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5: Santa Fe .. Monument Valley
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NL
Wednesday, may 13, 2009 (our son Mark's birthday); Today we move to Taos, some 70 miles, so not to fas t ;-)
Outside Santa Fe we pass C amel Rock. We take the route as described in our book "C rossing the USA". That means
the scenic byway from Pojoaque to Taos. It goes into the mountains upto 1.6 mls (height, that what the GPS says).
The temp is nice up there: 22C . We visit the Sanctuary of C himayo, where a mess is going on. Furtheron in Las
Trampas is the adobe-church San Jose de Gracia from 1760, one of the most beautifull sacred adobe-buildings. And
an aquaduct made of trees. Nice also.
In Taos the temp is upgraded to 27C . But it is dry warmth, so we cope. In the night it will cool down on this height.
The campground is Taos Valley RV Park. It is less streetwise then the other RV Parks. We stay for 2 nights. In Taos is
the Taos Pueblo, a first class attraction (I expect something like Ait Ben Haddou in Morocco). But there is more, the
warden says: the most frequently photographed church of the US (San Francisco de Asis), the descent to the Rio
Grande (9 mls furtheron) and Taos Plaza. We will see. The pictures will be published.
Btw. On the campground is an american T@B towed by a Toyota Prius. The Prius is not allowed to tow in NL.
In the late afternoon we go and look for the church of Franciscus in Ranchos de Taos. The church is closed, probably
we are too late. But on the Plaza is a restaurant. It looks good, so we decide to eat there. We order enchillades. The
result is to see on one of the photos. Nice meal :-)
Then to the Plaza of Taos, a square with history. In the neighborhood is the Kit C arson Street. There is the former
home and now museum of Kit C arson.
A couple of pictures of Taos Valley RV Park. We like the layout of this park, compared to the layout o f the other parks
that we visited.
Thursday, may 14, 2009: Today we go and visit the Taos Pueblo. It is an Indian village since a 1000 years. Nowadays
only 150 people are living in the Pueblo. Others have moved because of lack of comfort: no electricity , no current
water (except the Red Willow C reek). The visit costs $ 10 pp + $ 5 for using a photocamera. The houses are made of
adobe: straw, dirt and water (like in Morocco). Only the outside of the houses is to be seen, unless y ou visit one of
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the tourist shops. It is not possible to get an impression of how people live(d), p.e. by permitting a ccess to a house as
an example. Pity. Maybe the photos help a little to get an impression of the Pueblo.
Video(Youtube): Taos Pueblo 1, Taos Pueblo 2, Taos Pueblo 3, Extra on youtube
Friday, may 15, 2009: The night was cold: R. needed an extra blanket. It is because of the height: 1.4 mls
(gps-system). We leave Taos. On recommendation of Mary F we take the 68 south to San Juan. That is why we miss
the bridge over the Rio grande Gorge :-( But we get compensation: the route is partly along the Rio Grande and
through the gorge. And we get the landscape after Abiguiu, including the Echo-Amphitheater :-) In C ham a we eat a
sandwich in a local cafe. Then we drive through an 'alp'-landscape as the guide tells. And forests. In Pagosa Springs
route 84 comes to an end. Pagosa Springs is a busy place, with hot springs. We see many dead deer along the road
(US 160). Target for today is KOA Kampground East ($30), 7 mls before Durango.
Another NL-couple appears to camp here. That means a NL-chat in the evening :-)
Saturday, may 16, 2009: Today we start visiting Durango, mainly Main Street, an almost not-American street ;-) and
the station (and museum) of the Durango-Silverton Smalltrack Railway. Then we drive to Silverton, originally a
mining town (gold, silver). It is an interesting town, probably restored. Greene Street is the main street with shops
and cafes, living of tourism probably. The road to Silverton (50 ml) looks a little bit dull at the start. But eventually it
leads us over 2 passes of just less then 11000 ft high. We are just in time to see the train departing for Durango. We
eat lunch in the Brown Bear C afe, recommended by the warden. The hamburgers are good, and big ;-) Nice temp
today, in Durango about 25C , but in the mountains down to 13C .
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Video(Youtube): Durango-Silverton Train
Sunday, may 17, 2009: Today we are going to a hospital to get a solution for R's blatterinfection. We get a
prescription for antibiotics. Then we leave Durango for C ortez. We choose the KOA Kampground in C ortez , 8 mls from
the Mesa Verde National Park. It is only 45 mls. It is warm again and shade is not common in this area . The
neighbours are kind people from Denver. L. does not understand a question well and gets 2 bottles of b eer ;-) An
other neighbour (Ken) comes for a chat. Later in the evening Ken & Shirley come for coffee and chat. T hey own a
motohome of 42 ft long and it is like a luxerous home with lots of leather, etc. They live in Phoenix in a luxerous
house. Nice evening. We are glad it cools down again.
Monday, may 18, 2009: Today we are visiting our first National Park: Mesa Verde in southwest C olorado. We buy
ourselves a pass for all National Parks ($80). The interesting things in Mesa Verde are the Pithouses (7th century) and
C liff houses (13th century) of the indians. Spruce Tree House may be visited on yourself, visits of the C liff Palace and
Balcony House are led by rangers. Many houses may be seen from a distance. See photos. It was again a warm day.
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Tuesday, may 19, 2009: The night is warm, compared to preious night. Maybe because it is cloudy. We ar e in Bluff
now (C ottonwood RV Park, $26), to visit Monument Valley and Goosenecks. It is strange weather, cloudy, temp 31C ,
sometimes strong wind and some drops of rain. On the road we pass and visit Four C orners Monument. If you drive
to it, it will cost you $3 pp ;-) The expl Rij je er onbevangen heen, dan ben je $3 pp kwijt ;-) The m onument is
exploited by Navajo-indians. The site is a tourist trap, but we are tourists ;-) So we buy a necklace for E., we hope
she 'll like it.
Some moving pictures of the ritual.
Wednesday, may 20, 2009: This day is for Monument Valley. But first to Bluff to find a store. Bluff is nicely located
between walls of red rocks. Special are the Twin Rocks.
Intermezzo. Probably 'adopt a highway' is well known in the US. Good idea :-)
To Mexican Hat, a village with the same name as the rock in the neighborhood. Bluff - Mexican Hat is a beautifull
(mainly red) traject. Goosenecks, nooses in the San Juan River, are impressive. In the neighborhood of Mexican Hat
Rock we drive down to the river. We are lucky that the car is able to climb the sandy part :-) And then to Monument
Valley, first to the spot of the well known photo. We visit Gouldings Museum with info about the Navajos and the films
that were recorded here. To Kayenta, where indeed no beer in the supermarket (Mormons). After a burger at
BurgerKing we return to Bluff, where we buy a tray of Buds :-) In the evening we get a sandstorm. With our backs in
the wind we grill the meat outside ;-) In the night it hardly cools down :-(
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