Driving Home

 

On Thursday, August 5, we left Chama, NM, and began our trip home.  Driving south from Chama on US 84 (which also goes through Irene’s home town, Valdosta, GA) we had fantastic views including more of the colorful rocks and cliffs which we’d seen in other places in the state. New Mexico truly is the Land of Enchantment.

George announced that our trip home would be an adventure – not just heading for home – and he planned our stops along the way with that objective. We spent the first night in Tucumcari, NM, with a view of a mesa and dramatic sunset out the window of the coach.

The next day we passed a very large large wind turbine farm near Weatherford OK.  The blades were turning gracefully generating power.  Interestingly, I Googled the name of the town to find info about the wind turbines and learned that Weatherford Wind Energy Center, which is spread across more than 5000 acres, is owned and operated by Florida Power and Light Energy.

Red Rock Canyon State Park near Hinton, OK, (west of Little Rock) was our destination the second day.  While not as dramatic or large as Palo Duro Canyon in Texas where we stopped heading west, it did have interesting  red sandstone canyon walls, and was also a nice campground.  We explored the park by bicycle in the late afternoon when it was a little cooler.

On our third night “on the road,” we parked alongside the Arkansas River at a Corps of Engineer campground called Toad Suck Ferry CG.  (No, I didn’t make that up!)  Our campsite was near the dam, and the lock was across the river.  On the other side of the coach was a very old tree with a huge trunk.  In spite of the heat and humidity, George bicycled around the campground.  After being in arid New Mexico for 3 weeks, we really felt the humidity!  As we left Sunday morning, we saw coal barges in the lock.

As we drove east on Sunday, we crossed the Mississippi River and shortly afterwards left I-40 which we had followed most of the trip.  We enjoyed seeing the green rolling hills and lots of trees.  Our last night on the road was at a National Forest campground, Corinth Recreation Area west of Cullman, AL, a first rate campground  with full hookups in a very woodsy setting.  We were surrounded by trees with no other RV’ers in view – a quiet, peaceful setting.

Now we’re back home in Rome, having had a great trip.  We saw lots of beautiful sights, ate lots of good New Mexico cuisine, and enjoyed traveling with our friends George and Jan.  

Cumbres and Toltec RR

 

The Denver and Rio Grande Western narrow gauge line from Antonito to the Four Corners area (NM, CO, AZ, UT) was the precursor of the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad.

The line was originally built to tap the booming mining districts in Southwestern Colorado.  It was built in the 1880’s using the 3 foot narrow gauge railroad which was cheaper to build since it could make tighter turns in the mountains. 

 

The passenger service operated until 1951 and freight service until 1967.  Then in 1970 the states of Colorado and New Mexico purchased the line to save a piece of history and began running it as a tourist railroad, the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad.  It is the longest and highest narrow gauge railroad in the U.S.  All of the original rolling stock was preserved and restored including the 1925 Baldwin steam locomotives.

Due to one of the locomotives being down for boiler cleaning and inspection to meet strict National Railroad Administration standards, on our trip, we were bussed from Chama to Antonito.  We rode the train roundtrip about 75 miles from Antonito to Osier where the railroad has a dining facility that serves an outstanding lunch.  The trip is uphill the whole way reaching its highest point of 10,015 feet at Cumbres Pass. The line out of Antonito rises gradually through the high desert foothills clinging to a narrow ledge as it winds through the dramatic Toltec Gorge.

We paid extra to ride in the parlor car, positioned at the end of the train, for the end of train views coveted by rail fans like us.

George stood just about the whole trip on the rear platform watching the rails pay out and chatting with the brakeman assigned to watch the rear of the train.  The brakeman, a 36 year veteran of Cumbres and Toltec, knows every mile of track, every sharp curve, and every tunnel. 

The C & T has done an excellent job of maintaining the road bed, replacing rotten ties as needed, and heavily ballasting the track, resulting in a pretty smooth and safe ride. 

According to the brakeman, minor derailments do occur occasionally and we did notice a re-railer device hanging from the locomotive tender.  Rockslides are also frequent as well as downed trees which are cleared during an early morning inspection by a railroad crew traveling the line in a railroad motorcar.  Nonetheless, our train did have to stop for a rock that had fallen on the track, but not so big that the fireman couldn’t roll it off.  We did encounter fairly heavy rain in the high mountain area, which only added to the enjoyment of the trip, according to George who likes to ride trains in the rain. 

All in all, it was one of the best tourist trains we’ve ever ridden due to the beauty of the scenery and the challenging railroad engineering.

