The Mesa Verde and Hovenweep Ruins

From Durango it was only a short ride to the ruins of the Mesa Verde National Monument.
It would be my second visit to Mesa Verde; the first was a ski trip to Telluride with my daughter (Jamie) over the millennium New Year celebration of 2000.  Jamie stayed on the mountain and snowboarded for the day while Dad trekked off to the ruins.

The winter, of course, had provided entirely different view than what I anticipated seeing now; although, that winter time experience had only traces of snow and almost no other visitors.  In fact, most of the site was closed to visitors during the off-season and my time at the ruins was, therefore, limited to only a matter of hours at Spruce Tree House.

With summer now in full swing, the campground and RV Park were busy, but less crowded than expected (with the sour economy American's are still not vacationing as actively they once had).

One word of advice for bikers and anyone requiring premium gasoline, it is a sparse commodity in and around the area east of Mesa Verde and not available at all in the park itself.  Fortunately, premium gas is available in Cortez, ten miles west of the entry to Mesa Verde.  

The approach to Mesa Verde is spectacular in itself, with winding roads yielding amazing vistas.  Mesa Verde is not a single ruin, but a complex of ruins separated by miles a paved roadway.  In fact, there are said to be more than 600 sites, ranging from a simple pit habitation to the Cliff Palace - the largest cliff dwelling in North America.

For me, the many fantastic vistas that the sites provided were worth the trip in of itself.  Had there been no ruins at all, I would not have wanted to miss the ride.

But, of course, there are ruins, and they are truly incredible!

The larger sites are built within naturally occurring alcoves which provided the back walls and (in some cases) the ceilings from which the pueblos are built.

The first stop is the visitors center, and don't pass it up; many of the sites are ranger guided tours requiring scheduled tickets.  The tickets are not expensive and guided tours are an interesting and fun time.

All of the sites require a fair amount of walking (with the exception of the Far View Site) and none of sites are handicap accessible.  In fact, visiting Mesa Verde is a moderately strenuous undertaking, and often includes steps and ladders to climb, as well as, low and narrow passageways - but, it's all worth it!

There hiking trails (for those of you that are so inclined) and even though I am not an avid hiker, when I saw a sign pointing out the trail to the pictographs, it was too much to resist.

Unbeknownst to me, however, the trail was three miles long; up-down and over rocks and numerous other appending obstacles.  Had I read the brochure before hand, I never would have taken the trail and would have missed a great experience.  The pictographs were "neat," but the views that were provided by the trail were very special indeed.

I left Mesa Verde wondering if it deserved of yet another day, and knowing that the answer was, "Of course it did, - perhaps even Extra DAYS!"  It is a very special place!

Even so, it was time to leave; in fact, time now seemed to be my enemy, barely more than a week ago I was urging myself to slow down, but now it seemed as though I had succeeded all to well in that effort and now the pressure was on to - SPEED UP!

However, there are obstacles in my path, I need take some time off from my travels to catch-up on my blog and attend to pressing personal matters (bills etc.)  If I push on to Hovenweep, will another day of experiences, requiring more blogging, only worsen matters?  Perhaps, but so be it.

Hovenweep is a somewhat isolated location about 40 miles north of Cortez and noted for the fact that, the ruins are very much they were when they were first discovered in the mid-1800's.

The most distinctive features of Hovenweep are the round and square towers the true nature of which is a matter of some conjecture, but they are not believed to have been used as kivas or ceremonial centers.

While the Hovenweep site extends for many miles, the location I visited (north of Cortez) provides an easy to moderately difficult, self guided walk of about 2 miles over well marked trails.

Again, for me, a lot of the enjoyment of visiting the pueblo ruins (and Hovenweep was no exception) is the setting within the canyon walls where the ruins lie.  It seems incredible that, though by most accounts, there is little evidence of warfare (among the puebloans} that would have encouraged such isolation; they nonetheless, chose to build in some of the most difficult settings that one can conceive.    

The Four Corners - Land of the First Americans

It was time to move again and I actually had a plan - westward toward Farmington (in the Four Corners region of New Mexico, Colorado, Utah and Arizona) to explore the Aztec ruins as was the original intent before the Cumbres & Toltec Railroad intervened.  From there the plan was head north to Durango and Cortez, Colorado and on to the Mesa Verde and Hovenweep Ruins, before returning back to New Mexico to find a campground around Farmington.

The Puebloan's, of course, knew no borders and Hovenweep itself extends for miles into and around Blanding, Utah which is (because it is in Utah and not Colorado) considered to be a separate ruin.  I knew that this area would be less explored and might therefore offer more interest; but then, it was likely to be gravel roads and much less motorcycle friendly and was, therefore, left off the planned agenda.

