Day 08 - Santa Fe NM to Winslow AZ

Both Angela and I are suffering from a bit of sensory overload.  We've seen so much that by the evening we have started to forget stuff that happened in the morning.

We started the day in Santa Fe, NM.  Both of us have been to Santa Fe and like it a lot. However, we did not believe that we had enough time to really give the town its proper due - so we vowed to come back again another time.  Instead, we hit the road early to make up some time we lost in Austin.  We took I-25 down to Albuquerque and connected with I-40 over towards Arizona.

While we have been taking some interstates (our goal was to use back highways), in some instances the interstate is the only way to get from one town to the next.  There's simply not a lot of roads out here.  In fact, on my 2009 and 2010 bike rides, I rode a lot of these interstates.  Looks a lot different from a car than it does from a bicycle.

As we headed out to western New Mexico, we stopped in Grants at the Northwest New Mexico Visitors Center (NWNMVC as it is known locally).  Tremendous visitors center (still no big maps of NM).  It was big. Super clean. Full of great exhibits.  And we had the place completely to ourselves. The NWNMVC had a section that detailed 8 tours that could be taken in the area - to places like state or federal parks.  

Did I mention, we had the place to ourselves?

Angela picked a tour of El Morro - a National park about 40 miles away.  We took Route 66 to a SR 53 - an incredible true back road that led us up into the pines.  Shortly before the park, we crossed the Continental Divide.

I won't go into a lot of detail, but... there is very limited sources of year-round water in this part of the country.  El Morro has a large natural "bowl" that catches rainwater and is a oasis in this barren land.  There is no other such source of water for over 100 miles in any direction. Consequently, it has been a favorite site for travelers in the area.  The sandstone cliffs are covered with inscriptions going back 1,000 years or more.  Furthermore, there are pueblo ruins on top of the cliffs over-looking the pool.

After viewing the pool and the inscriptions, we climbed to the top of the cliffs (via a less vertical route).

The park was excellent.  We had the place to ourselves.  The park ranger was very helpful. The paths were great... but steep.

These are a few of the 800 rooms in the pueblo.  The only way to enter from the outside is from above.  Like prairie dogs.  When it was occupied, it was huge... nearly 1500 people lived there. Archeologists have excavated a limited number of the rooms; they know where the others are - but once uncovered, they begin to deteriorate.

It tooks us a couple of hours to get around the park. It was a welcome change. Incredibly silent and serene.  The air was pure and incredibly fragrant with pine and sage. We hit the back roads again and headed to Arizona. Along the way, we drove through the Zuni Reservation.

Both of us can't get over the views in this part of the country.  I've been through this area several times, but it always surprises me with its beauty and emptiness.  Miles and miles of nothing but nature.  No houses, barns, stores,....  The only sign of man is the fences that border the road.  We have gone 20 minutes or more without even seeing another vehicle.

The land out here is so clean.  The one exception was miles of road in Arizona that were littered with thousands of empty bottles of alcohol. They were almost hidden in the sage brush, but you couldn't help but see them.  And there was nothing around.  No homes or businesses. Finally we came upon the source of the bottles.

It is a drive-thru liquor store. It is the first structure we hit after going through the Zuni Reservation and is across the state border about 30 miles away.  There was absolutely no sign of littering as we headed away from the liquor store in the other direction.

Both of us are continuously amazed at the vastness of this area.  Scenery changes, but it always stays so big.  We are so lucky to have taken these state roads.  They're in great shape and take us to places that we would not have seen otherwise.  We are also so lucky with the weather. Temps reached the 60's again today.

We stopped in Winslow AZ for the evening.  I've spent the night here twice before.  The town is trying, but it is dying.  They've repaved the roads and put in brick pavers and new lamp-posts.  They've added new curbs and bike lanes.  However, it is so hard to pump life back into the town.  Route 66 used to run right through the middle of the town, but Interstate 40 replaced it. Tomorrow's goal is the Grand Canyon.