez Mountain Byway around and through the Valle Caldera and past some really red rock cliffs. Around 1800 we checked into the La Quinta Northwest in Albuquerque, cleaned up a bit and then met Steve Hill for barbecue at the County Line near the Sandia tramway base. Great meal and great to catch up with Steve!

Wild Rivers and Great Sand Dunes

6 April, Monday - The day dawned sunny...and cold. We drove down through Questa then north and west to the BLM's Wild Rivers park. After paying our fee (half of $3, love that "golden geezer" access pass!) we stopped at a couple of pullouts to look into the Rio Grande gorge. Then we parked in the La Junta trailhead and hiked down the trail and stairs, losing 800 ft in the process, to the junction of the Red and Rio Grande. From there we continued north along the River Trail to the Little Arsenic Springs CG (sheltered picnic tables, tent pads and outhouse on a bench above the river) and up the trail to Little Arsenic TH. The walk back to the car along the Redondo (?) Trail was anticlimactic after the scenery in the gorge. But the mountain sheep we surprised just outside the parking lot was anything but boring. Wasting no time (it was already after 1300) we hurried north to Great Sand Dunes National Park.










This time the sky was clear and blue. The dunes stood out sharply against the snowcapped Sangre de Cristo range as we walked out on the dune field and up one of the nearby dunes. The wind was light and the temperature was moderate - no snow and howling winds this time. After taking photos of dune crests, ripple marks and "sand angels", we drove through the juniper-shaded (but still somewhat snowy) campground and on to Alamosa for a Starbucks break - thanks for the card, Irina and Andrei! We took the alternate route back, crossing the Rio Grande way above the gorge and taking a detour to see the stupa at "Lorien" near El Rito. It was nearly 1930 by the time we got back to the condo at Red River but the evening light on the canyon cliffs made it worthwhile.

Enchanted Circle tour

5 April, Sunday - Instead of a shower and breakfast, I dressed for skiing and went out to brush the 4 inches of snow off the car. I found the visitor center open but no one on duty so I headed up to Bobcat Pass (9600 ft) to see if it was possible to ski at the Enchanted Forest Cross Country Ski Area. The main road in town was plowed but the plowing stopped at the edge and I followed a few tire tracks to the boundary of the national forest before reaching EF. That put it on private land, and the conditions didn't look that great anyway so I went back to the condo for a great C.J.-prepared breakfast of bacon and pancakes with fresh pear sauce. Later we drove down into Questa, past the big Chevron molybdenum mine, then south to SR 64 which has a well-known bridge spanning the 650 ft deep Rio Grande gorge. After some photos we browsed the vendors' wares and C.J. bought a small SW-style fetish bear pendant. Then we drove into Taos, parked and wandered around the old town for a half hour or so.


From there we headed north and, since the sun was shining, we stopped for a picnic lunch on a south-facing rocky slope. The route was scenic and the weather was sunny with dramatic cumulus in a bright blue sky; we could finally see the summit of Wheeler Peak (over 13,000 ft). We drove into Angel Fire not so much to see the resort but to access the only Bank of America we had seen for days.









Right up the road was the Vietnam Veterans Memorial State Park and we stopped to admire the architecture and striking setting on a hill above the Moreno Valley.


Continuing north we passed Eagles Nest and wound down Cimmaron Canyon past The Palisades. When we reached Philmont Scout Ranch we found that the visitors center was closed on Sundays but I took some pictures of the vaguely-remembered headquarters. There were herds of deer nearby, and as we reached the top of Cimmaron Canyon we saw a trio of wild turkeys - they must be more common now. We climbed over Bobcat Pass (this time on dry roads) and were back at the condo in Red River by 1700.

Estes Park to Red River, NM

4 April, Saturday – Eight inches of snow greeted us as we got up around 0700 and I had to sweep off the car before opening the doors to pack our gear. But by 0845 we were on our way down SR 36 to Boulder where we stopped at a AAA office to pick up a NM Tourbook and some other useful (in the future) maps. Another few miles down the road we bought bread, fruit and gas at Costco then continued on through Denver and Colorado Springs on I-25 We had run out of the snow before Boulder and had some sunshine as well as snow flurries as we went south. At Walsenburg we turned west and crossed North Veta Pass (9600 ft), then down into the San Luis desert. Weather was still looking good but as soon as we turned on to the road to Great Sand Dunes National Park, we could see the snowstorm ahead. Sure enough, it was snowing and blowing at the visitors center and the best view of the dunes was in the video presentation. Actually we did have a break of a few minutes, long enough to see the dunes and the Sangre de Cristo mountains behind them before it closed in again. Needless to say, we did not do a scramble on the dunes but we did see a herd of deer with snow-covered backs on the way out. As we turned south again at Fort Garland, the weather ahead looked good again – apparently the weather gathers in the same spot as the sand does. After a quick stop to get gas in Costilla (Red River is too small to have a grocery store or gas station) we reached Questa and drove up the scenic canyon. We got to Red River around 1800 and checked in to the WorldMark resort as it started to snow again.

Emerald Lake

3 April, Friday- C.J. thought her knee felt better today but not good enough to snowshoe. So I went off by myself again while she worked on scrapbooking, Spanish lessons and yoga. The weather was supposed to be stormy starting this afternoon so I got a sort-of early start to Bear Lake trailhead. It was snowing very lightly when I left the condo and snowing pretty hard at Bear Lake, but without the gusty winds and low temperatures of our last hike there. I talked with a couple who were going to ski to Bierstadt Lake and considered going that way myself but then a whole crowd of snowshoers headed that way. I took the left fork and went towards Nymph Lake again. After a hundred yards on the packed trail I removed my snowshoes and didn't put them back on until I was beyond Dream and climbing toward Emerald. I passed a couple just after walking across the frozen lake and found there were still tracks ahead of me but snowshoes were definitely useful. The snow continued falling the whole hike and when I reached Emerald Lake, it was shrouded by the snowfall. Up ahead skiers were just visible on the slopes of the cirque above the lake; the last two snowshoers had stopped for lunch at the lake edge. This was the first time this winter that I had seen any marauding birds gather hoping for handouts. There were several mountain chickadees which were pretty aggressive and a large Clarks Nutcracker. I headed down after a short time and took the alternate route around Nymph Lake. Part way to the trailhead I removed my snowshoes again. The trail still had some fresh snow on it but was firm enough that I saw a couple of people coming up wearing sneakers(!).



Back in EP, the sun was shining and after lunch we took a soak in the outdoor hot tub. C.J.'s knee is definitely doing better and we've booked a three-night stay at the WorldMark Red River resort in northern New Mexico. The x-c ski area there is closed for the season but we should be able to find some things to do to amuse us. It's not far from Taos, and even Santa Fe should be a reasonable day trip, I think. So we've gotten mostly packed up and some of it is in the car (our wings, for example, which we probably are not going to get to use this trip). C.J. picked out a video (a freebie based on our TravleshareElite status, whoo-hoo) for tonight. Life is good.