Even by choosing the Four Corners region and drawing "a line in the sand," I still crossed the line.

Chaco Culture National Historical Park is less than 80 miles south of Farmington, and too much of allure to resist.

There are literally hundreds of archaeological ruins left by the first Americans; a large number of which blanket the southwest.  With so many ruins available to see throughout New Mexico, Colorado and Arizona (in particular) and to a lesser extent Utah, it was once again difficult to choose a route of travel to see as much as possible without - making a career of it!  The Chaco Culture would be just one last stop before turning west for Arizona.

In the of course of asking questions about The Aztec Ruins, someone mentioned that, "There was not that much to see at the Aztec Ruins National Monument;" and so, when at last I found myself standing within the compound of the ruins gazing over hundreds (450) of pueblo rooms, I was awe struck!  Not much to see?  What had he been looking at?

What we see today is not as it was in the period of its occupation.  The rooms were two and even three stories high in places, but how far did the multi-stories extend (no one knows for sure).  Then too, the original walls were covered smooth with a stucco-like parging and it's believed that they once walked across the roofs of the Kivas.  Unlike the Maya and (presumably) the Aztecs of Mexico they used a mortar like base to bond the stone work together.

Round Kiva's or ceremonial centers abound throughout the complex the largest of which is a Kiva reconstructed by early archaeologist working at the site.

This huge Kiva perhaps create more questions than it answers; its diametric size is without question but height of its walls and the number of stories of the are questions, the answers to which are forever lost in time.  

As impressive as the ruins are there is an entire set of east ruins (said to be approximately equal in size, remain yet to be excavated and are therefore closed to visitors.

Of course, the site is not an Aztec site at all.  It was given that unfortunate misnomer by the great South American explorer Alexander Von Humboldt, who mistook it to be related to its distant neighbors to the south.  Given the time frame and how little was then known about early American ruins, his error is easy to understand.

It was a relatively short ride from Aztec to Durango; and when I rode into the town, I peered through the trees from highway that overlooks the city below.  My first thought, given my brief glances, was that I was overlooking an open pit mine of some sort (I still don't know where that thought was coming from); nonetheless, however wrong, it was my first impression from my brief, but inspiring overlook (see the sloping roadway).

Durango is a college town with a very collegiate (or even Yuppie) atmosphere.  In a strange way it had, for me, the look and feel of mini (very mini) Austin, Texas.    

My stay in Durango, which only intended to be an overnight at the nearest campground, did not go well.

The site of the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad (ala, the Cumbres & Toltec Train - Chama, New Mexico) Durango is a popular tourist destination; and as such, an expensive place to stay.

Surprisingly, given the tourism, I had a hard time even finding a campground and when I did it was (not surprisingly) a quite expensive $28 a night for just a primitive tent site.

Before leaving Durango, I decided it would be good to replace one of my aging Harley T-shirts with a new Durango Harley Davidson T-shirt.

While there, I made another decision to have my Harley checked out.  A day and a half later, and after having relieved myself of $900 dollars, I left Durango with "fond memories;" I knew that my tires were getting bad, but the brakes (which were in worse shape than the tires) surprised me.

The truly unfortunate thing about my brief visit to the Durango Harley Davidson, was that, the one thing that I wanted have checked out, did not get checked.  They told me that the repair parts (if needed) were on backorder, and as a result they recommended not doing the check out.          

Chama and the Cumbres & Toltec Train

The ride to Chama was unchallenging (for which I'm truly grateful), but it was yet another beautiful ride.  The highway reached an elevation of over 10,000 feet, with patches of snow still visible before descending back down into what is called New Mexico's - High Country.

At this point highway 64 joined highway 80 and turned north (the sign that Chama only a few miles ahead).  With my gas gauge still not working I was more than a little dismayed when first visible gas station was closed.  It was only a little after 7:00 PM, but I was told there wouldn't be any gas before Chama, now a mere 9 miles away.

It was almost a certainty that there was more than enough gas in the tank, but since I had failed to write down the odometer reading at the last fill-up, my exact predicament was not so certain.  What difference would it have made anyway; it would only given the possible assurance that - Yep, you aren't going to make it!

Luckily, the gas held out with a half gallon to spare!

Finding a camp site in Chama was, also, not a problem.  The Little Creel Resort was an excellent choice with all the amenities (including riverbank camp sites), great prices and Rob & Mary Anderson, who manage the site, were great hosts.

Chama to my surprise is a bit a tourist Mecca - the site of the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad.

