Blogs from New Mexico, United States, North America - page 87

North America » United States » New Mexico March 27th 2009

Ya'at'eeh abini T'iists'ozi'doo! Mesas and canyons before me, creating deep rifts where civilization thrived millenniums ago. I see clouds white above rock buildings, steeped in time, then on walls next to them carvings and petroglyphs I can barely make out. Chaco Canyon has a mystical feel, and I don't think it's just the patch of cold air in the area that makes me shiver slightly. Imagining the Anasazi people lived here is bizarre when you look into the wide expanse of nature and wonder how they could live off the land for so long. It wasn't easy, that's obvious. We're camping so these sunny days with surprising snow aren't exactly ideal, but at the same time, I'll miss winter as much as I'll be happy to see it go. This has been one wet season for ... read more

Beautiful Abiquiu

North America » United States » New Mexico » Abiquiu March 18th 2009

River by Abiquiu Lake and Dam

Suzanne442

As usual, Cem and I scrambled around in the morning and were late getting on the road. We are still too used to working and sleeping late. Our current morning routine mostly involves figuring out how to situate the contraption on our roof so the straps don't make a noisy racket while we are driving. Though it does sort offsets the awful noise our car is still making. Thus settled, We beat a hasty exit from Santa Rosa on our way to Santa Fe. Once there, I decided we had driven enough and needed a break so we checked into the Silver Saddle early - a kitchy low -budget little adobe motel on the outskirts of town. I comforted myself with the knowledge that it was recomended by the Lonely Planet. My whole reason for coming ... read more

Spring break weekend in Ruidoso

North America » United States » New Mexico » Ruidoso March 14th 2009

Inner tubing

Axxion

It was the beginning of Spring Break and we wanted to find an easy destination to go to. Why not Ruidoso, New Mexico? Ruidoso is a mountain resort town in the south central section of New Mexico. It is a popular destination for Texans who want to escape the summer heat and enjoy the alpine scenery. The Mescalero Apache operates a hotel casino - Inn of the Mountain Gods - and a ski resort right outside of Ruidoso. Our journey took us through Alamogordo and Tularosa, NM - known for their speed traps. A friendly advice - stay within the speed limit especially if you have a Texas plate. There was also a border checkpoint before Alamogordo. After all, this is the corridor for illegal immigrants coming through Mexico. We noticed the presence of sheriffs, in ... read more

Still Kickin!

North America » United States » New Mexico » Santa Fe March 11th 2009

Sante Fe

briang1984

I'm still alive, just been too busy enjoying the company of my family, and the stunning views, to stop to write about it for the last few days! I plan to flesh out the details of some of my adventures in the future, as I have plenty of pictures. However, for now, here is a brief synopsis of what I've been up to and my pretty solid plans of where I am going next. When last I wrote, I was in a Starbucks in Sante Fe. After finishing that article on Jim Bishop's Castle I cruised to downtown historic Sante Fe for a quick survey. Driving through this tiny capital of 60,000, I admired how even the McDonald's had the adobe look going for it, making the town very pleasing to the eye. It really became ... read more

Phoenix to Santa Fe

North America » United States » New Mexico » Santa Fe March 7th 2009

Phoenix oranges

Ronno43

Left Phoenix March 1st and arrived in Santa Fe via Tucson, Las Cruses and Albuquerque on March 5th. We proceeded to Santa Fe the next day, staying until March 8.... read more

Short Trails at Chaco Canyon

North America » United States » New Mexico » Gallup February 9th 2009

Una Vida

traveler5637

Short Trails at Chaco Canyon Historical Park Una Vida Trail The Una Vida Trail is a one mile loop to a 100 room, 5 kiva ruin site at the east end of the remote Chaco Canyon Historical Park in northwest New Mexico. The trail head is in the parking lot of the Visitor Center, the first hiking opportunity when arriving. This site is in a natural state of preservation, having experienced little excavation or vandalism. Una Vida is thought to be located along an eight mile straight line that includes the Great Houses of Pueblo Bonito in the center and Penasco Blanco on the west end of Chaco Canyon. The structures are on a slight hill on the north side of the canyon. Roads connected the sites and perhaps there was line of sight communication. The ... read more

