New Mexico

I was told that New Mexico was going to be a state full of surprises, particularly surprises granted by Mother Nature; and certainly it was!!

Right after we left Oklahoma (I mean… Texas and the Cadillac Ranch visit) we headed to Taos and it was notorious how geography changes in a few miles and finally the well expected mountains began to show up!

Something interesting on this picture… that day it was our son’s birthday and we made a video call right from this very spot!! It was USA + France + Holland as our daughter also joined us on the call.

We arrived at Taos and headed to the campground that would host us for the following 3 days. Very nice people!! Cheers to Elena and Rich from here…

Okay, a little background about Taos Pueblo. It is classified as a Native American community. Its beginning dates back a thousand years and the inhabitants have lived over here with no access to utilities but instead, they keep the same traditions of their ancestors; drink the water from a sacred lake that runs downstream, and light / heat comes from fire made up from wood logs in fire places. The dwellings are located around a large plaza that also accommodates the church.

Homes were built using mud (adobe) contrary to the way the Spanish did it… clay and stones / rocks. The homes are generally passed down from one generation to the next with, usually, the eldest son being the sole owner. These homes are still used for religious and cultural activities. ” The homes are the connection to our way of life and to our ancestors” they say.

There was something else we wanted to see … the Gorge Bridge! This is the second tallest bridge in the Interstate highways system in the US. The spectacular views are a Must See point!! It is 600 feet tall and it was built in 1,965. A major cause of concern is the suicide rate. Authorities are working to try to prevent this from happening. Views are spectacular as well as sunsets!! And during our visit we got more than we bargained for… you will see!!

It was time to leave Taos Pueblo behind and head to the land of UFOs… Roswell!!

It was a long journey; downhill driving followed by a very long straight line highway. Sadly Rest Areas in New Mexico are very scarce!!

And finally we arrived at Roswell; this area is known for the development of rockets, military aircraft equipment and of course because of the alleged UFO that crashed back in 1947!! Also, because the city is located a couple hundred miles from the location where the first atomic bomb was tested / detonated, of course before the bombs that were dropped in Japan in 1,945.

We also visited the Roswell Museum; a big portion of it is dedicated to Robert Goddard ( 1882-1945) considered the father of the modern rocket propulsion. From very young age, he started the study of propulsion via rockets and after many failures, he managed to succeed and dedicate his whole life to this effect.

Isn’t this awesome or what!!

What you’re about to read is completely awesome…..

” One evening in 1,898 a massive swarm of bats spiraled into the dusty pink sky. Teenage cowboy Jim White watched the bats in awe. “must be a whale of a big cave” he breathed. The boy crept along the cactus and peered over the brink. He lit a dry stalk and dropped it down into the hole. The glowing embers twirled almost 80 ft before striking the rock below. Now it was his turn; Jim returned with a lantern and a ladder he made with fencing wire and sticks.

By doing so, Jim became famous as the first man who discovered this massive cavern, the Carlsbad Cavern in New Mexico. Hidden beneath the surface are more than 119 caves—formed when sulfuric acid dissolved limestone leaving behind caverns of all sizes. The most dramatic one is The Big Room, the largest single cave chamber by volume in North America. They say you can fit two (2) Capitol buildings inside!!. This was a fantastic visit. It took us 4 hours to walk the whole trail (climb down and up / no elevator used!!).

It was time to pack and move and pay another visit to a not less interesting marvel of Mother Nature… the White Sand Dunes National Park!! Seen from the space, this is a vast 275 square miles piece of land of white sand made of gypsum crystals represented in dunes. You drive through them and appreciate the beauty of this park. Fauna and flora have adapted to inhabit this wild environment.

This is how you see it 14 miles away.

To be honest we did better sledding in snow back in Scotland 🙂

And Tree number 7 goes to….

This time a beautiful Juniper tree has been planted in the grounds of the Taos Valley RV Park. Lovely Elena and husband Rich were so happy to be chosen as the carers of this future Christmas Tree alive!!