Les and Marcia's Bohemian Life: Central New Mexico

We continued down US 25 to Raton NM and picked up a new supply of travel guides and maps. This was the first town we noticed a majority of side arm carriers. No one was quivering with fear or brandishing them in the parking lots. Caring a gun just seemed as natural as having a smart phone. Good for you NM.

We stayed at Capulin RV Park the campground in Capulin. The location was wide open at the base of the Volcano. Brady loved his morning and evening romps. He tired himself out chasing the Giant Jack Rabbits that were everywhere and the bigger then he is. We loved the beauty of the rolling landscaping caused by the lava flows from 60,000 years ago. Capulin Volcano is a National Park. There are several hiking trails from the base to the top, but there is also a well maintained spiral cinder road. The rangers are great and you get to watch a short movie about the volcano. Even if you drive up climbing is still involved and at 8000 feet the air and the views take your breath away. You can walk to the top of the cone and down into the crater. Capulin is part of a 9 million year old volcanic field. It erupted four times, leaving over 15 miles of cinders and fallen rock.

*Notice the road spiraling to the top of Capulin Volcano

*View from the top (8200 feet)

*Huffing and puffing but still smiling

*We are at the bottom of the crater looking up at the climbers

20 minutes beyond Capulin is the town of Folsom. At one time it had been a busy cattlemen and trading town. Then a flood in 1908 wiped it out. The original general store has been made into a wonderful squeaking, dusty ramshackle museum full of local donations and a collection of local ancient tools, weapons and ancient buffalo bones.

*Folsum General store and Museum

*Extinct Bison Noggen

* Sunset Bliss

Fort Union is one more stop and point of civilian protection along the Santa Fe Trail. Three forts had been built from 1851 to 1891. One and two had been put together by the soldiers and crumbled. The third was built by contractors. What remains are the ruins of the third fort. No reconstruction is planned, only maintaining the current, haunting ruins. Leading up to and away from the fort it is still possible to see wagon ruts of the pioneers.

On the drive home we stopped at the Salmon Family Raspberry farm and stocked up on Homemade Jam and sauces.

* Yes - The Cavalry shoed the Oxen - Who Knew

*Raw Hide Hoof Trail Boot

* First Fort Attempt - The Adobe melted in a flood

*Chimneys, foundations and side walks

*Maintaining the ruins

*Rattle Snake Shed we found on the path

*The not so rare Hummingbird Moth

Our next move is to Las Vegas.It is important to the Locals to let you know they were the first Las Vegas and they have no casinos.What they do have is a public hot mineral spring, well maintained homes in any architectural style.A lovely down town area with parks and a bakery worth the calories. This is a great base camp for the week.We did visit the Las Vegas and RoughRider Museum.The only connection we could find of the RR to this area is a reunion in 1972 and that’s ok

*Las Vegas annd Rough Rider Museum - Also the oldest building in LVNM

*From Territory to State - Just line it out it will be fine

* Early Bilingual School Book

* No I am not offended that a piece of equipment I used in the Army is in a museum (Teletype)

We didn’t know it when we bought our National Parks Senior Pass that it would be the cause of so much entertainment (62 or older to buy a $10.00 lifetime pass to all national parks). We have tons of opportunities to use it in New Mexico. This brings us to Pecos. The Pecos Valleyhas been a center of trade way before the Spanards showed up on the seen (before the 1400s). Plains tribes and nomadic Apaches traded Buffalohides, slaves, pots, shells, etc. They fought wars grew crops and prayed in a community of about 2000 folks. What remains are wonderful ruins in which it is easy to understand the logical of their society. As in the case of Fort Unionthe structures are being maintained but not rebuilt. The exception would be to the Spanish Cathedral. Pictures had been taken of it during the infancy of tourism. This was during a time when travelers liked to take pieces of history home with them. Two Kivas have been restored as well. These were original “Man Caves”. Holes in the ground equipped with fire places, the guys would hang out and weave baskets and pray. At least that is what the historians want us to thinkJ. The Spanish brought religion and disease. What they can’t be blamed for is the drought. The draught caused many natives to move to other areas and abandon their home. Oh yes there was a point where many Fryers and Christians were executed by the locals.

