National Parks, History of the West, New Mexico...

 Storri Lake State Park, just outside of Las Vegas NM was our next stop.  The area is recovering from both a 10yr drought and now recent  heavy rains and flooding. 




 
The lake was almost dry when we got here but within 4 days it was filling up!

The nice thing about this trip out to Arizona for the winter is we decided not to have a deadline as to when we get there.   We are enjoying our stay in one spot for a couple of days and doing  side trips. 
So here are a few within North Central part of New Mexico.


                                                                                                                                                                                                                

First Day.

Montezuma's Castle  was once a resort known for their  Natural spring baths. Its now the World College of the American West and the bathhouse is closed to the public.

Some of the original stone pools are still open to the public  up the creek from the main entrance.  Warning, the hot springs flow directly out of the hillside into theses pools and it was very HOT!  This seems to be a popular place with the locals.

Found out about it from our waitress at the local Pizza Place.

  She also told us about a place to get New Mexico style breakfast.

 Mary Ann's wasn't much to look at from the outside but a great find!  Her grandmother is the owner and cook.  Sister waits tables and gets up at 3 AM to make the tortillas, sooo..  good!!.

The question always seems to be red or green chile?
  How about half green and half red ,  its called Christmas.

 I think the best part about traveling for Randy is the food.

  He just goes along with the other stuff.  :)

 A day trip into the Sante Fe National Forest on what is considered a state highway.

 Well  about 6 miles up it turned narrow, ruff and signs of washouts alongside the road.  It was a pretty drive though and nice to get up into the pine trees and mountain streams. 

Stopped and used 4 wheel drive as the stream was overflowing and running down the road, this campsite and trailhead was washed out.

 

Was I surprised to find this old Catholic church up ahead, and the valley below.

The bottom tip of the San De Cristo  Mountain range.

 Day Two.. Fort Union National Monument.

When New Mexico became United States territory after the U.S.- Mexican War, the army relocated the supply depot from Santa Fa to a site near the Mountain and Cimarron branches of the Santa Fe Trail.  Three different sites all called Fort Union existed.  First made with crude timber to protect traders and settlers from the Indians.  The second Fort, an earthen fortification and further away from the bluff was constructed when the Civil War began.  The third which took six years to complete was used during the Indian Wars throughout the 1860's and 1870's.  Abandoned by 1891 when the railroad came through, only theses ruins remain.

Pet friendly grounds with shaded picnic area out front.

What a perfect sky for taking pictures,
 of which I took alot of!!

They are stuccoing over the ruins to preserve and stabilizes but no plans to recreate the Fort.

  The visitor center has a great little museum that depicts the history and life of an army solder on the open plains. Did you know the  Buffalo solders were used here after the end of the civil war to fight the indians?

The stockade, not sure where you would go if you escaped. 

Day Four..  Pecos National Historical Park

Another beautiful day to hike the boundary of the ruins and drive through the Pecos river valley!

Around 1450 Pecos Pueblo had become a community built of rock and mud five stories high with a population of 2,000.  In 1541 Coronado visited the pueblo but soon  left for Kansas as the indians told then stories  of the City's of gold to the east.   In 1621  the  Franciscans from Spain came and built and adobe church and mission.  By the 1780's disease, Comanche raids and migration had reduced Pecos to fewer than 300.  The last survivors left a decaying pueblo and empty mission church in 1838.

 
Visitor center model of the Pueblo.

Randy didn't think I should climb down the ladder,
 he said if I fell they'd never get me out.  Thanks!

I had to see what was down there so I did it anyway.

  Kivas were used for special ceremonial and spiritual events.

 Very little of the original rock wall surrounding the fortress remain standing. 

Remains of the church and Mission. 

                                                                        

We ended the day with a side trip to Villanuvea State Park along the Pecos River.

The park sits in a canyon right along the river  with pinion pines and scrub oak.  Quie and mostly primitive sites.  A few with electric and water.  Great for small campers and tents but not to many spots for the 40 footers.

The foot bridge to the trails from the campground.

The history buff in me is on overload.....  

Now on to Albuquerque, ( thank heavens for spell check!) as I can never remember how it is spelled.

Till the next ramblings, Happy Trails!!