Notably, the line is designated a National Civil Engineering Landmark.  It was a really special day highlighted on the return bus trip to Chama by the view of a full-bow rainbow.

Another Day in Taos

 

On Monday (8/2/10), our last day in Taos, Jan and I visited the Harwood Museum of Art which contains works of the famous Taos Society of Artists who began the art colony in Taos.  Many of their paintings were images of Native Americans in traditional dress as well as landscapes. 

The museum is on historic Ledoux Street, Taos' Artists' Row and one of the oldest streets in Taos.  It evolved into Artists' Row in the early 1900's when it became the studio residence for many early painters in Taos. 

We enjoyed browsing in a number of galleries on Ledoux Street and driving through adjacent areas admiring the adobe homes and lovely flowers growing profusely in this high desert area.

Our last stop was Francisco de Asis Church in Ranchos de Taos Plaza.  A National Historic Landmark, the church is a Spanish Colonial adobe building with twin bell towers and an arched portal entrance that overlooks an enclosed courtyard. 

It is one of the best known and most photographed churches in New Mexico.  The back of the church was portrayed in paintings by Georgia O'Keefe.

Rio Grande Gorge

 

Driving north from Taos Pueblo across fairly level land, it’s a surprise when crossing the bridge to look down and see a canyon below – the Rio Grande Gorge. 

The views of the river below, the colorful walls of the canyon, and the steel arch bridge are all pretty astounding. 

We parked and walked out on the bridge to enjoy the views, and also looked at the vendors who assemble there each day.

 

View Full Album

Taos Pueblo

 

Taos Pueblo is considered the oldest continuously inhabited community in the USA.  It is the only living Native American community designated both a World Heritage Site by UNESCO and a National Historic Landmark.

The multi-storied adobe buildings have been continuously inhabited for over 1000 years.  Presently, the pueblo is is inhabited by a small percentage of the people, and then only seasonably, mainly for the feast days and celebrations.

The San Geronimo Church (built in 1850) is one of the youngest buildings in the community.  Both Catholicism and native religions are practiced by the population. 

 

The exteriors of the buildings are plastered annually with adobe to maintain them, and there is a no electricity and no running water restriction within the sacred village.  Their water comes from Red Willow Creek and is carried to the houses by pottery and pails.

More Santa Fe, #2

 

I accidentally omitted Chimayo where we went on Thursday, July 29,  It is north of Santa Fe and the location of Santuario De Chimayo. 

This shrine has been called the "Lourdes of America".  The dirt is thought to have healing powers, and visitors collect it to take to others.  The adobe building is 200 years old.  Another small church, Santo Nino de Atocha, is nearby. 

Santo Nino de Atocha

More Santa Fe

 

Our week in Santa Fe has ended and we haven’t finished telling about it!  So we’ll just do a “wrap-up” since we leave on Friday. Santa Fe is a very interesting place, and it’s been a good week.                               

Santa Fe Skies RV Park:  This is a great RV park on top of a hill with fantastic views in all directions.  Our site has a large patio with a lovely garden beside it.  

View Full Album

Shidoni Foundry:  Located near Santa Fe in Tesuque, NM, Shidoni  Bronze Casting Foundry pours bronze every Saturday to make bronze statues.  This Saturday they didn’t pour, but we still had a very interesting tour of the factory with explanations from an employee who also creates his own bronze works.  We also enjoyed seeing the gallery and gardens filled with statues and went to a glass blowing shop nearby. Afterwards, we ate lunch at Tesuque Village Market and enjoyed more delicious New Mexico cuisine – Tomatillo Shrimp Enchiladas and BBQ brisket.

View Full Album

Downtown Santa Fe:  Our first day in Santa Fe George and Jan introduced us to Cafe Sena, a lovely restaurant in a garden, cool even when it was in the 80’s, and the food, of course, was delicious.  After lunch we walked around seeing the sights, including the Indian Market at the Palace of the Governors. The next day we bicycled along the Santa Fe River, part of the way on a bike trail, and went to the annual Traditional and Contemporary Spanish Market.

 

View Full Album

 

Santa Fe Plaza:  In the evenings four days a week during the summer tourist season, music performances are held on the plaza – free to all .  It’s a gathering place for all types of people – and their dogs.  We enjoyed “people watching,” eating fajitas, seeing the balloon man’s creations, the music, and watching people dance to the Texas two-step band.  It was  great evening to end our stay in Santa Fe.

 

View Full Album