*Pecos Ruins

*Round Foundation for a Kiva

*"Come in to my Kiva"

*Man Cave

*Wild Squash - Previously Harvested by the Pecos People

*Maintaining and minor reconstuction to the Spanish Church

*These foundation were also part of the Church

The homes and buildings leading you to Santa Fe are all red adobe camouflaged against the surrounding mountain range. They looked more like growth then buildings.

Santa Fereally deserves much more time then we gave it.

Parking in garages is easy and most museums are very inexpensive. This is the last time I can use that word when speaking about Santa Fe. We spent our day in the Governors Plaza. Adobe buildings with second story open air restaurant seating are on two sides. St Francis Cathedral built in 1887 is across and the Governors Palace, the longest continually occupied government building in the country closes the circle. Native American Artisans line the governors’ palace portal (porch) selling silver and turquoise jewelry, baskets and other woven items. More artists and food vendors fill the center park. This area gives a very cool, confident and leisurely attitude. I forget where we ate but it was wonderful and we over looked the park and all the activities. It was fun to wander the shops, visit St Francis Cathedral, talk with the artists and spend much time at the NM History Museum and Governors Palace. Santa Fe offers so much. We really did miss a lot but loved everything we saw and did.

*Our Restaurant View of St Francis Cathedral

*St Francis

*I am a sucker for high ceilings

*Vendor at the Governors Palace Portal

*Small Wooden Lamp with Quartz Windows

*What is going on in Los Alomos?

This room inspired our next adventure

*I am a country girl and thought this was a bit scary (Visa or Master Card Parking Meter)

One of the displays in the museum inspired us to visit Bradbury ScienceMuseum in Los Alamos. This is home to The Manhattan Project. After Japan bombed Pearl Harbor the U.S. began a secret project to build an Atomic Bomb. They were successful and ended WWII by dropping Fat Man and Little Boy onHiroshima and Nagasaki. The Los Alamos National Laboratory continues to this day working on medical improvements, weaponry and protection of the modern soldier ( and I am sure a bunch of other stuff). During this visit you see to films; one describing the current missions and objectives and the other “The Town That Never Was” (also on YouTube) is about living and working in Los Alamos during the Manhattandays. This is a cool and exciting free museum, full of interactive exhibits, personal accounts and just a lot of awesome brain power. Walking distance down the street is Fuller Lodge. Fuller Lodge had been an upscale boys camp until it became government occupied. Also free, you can tour this museum to get more of the 1940’s lifestyle and attitude, atomic bomb humor and resentment. This has been a very interesting day. But wait there is more up here.

*Bradbury Science Museum in Los Alamas

*Victory in Japan

*Over View of The Manhattan Project Grounds

*More proof that my people are lovers not Fighters

*Explosive Ordinance Protective gear

*Les with Dr. Oppenheimer and Gen Groves

*Fuller Lodge

*Atomic Wedding Cake, Lamps, Ladies Hats and other fun stuff

*Shirley Temple Artifacts are Everywhere

Follow the signs, go through a security check gate and follow Route 501 to BandelierNational Monument. Along the route up the mountain you will see various laboratories and out posts that are part of the LANLab. Entering the park you will continue to drive up the Frijoles mountains and then down to the canyon. This range was made by ash flows from the Jamez Volcano. The Pajarito people discovered these cliff walls were pretty easy to carve out and made safe spacious housing. A ground community was also built similar to the people of Pecos. Occupied from 1100s to the mid 1500s generations just moved along and settled along the Rio Grand. You can take as long as you like exploring or hiking this area. So hard to believe this is here for our visiting pleasure.