Wednesday, September 11, 2019

New Mexico and Arizona

 West of Taos there is a community of passive solar homes.
Earthship Biotecture. Interesting. 
Click on the link to a learn more and watch
a one minute video.
If you are looking for somewhere different to stay,
 there are some for rent.


Guess Where This Is
We are not surprised that we didn't get any guesses 
from our last blog. Earthship Biotecture in Taos.
Beautiful area and a neat concept. 
Right on the rim of the Rio Grande del Norte 
National Monument is where we stayed 
while visting Taos, New Mexico.

Hiking 1.2 miles down Big Arsenic Trail with all the 
switchbacks was interesting, 
but hiking back up was challenging!

You also have the option of carrying all your camping gear 
down here to camp. Not an option in our world. 
We did talk to a group of 30 kids who meet 
and camp here for a week every year. 
We hiked another .3 of a mile to see the petroglyphs.
On our way back up there was plenty of time to rest 
and take more photos. 
Lots of hummingbirds were at the feeders.
Image result for pinon nuts new mexico
Later that same day we went to the Wild River
Visitor Center to hear two ladies talk about 
Pinon nut picking and a little about the culture in the area,
which was very interesting. They even made cookies
with Pinon nuts and Pinon nut rolls which was 
a lot of work since there were about 60 people 
who attended! Delicious!
In the northwest corner of New Mexico we stopped and
visited Salmon Ruins and Aztec Ruins National Monument. 
The round room on the right is The Great Kiva and was a 
sanctuary and a place for people to meet for community events. 
One unique feature is the corner doorway on 
the second floor. We were allowed to crawl
through this low door 
and go into several rooms!
Back in Arizona!
Thankfully, we have seen the Grand Canyon several times 
because this time at the north rim they were doing some
controlled burning and the canyon was full of smoke. 
We felt bad for all the international visitors. 
But there was about 300 Bison we were able to sit and watch.
After leaving the north rim of the Grand Canyon we stopped
to see the kids and had a great time. So blessed to have them
in Arizona and there is so much laughter when we get together.
This is our last blog for a while. Thanks for reading!


Sunday, September 1, 2019

Ouray & Telluride Again!

 Another fantastic campsite just south of Quray, Colorado!
The rushing creek behind us was fantastic.
Another potential bear encounter. We didn't mind since
we have a hard-sided camper and there were
people in tents next to us. 
A camper did see the mother with her two cubs
early one morning at the creek.
Relaxing along Canyon Creek in Ouray, Colorado.
Great place to spend an afternoon.
Ouray is nestled between the mountains.
Part of the Million Dollar Highway is between Ouray and 
Silverton on 550. 
We were advise not to take our RV on this road.
Lots of "s" curves and higher elevation. 
So glad we took their advice!  
Did you guess Red Mountain on the Million Dollar Highway
as Where Is This Photo in the last blog?

Why is it called the "Million Dollar Highway"?
Some say because of a million dollars worth of ore
was used as fill. Another reason may be the
million dollar views or I wouldn't drive that road
again for a million dollars!
We saw the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge
steam train in Silverton. A very touristy kind of town.
We didn't ride the train but thoroughly enjoyed the
scenic views along highway 550!
Don't miss Box Canyon while in Ouray!
The power of Canyon Creek was unbelievable!
 A short hike to an unusual place.
Just outside of Telluride we found this amazing place
to stay for four days!
It was hard to leave this million dollar view!

Another day we hiked up to the bottom of Bridal Veil Falls.
Can you believe there was a wedding party
there when we arrived?
Your reward for hiking there is this amazing view of Telluride!
There is a lot of history here,
 so we did the historic walking tour in town.
You just can't beat the scenery in Colorado.
We headed west of Naturita along highway 141,
you will have to get your atlas out for this one, and
pulled over for one of those Historic Markers signs.
Besides a gorgeous view we were impressed that this
place is listed in the National Register of Historic Places!
Over 125 years old!
Hanging Flume!
Click on this link to learn more.
Guess Where This Is
Send us your guess by text or email.