Bottomless Lakes State Park

North America » United States » New Mexico » Roswell February 6th 2009

Canyon Wall

Herrin and Rybak

Bottomless Lakes State Park I had to get out an explore this awesome region. I started out in the ecosystem where the Chihuahuan Desert kisses the grasslands at the Bottomless Lakes State Park. It's a great geological area. It is a chain of eight sinkhole lakes ranging from 17-90 feet deep. They were formed when the circulating ground water from the Capitan Mountain range adds into the artesian wells below the surface dissolving the salt and gypsum deposits forming subterranean caverns. With time the cavern extends and the roof collapses and the artesian well fills the sinkhole and whooola holy moly theres a lake!! This area is beautiful with the Capitan and Sierra Blanca Mountains across the plain to the West and a huge ridgeline to the East. The ridge line is a swirl of hues ... read more

Land of Enchantment

North America » United States » New Mexico February 5th 2009

Old & New

swissmaple

After leaving New Orleans, we continued west, to the big state of Texas. We reached Texas past sunset, having driven on bridges over the Louisiana bayous for what seemed like hours. One of the first "cities" we came to was oddly not on our map. It took us a few moments to realise the cities we were seeing in the distance were not actually glistening gold cities but really cities of huge oil refineries, lit up in golden lights for all to see. What had clued us in were the plumes of smoke and the flames from gas burn-offs. It was quite a sight to see at night. We planned to stop for our first Texas night at a Texas rest area, east of Houston, but we discovered it was closed. So we pushed forward, passing ... read more

Travel to New Mexico

North America » United States » New Mexico » Roswell February 5th 2009

Windmill in Kansas

Herrin and Rybak

Wisconsin to New Mexico in Record Time We have arrived... Chris had to come over the Sacramento Mountains from Alamogorda... and I had a little farther... I made the 1700 mile trek in a record 21 hours. Don't do the math on my miles/hour the Oklahoma State Troopers did that for all of us... Opps, I got off with a warning. I have to thank Erin Doyle and Jon Potter for jaw jacking with me on the trip. Erin was my internet searching vixen giving me the play by play of what was surrounding me as I drove - The Flint Hills National Monument of Kansas and the largest oil field in North America (It's underground can't see it but, my Lord can you smell it)! My favorite was the church built during the grasshopper ... read more

Hot dog, jumping frog...

North America » United States » New Mexico » Albuquerque January 30th 2009

Dyl

The great plains of Kansas turn into Colorado and time slips back an hour to 'Mountain time'. It's all low scrub, tough grass and bush. A tawny collection of browns, yellows and reds as far as the eye can see rolling gently up and down. An occasional icy watery hole breaks the monotony with a few water fowl. A river, all but frozen over runs away under us and crooked off into the distance. A tree, a group of trees and a broken down shack passes as we click, clack and rumble along side a dirt road. Telegraph poles count the meter or our tempo which is steady and slow in the misty light of morning. There is the odd far house and small town with wooden houses low to the ground. Working trucks and old ... read more

Brief history of United States

Britain's American colonies broke with the mother country in 1776 and were recognized as the new nation of the United States of America following the Treaty of Paris in 1783. During the 19th and 20th centuries, 37 new states were added to the origina...more history

Forum Topics for New Mexico

On-The-Spot PassportsPosts: 4

driving directions from...Posts: 1

The Deep SouthPosts: 11

Sleeping in your car wh...Posts: 7

Gatlinburg,TN is nothin...Posts: 2

Astronauts on space shu...Posts: 2

So I'm planning a trip ...Posts: 17

A little help with plan...Posts: 11

Good place to overnight...Posts: 2

Base to explore New Yor...Posts: 3

Travel ResolutionsPosts: 41