April 16, thru April 30
We arrived here in Santa Fe today, April 16 and plan to stay here for a month as we wait for warmer temperatures in Colorado. The temperature here is quite nice today The next morning we awoke to cold temperatures and soon it was snowing. Wow we did not expect that. It snowed off and on in the morning but did not stick to the streets. The mountains in the distance still had snow from the winter but definitely have more snow after this surprise. The winds here continue to blow…just as they did in Mission, TX. Most days have some wind and often 20 – 25 mph with gusts to 40. These pictures were not taken right here in Santa Fe but they easily could have been.

On Sunday, April 20, we received a phone call from friends we met in Mississippi while doing hurricane relief. Jay and Betty are from Delaware and have been in the west doing some other volunteer work and vacationing. They were only about 200 miles away and had planned to come to Santa Fe. They did not even know we were here….just called to see where we were in case they might be able to meet up with us somewhere. So they were quite surprised to find us here. They drove on over here on Monday and we had a great time in the afternoon visiting. They stayed here for dinner and we then played Mexican Train, one of our favorite games. On Tuesday we all went to the down town area of Santa Fe. Most of the buildings in downtown have a Southwest style architecture. We walked around the plaza, shopping in some of the many, many jewelry stores and the Governor’s Palace where the Indians set up their handcrafted jewelry on the sidewalk.

Just a few blocks away is the New Mexico State Capital. The four-story building houses government offices and the state House and Senate chambers. From the ground floor you can enter the rotunda and see the state seal and rotating art exhibits that are often on display. It was the art exhibits that we really wanted to see and they were magnificent.

For lunch we stopped at a food stand in the park and had a Chicken Fajita. We sat in the plaza on a park bench and enjoyed. It was quite tasty. In the afternoon we walked to the nearby St. Francis Cathedral. This French Romanesque cathedral houses many religious relics including the oldest Madonna in the United States. The exquisite stained glass windows were created in France, traveling to Santa Fe via ship and then overland on a covered wagon. Next we walked a couple of blocks to Loretta Chapel. The most outstanding feature of the chapel is the famous Miraculous Staircase. The circular staircase winds its way from the floor of the chapel to the choir loft above. CBS did an Investigative Report on this in 1998. You may read about it at http://www.csicop.org/si/9811/i-files.html In the Chapel arewelve stations, each depicting an event of the crucifixion. These statues are quite elegant. Words inscribed on them explain the event.





By the time we got home we again needed a rest and then went to Jay and Betty’s RV for a super good “down home” dinner and some more game playing.

Next day, we went to Los Alamos. It is the location of the Los Alamos National Lab, one of the world’s leading research institutions. This is lab was responsible for the first hydrogen bomb testing in 1952. This web site gives the history of that time period and what the lab is currently doing. http://www.lanl.gov/history/atomicbomb/index.shtml We actually went to the Bradbury Science Museum which displays exhibits about the history of Los Alamos National Laboratory and its research. Many of the exhibits are interactive and feature videos, computers, and science demonstrations. If you have any interest in this please check the web site above and http://www.lanl.gov/museum/ for info on the museum. Following that we went to Bandolier National Park. Besides the drive through the beautiful Frijole Canyon and mountains created from the lava following volcanic eruptions thousands of years ago we visited the Aztec ruins that date from the 12th century. Some of the ruins are in the open area and some are cliff dwellings. The cliffs were very porous and the Indians used crude stone tools to carve out living spaces, called Cavates. These Cavates had stone rooms built in front of them some as many as 3 stories high and the entry was probably from the roof. These structures would have had mud-plastered walls and floors needing constant maintenance.

The Tyuonyi (chew-OHN-yee) structure was one to 2 stories high, contained 400 rooms and probably housed about 100 people. It is only one of several structures. At the center of this was a Kiva an important part of the ceremonial culture. It was the center of the community for religious activities, education and decision making. More info is at: http://www.americansouthwest.net/new_mexico/aztec_ruins/national_monument.html

This is an artists conception of Tyuonyi Pueblo, about 1400, Photo by Louis Glanzman. It is so amazing the skills they had. You can see their entrance into their homes was through the roof.



We all went home to rest a short while and then went to a Mexican restaurant for a lovely dinner and, what else, played Mexican Train and Farkel till we were tired. Wow. They pulled out of Santa Fe Thursday morning and we have not heard from them….Hello guys.

On Friday the 25th we drove along the Turquoise Trail from Santa Fe to Cedar Crest. Along this trail are several old mining towns. Around the town of Cerrilos were turquoise and lead deposits critical to the jewelry an pottery making of the prehistoric Indians. The town and the mines were at their peak in the 1880’s. Other small towns along the way mined gold, silver, lead, zinc and turquoise. We also drove up to Sandia Peak which overlooks Albuquerque, NM. At 10,600 feet it was quite cold and windy. Snow drifts were everywhere but, oh my, what a beautiful view from on top of the mountain. Again, we experienced the awesomeness of our God.

April 15, 2008
We are back on the road today. We made it as far as Roswell, NM and spent the night at Wal-Mart . The trip here was not too far but we wanted to go to the International UFO Museum and Research Center. The Roswell area is where a UFO supposedly crashed in July 1947. Much has been written, discussed and researched about this incident. The museum begins with the Roswell Incident Time-line. It provides a day-to-day account of the supposed events, witness testimonies, photographs, maps and more info on the UFO landing and the cover-up by the government. The alien prop from the movie, Roswell, is on display there and is quite an eye catcher. They give the information but try not to persuade one way or the other so that the visitor can make up their own mind. We found it believable but not convinced. We will surely do some more research on the internet. A quite neutral view of this incident and other UFO information can be found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roswell_UFO_incident or you can Google for Roswell Incident or just UFO’s.