This was yet another unexpected, but much welcome surprise.  As soon as I heard that a narrow gauge steam locomotive operated out of Chama, my stay in Chama was planned.

The Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad is the remnant of the San Juan extension of the Denver & Rio Grande Railway.  The line was first developed in 1880 to in order to service the booming mining resources of southwestern Colorado.

It connects Chama, New Mexico with Antonito, Colorado and so doing, winds its way over the 10,015 foot Cumbres Pass and through the spectacular Toltec Gorge.

The ride begins out of Chama at 10:00 in the morning, but it is best to arrive early, walk around the rail yard (and even climb aboard), visit with the dedicated staff of largely volunteer railroad aficionados and explore one of the best preserved railroad museums in the United States.

The train ride offers three different classes of rail travel: the parlor class, tourist class and coach class.

My choice was the coach class, not only because it was the most affordable, but it offered the most freedom movement to the refreshments coach and the "cattle car" (the open air flat bed, which is a "must").

The original steam engine locomotive "barrels" down the 36 inch narrow gauge track at about 15-20 miles an hour and is, therefore, a full day experience.

Although, the rail cars are not original, you wouldn't no the difference - they have been replicated to exacting specifications on the original railcar platforms.

The engineers and conductors are all outfitted in 1890's attire and the entire experience is a just great day of fun; complete with a luncheon stop at Osier before continuing on to the destination of Antonito, Colorado.

From Antonito the day is concluded with a drive by motor coach back to Chama (an enjoyable scenic ride in itself).

Places Along the Way

My destination was the Aztec Ruins National Monument northwest of Taos near the Four Corners region of New Mexico, Colorado, Utah and Arizona; to far to go in one day, given my normal (got to fix this) late start.

Not allowing extra travel time is not wise thing, especially given the areas wide open spaces between towns and the infrequent availability of gas.  It was a pretty safe bet that there would a campground at the Aztec ruins or in the city of Aztec, but in between - Who knows?

Therefore, it seemed best to just "wing it" and hope to a find a campground somewhere along the way; if worse came to worse, as one goodhearted passerby put it, "Your in the country - you can sleep anywhere!"

Going north out of Taos on highway 64 (the route of choice to take me within a few miles of the Aztec Ruins National Monument), I was thinking that the scenery, was nothing special for New Mexico, when seemingly out of nowhere there was this magnificent gorge - the Grand Canyon Gorge of New Mexico.  This gorge, at the bottom of which flows the Rio Grande, was a total unexpected surprise.  My map showed the Rio Grande crossing highway 64, but made no mention of the gorge itself and it's spectacular!

After taking numerous photographs I got back on my Harley and traveled less than a mile before coming to an unusual looking set of buildings with a sign in front reading, "Earthship Biotecture & Biodiesel - Visitors Center."  My first thought was, "Why in the H---, would anyone build here - in the middle of No Where!"  It was a question for which I never got a good answer; perhaps it was the water - but at the bottom of a 500 foot gorge?

Yet another surprise, twice in one day, first the Grand Canyon Gorge and then Earthship.

Unfortunately, once again, I was too late.  The sign on the door read "Tours - $5 per person, (Hours 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM)".  It was 4:40 PM!

Having heard or read about Earthship somewhere in my past, and having been a "pseudo" builder and building trade's teacher, I really wanted explore the workings of Earthship; but, it was not to be.

Added to that, was the fact, that Earthship was miles from anywhere and I knew that returning on another day was, also, not an option.

Even so, there was no harm in walking around the house and taking photographs.

The design is kind of exotic or other worldly.  Lacking the square corners of a typical house, it appears (as it no doubt was) to have been molded and shaped my hand, as if, one was playing with modeling clay.
Too my surprise, architecturally, it seemed to display a Moorish influence.

An added surprise was that (given their eco-friendly environmental consciousness) the place seemed to be inexcusably trashy; but then - don't look in my garage!

I knew that the concept of Earthship was to use of
waste materials such as bottles and tires as "fill material," which is combined with inexpensive straw and compacted mother earth, as the basic building materials.  

While walking around the outside, other visitors pulled up to site only to be equally dismayed at having missed an opportunity to take the tour of the inside.  One of the assumed visitors was an attractive "40-ish" lady, who introduced herself as Christine and explained that she was from Hawaii and had come to "Earthship" to learn about its inner workings; especially (not surprisingly given her Hawaii origin) with regard to Earthships water recycling system.

Christine further explained, to my surprise, that there were approximately 40 Earthship structures in the surrounding area (I later discovered that they have been built in many parts of the world).  They are all "nearly" totally self-sufficient, producing there own energy and being so well insulated that they were comfortable all year around.

