We are back home and settled in after our most recent six-week road trip to far-away places of the American Southwest. After the troublesome first few weeks killing time in Big Bend, Guadalupe Mountains, Carlsbad Caverns and White Sands National Monument while sorting out a mix-up with our new Casita travel trailer, we eventually tracked it down in the farthest reaches of southeast Texas and finally felt free to roam. A good night’s sleep in a Wal-Mart parking lot in Las Cruses set us up for three more weeks of hiking, cycling, and wandering through the historic Pueblo ruins of northern New Mexico. Long ago, before there was a “school calendar”, we often spent the fall exploring Anasazi ruins throughout the Southwest, but northern New Mexico always seemed just a bit out of reach. This was our chance to get farther away. Enjoying a marvelous camp along the Gila River, the ancient ruins of the Gila Cliff Dwellings are beyond compare, located so remotely that we drove three hours before even reaching the Park. With cool nights and warm days, we went on to explore the “Abo” site in Salinas Pueblo, camped along Pecos River at 8,000’ in the awesome Pecos National Historic Park and strolled through the streets of Santa Fe. The sublime ruins at Bandelier were our last destination on this eye-opening three-week pilgrimage in search of a glimpse into the lives and ways of the “Ancient Ones”.
