Carol & Warner's Trip Around The USA: Trip to Durango, CO from Santa Fe, NM

Monday, May 9, 2011

Left Santa Fe bound for Durango, Colorado where we plan to camp for the first time. We picked up I-26 just west of Santa Fe and drove to Exit 249 and joined US 550 for Durango. Our first stop for gas was in Sana Domingo, NM at a Pueblo Nation service station. This is the place to buy gas!! $3.62 gallon. The trip took us over the Continental Divide at 12:23 pm Soon after that we passed a 7000 foot marker.

We passed through some amazing countryside. Red, greens, pinks, and white. The whole trip was an amazing slide show in vivid technocolor. Glorious vistas! The highlight was a stop in Aztec, CO to visit the Aztec Ruins which were not settled by the Aztecs!! They were settled by Indians who came from other settlements. The ruins have been partially restored and are open to wandering about through many of the 500 hundred rooms. Often the roof over the visitors head is the original 900 year old roof! The rooms are arranged so that the only way to enter an interior room is through all the preceding rooms. Makes for real privacy since each room was occupied by one family. The highlight of the restoration is the huge Kiva (round circular ceremonial building) partially below ground level.

I was completely enthralled with an original ladder that was used to enter the upper levels of the village. If you have visited cliff dwelling for pueblos you are familiar with the many ladders that connect the various levels. At this restoration they had recovered an actual ladder. Just looking at it gave me shivers. I thought, “the inhabitants actually climbed this ladder.”

We camped at Lightner Creek Campground opted for a “camper cabin” as there was a chance of rain and it was COLD. We were prepared and slept well under extra blankets!

Durango is a green place surrounded with cultivated, irrigated fields and mountains.

Tomorrow we visit Mesa Verda on the way to Page, AZ.

I’m running late with blog posts because there hasn’t been time for them!! When we get to Carlsbad, CA for 5 days I will catch up.

Lottsa good images to share!

Thanks to all of you who been following Carol and Warner's Excellent Adventure

Very flat country