Unfortunately, she had only been there for two days; and was hence, as she explained, "not an authority on Earthship.

Without any stops (an unlikely event) the nearest town along highway 64 was Chama; at least a two hour drive and by that time gas would be an issue - there was no time for further delays!

New Mexico - The Land of Enchantment

Now comes the hard part; so much to see, so many places to go - where do I start?

Mapping out a route is one of the really difficult things about traveling around to country and just trying to discover North America.  I'm already having misqivings about not having gone to the area of the White Sands National Monument, and am now trying to see how I can somehow fit it back into my itinerary without adding miles (and days) of extra travel time.

From Roswell, I rode north on highway 285 intending to seek out a few of the numerous pueblo ruins (and any other points of interest along the way).  For sure my quest to see as much as possible will take me into the four corners region of Colorado before returning back to New Mexico and west towards Flagstaff, Arizona.

New Mexico is such a fabulous state; it may be America's best kept secret.  Simply put - I love New Mexico!  The scenery is awe inspiring, and even the (perhaps all too common) abandon and down trodden home, failed businesses and all but failing villages are intriguing photo opportunities.

The sun can be blistering hot, but the strange thing about riding a motorcycle in New Mexico is that, despite the heat you feel almost no discomfort, just don't stop riding (as soon as you stop the heat hits you like a sledge hammer) - and make sure to use sunscreen.

One, point of interest, that I intended to visit was the grave site of Billy the Kid at Fort Sumner; but I missed my intended turnoff and went approximately 60 miles to the west (note to self: check the map).

Not to be defeated, I turned back east rode across the baron landscape, questioning why it was so important to see the tombstone of a murdering outlaw; but knowing the answer - we love our folk heroes.

It was after 5:00 by the time I arrived in Fort Sumner and the Billy the Kid Museum was closed (thanks to my failed map reading), but fortunately not the grave site.

The gravestone is surrounded by a fenced barrier to protect it from would be thieves (the headstone has been stolen twice), and marks the graves of Billy the Kid and two of his outlaw friends who share the grave site identified with the one word epitaph - "Pals".

After photographing the headstone, having no desire to spend the night in Fort Sumner I rode north to my intended campsite at Santa Rosa; a historical stopping point on Old Route 66.

The next morning I was late getting out of Santa Rosa, but succeeded mapping out a new direction - next stop Taos, New Mexico.

Taos had not been one of my intended stop, but as a once avid skier and sometimes snowboarder, once I saw the tiny dot on the map (and how close it was to my general route of travel - "Which didn't exist") there was not any way to avoid going to Taos.

Along the way to Taos, my scenic ride passed through the town of Mora, the Cleveland Roller Mill.

Mora is a small village of less than 4,000 which some has that elusive unexplained magic that makes one feel at home almost immediately.  It is not as though I would want to homestead there, but it would have (perhaps) been fun to stay for a few days; but it will have to wait for another day and another time.

The Cleveland Roller Mill is a restored roller mill which operated into the 1940's and is still operational for exhibition purposes.  Today the mill includes a museum, but once again I arrived after hours.    

I was quite surprised to find that rather than Taos being a old mining town (as many of the ski areas are) turned ski area; Taos is a very resort style, "up-beat" and progressive community of over 30,000 residents.

It was impressive with the way that the city father's (and rigid zoning regulations I'm sure) have preserved the very New Mexico style adobe architecture and carried the theme throughout the community.

Even so, (for me) there seemed to be something missing, it had too much of a "Disneyland Atmosphere" to suit my taste - and I don't know quite why!  

I feel guilt and that my assessment is too harsh and unfair given my brief time there; after all Taos is supposed to be "Hot Town USA" - perhaps, the ski season would put it a better light!

The Roswell Experience

From Carlsbad the logical route seemed to be to go north to Artesia and then turn west to towards Alamogordo and the White Sands National Monument; but, after a further check of the map and seeing that Roswell, New Mexico was a short 40 miles away, I couldn't pass up going there.

Roswell is the famed site of the mysterious UFO crash in 1947.  So much has been written of what happen and the (supposed - you be the judge) government cover-up that we will probably never know the truth about just what or didn't happen that June (or July - the incident was reported the federal government on the 8th of July 1947, but may have actually occurred in late June).

One thing, however, is certain - it didn't happen in Roswell.  The actual crash site about 45 miles southeast of Roswell on a ranch near Corona.  Roswell is where the Roswell Army Air Field base was located; and, hence, where the investigation was carried out.

The International UFO Museum and Research Center, is located on Main Street, and contains a number of newspaper accounts, reporting's and photographs related to the incident and, although, it is pretty much mandatory to visit the center - unless you're a true "UFO Nut" searching for every tiny tidbit of information - it is not all that interesting.  