April 13, 2008
The campground we have stayed at these past 2 weeks is quite small and so we began the first day looking for a place to walk in another location. We found a park called the Pecos River Beach Park, one of the nicest parks we have ever been in. We so much enjoyed, every day we were here, walking in the park. All along the park are concrete benches and plaques honoring people of the community. About mid-way in this park is a dam, an old dam that at one time was used for hydro-electric power. At the other end of the park is another dam so the level and the flow of the water remains pretty constant unless they have a lot of rain (seldom happens in this desert area). The paved walk is about 6 miles long and runs along both sides of the river. The park is well maintained and at one point they have developed a beach area for swimming and wading. We see motor boats and jet skis on the river frequently. Carlsbad Cruise Lines has short scenic tours which travel up river through a prestigious area with beautiful large homes on both sides of the river. They also rent canoes and pedal boats. We rode on a very plush pontoon boat and enjoyed seeing these homes. The one that most caught our eye is still being built. It is in the finishing stages. An extremely large home, it is said to be owned by a retired couple new to the area. We were told it cost more than a million dollars just to tear down the old house and prepare for the new one and the total cost will be over $5 million when it is completed. Check it out!!!

Also in the park are a skate park, a very nice golf course and club house, a band shell, shelters and picnic areas, and a huge playground funded through donations. The old power plant has been refurbished and is now a rec center. An old carousel was converted to a very nice building which is now used for meetings and conferences. Across the street is a ball diamond and tennis and racquetball courts and another area that is in the development stages. One other very nice addition to the park is a very large playground funded through private and public donations and grants at a price of $250,000. It really is quite nice and elaborate.

April 12, 2008
The Fiesta Drive-in Theatre in Carlsbad is quite unique…at least to us. This drive-in actually has 3 large screens with 3 different movies playing at the same time. We went there tonight to see Meet the Browns. The sound comes through the car radio. They ask you what movie you want to see when you enter and then give you the station to tune in to. It was not a great movie but ok.

April 10, 2008
Today we went back to Carlsbad Cavern to walk through the part of the cavern that was the original entrance to the cave when they first begin to explore it. It was a very different view and this part of the cave is still alive, meaning it is still wet and water is dripping. So the formations are still forming. We walked on a ramp down 800 feet with dozens of switchbacks as we made our way through the huge room with much less lighting. Only the path was lit and specific formations. It took us about 1.5 hours and we were very glad we did not have to walk back up. Following the tour we drove through Walnut Canyon Scenic Loop, a gravel road through the desert area of Carlsbad Cavern National Park. We had a brochure that explained the features of this desert landscape.

April 7 2008
Just outside of Carlsbad is the Living Desert State Park and within that park is a zoo and desert gardens. Today we walked around this area to see animals and plants native to this area. They had a large building at the entrance with many kiosks explaining the history and geology of the area. It was a beautiful day and the 1.5 mile walk around the zoo and gardens was quite nice. We saw Javolinas, lots of birds indigenous to the area, baby hump back turtles, many cactus and we especially enjoyed the walk.

April 5, 08
We drove about 40 miles today through the desert country to Lincoln National Forrest where Sitting Bull Falls is located. This time of the year there is not much water flowing over it but we can just imagine its beauty in the rainy season. It was a windy day and quite cool in the shade but very nice in the sunny areas. The water of the 130 foot falls is highly mineralized and has deposited a massive travertine bluff which has continued to build up over time. There is a cave system hidden behind the falls. The cave is accessible only by appointment and requires park ranger guide.

April 3, 08
Today we went to Carlsbad Cavern. We have been here before. The cavern is part of Carlsbad Cavern National Park and we have a Golden Age Passport for all National Parks which allows us to get in free so we figured we just as well see it again. The tour we went on, The Big Room, is a self guided tour, about a mile long and takes about 1.5 hours. This one big room covers 14 acres. There is one other self guided tour and 6 guided tours into different areas of the cavern. Plus, there are 6 more guided tours into other parts of the cavern which are more strenuous and longer tours. If you are interested in more info about the Carlsbad Cavern go to: http://www.carlsbad.caverns.national-park.com/sights Scroll down to the bottom of this page for a description of the various tours.

April 1, 08 Carlsbad, New Mexico
We arrived about noon today in Carlsbad after having spent 2 nights at Walmarts in Carizzo Springs, TX and Ft. Stockton, Tx. It was quite warm in Carizzo Springs. We set outside, even ate our dinner outside where it was cooler. Remember…we have no electricity at Wal-Mart unless we turn on the generator. When it had cooled down we walked a little over a mile into the main part of town, had an ice cream cone at McDonalds and then walked back. It was still quite warm when we first went to bed.

During our drive from there to Ft. Stockton, we crossed the Pecos River just before it flows into the Rio Grande River at the border of Mexico. It was a beautiful view but of course, not expecting it, we did not have our camera ready. We will just have to keep that view in our memory. Our over-night stay in Ft. Stockton was better. On our evening walk we found a nice walking trail right next to Wal-Mart that is at least a mile long. We took that same walk the next morning. There were 13 or 14 RV’s there spending the night. We don’t see that many very often. We talked to several of them..one a single lady who travels all around in her Class C, small, motor home.

We are staying at Carlsbad RV Park which is geared towards families with quite a few things for them to do. This time of the year there are not many families here except for some who probably work in this area and live here because they need less expensive accommodations than a house provides. Then there are several workers living here.