A city of Roswell, 45,293 (2000 census) is much larger than I had supposed.  It also the location for the New Mexico Military Institute (a high school through junior college academy for aspiring cadets) and the home of Mine That Bird, the (50-1 shot) winner of the 2009 Kentucky Derby.

I spent more time in Roswell than intended; the result of mechanical difficulties in the front forks on my Harley.  The cause of the problem was another sheared off bolt (remember the saddle-bag incident?).  The photograph was just what we saw when we took off the front cover exposing the forks - had the spring also sheared, it would have meant total disaster!  
To my good fortune, Erin and Debbie McGonagle, the owners of Trailer village RV Park were I was staying, were bikers; and also to my good fortune, Erin was mechanic who collects and rebuilds antic motorcycles.

Not only do Erin and Debbie run a top-notch (with great pricing) RV Park, but they are really great people.  Erin took me (twice) to the local Harley dealer, spent half a day making the necessary repairs (with the aid of his friend Perry) and they refused to accept anything in payment for their efforts - accepting only a handshake as payment in full.

On to Carlsbad Caverns

Traveling in Texas, and perhaps even more so in New Mexico, its miles and miles from one place to the next.  I'm from Michigan and it's just weird!

From Study Butte, just outside of the national park, to Alpine, Texas it's 79 miles with nothing in between.

Normally it would be no problem, but just before leaving Study Butte, I discovered that one the two bolts that held my one of my saddle bags in place had sheared off.  Seeing nothing in Study Butte that resembled a garage, I attached a bungee cord to lend some support to remaining bolt, and headed north for Alpine, hoping for the best and fearing the worst.

Good fortune stayed with me and I made to a garage in Alpine where the bolt was replaced ($49 and about 30 minutes work); but I was just glad to have the bag once again held securely in place.

Back on the road and more wide open spaces; from Alpine to Van Horn, Texas is a distance of 100 miles with two towns (of sorts) in between.  By the time that I got to Van Horn I knew that I was done for the day.  Even if I could make it the entire 118 miles to Carlsbad (again, with almost nothing in between), it would mean riding my motorcyclein the dark and missing all of the scenery while passing through the Guadalupe Mountains - absolutely NOT!

Fortunately, Van Horn had a small campground; not a bad situation since it was time to do laundry anyway.

My morning ride up highway 54 to Carlsbad was pretty unspectacular until Guadalupe's El Capitan came into view.  El Capitan rises high atop the Guadalupe Mountains and offers a great view well deserving of the photo-opportunity that it presented.  I couldn't help thinking how much it reminded me of Casa Grande in Chisos Basin of Big Bend, both Case Grande and El Capitan are the focal points of their respective areas and look remarkably similar.

I was surprised to see other riders pass by and show no interest in taking advantage of such a great photograph (a mistake they would no doubt later regret).

A short distance down the road (still within the confines of the Guadalupe National Park) I took no pleasure at all (Bikers have a kinship!) in seeing the same group of four riders pulled off to the side of the road; having gained the full attention of the Texas Highway Patrol.

After making to Carlsbad, finding a campground, set up my site and have bite for lunch, there was still time enough to drive back to Carlsbad Caverns and plan routine for the next day (but not time enough to explore - that would have to wait fro another day).

What can you say about Carlsbad Caverns except that all of the hype is not overkill - they are all that they are built up to be, and more.

The caverns are, well - CAVERNOUS (see the people and handrails in the photographs to get some perspective on the size).  In terms of hanging stalactites and rising stalagmites it was all that I had anticipated, but I was not prepared to see the cathedral-like size of the various rooms, they are simply huge and seem to never end.

On the first day (of my two days spent at Carlsbad Caverns) I walked the two hour self guided sojourn with the help of the interpretive audio (well worth the $3 investment), and followed up in the afternoon with a second two hour tour (this time guided) of the Kings Palace.

This second tour was stretched out into a two hour tour, courtesy of the guide who seemed to relish expounding upon many details which already been detailed in the interpretive audio or other media presentations.  We were told that Kings Place had been previously a self guided tour, but due abusive tourist activity (such as breaking off pieces of cave "art") they were forced to abandon the self-guided tours.

One final comment regarding the photographs from inside the cave; it is impossible to get photographs using a flash (given the size of cave and the subsequent distance from the objects).  Therefore, I opted to attempt rest the camera in the handrail and use a 1 1/2 - 2 second time lapse photograph).  Consequently, the photographs suffer from some "shake", but hopefully you will agree that they are better than - no "photos" at all.