Category: Blog

(View of Frijoles Canyon from Alcove House)

When you are in the Santa Fe-Taos-Northern New Mexico region, there are a myriad of interesting things to do and see competing for your time and attention. One you may never have heard of but which I would highly recommend is Bandelier National Monument. Located about 30 miles west of Santa Fe, Bandelier is one of the premiere ancient Native American dwelling sites in the southwestern U.S.A. Ancestral Pueblo Indians inhabited the area from approximately 1150 to 1550. After this date the evidence indicates they moved on closer to the Rio Grande.

(Cliff dwellings along the Main Loop Trail)

The Monument covers 50 square miles of the Pajarito Plateau in the Jemez Mountains. Over 70% of the Monument is wilderness, with more than 70 miles of hiking trails and a one mile-plus elevation change from highest to lowest point. The Bandelier Visitor Center and heart of the Monument is located in Frijoles Canyon, not too far from the town of Los Alamos. Yes, that Los Alamos, birthplace of the atomic bomb. But long, long before scientists converged in New Mexico to split the atom, there were Native Americans living and dying in this very same region for centuries. Bandelier protects those Ancestral Pueblo archeological sites, along with a diverse and scenic landscape, and the country’s largest National Park Service Civilian Conservation Corps National Landmark District.

(Hiking the Main Trail)

Continue reading “Road Trip 2016 – Bandelier National Monument” →

(The Cathedral of St. Francis of Assisi, in Santa Fe, New Mexico)

Day 4 we hit the road at 8:30 a.m. and by 9:30 we were smack in the middle of Santa Fe, the state capital of New Mexico. Santa Fe probably boasts as long, colorful, and fascinating a history as any city in the USA, and it’s a place you can’t fully appreciate without knowing at least a little of that history.

 

The city of Santa Fe was founded by Spanish colonists in 1610. It’s the oldest state capital city in the United States and the oldest city in New Mexico. It was a provincial capital under Spanish rule until the Mexicans gained their independence in 1810, when it then became the seat of the territory of Santa Fe de Nuevo México. Next came the Texans who had seceded from Mexico in 1836 and claimed Santa Fe and surrounding territory as part of western Texas along the Rio Grande. When in 1846, the United States declared war on Mexico, General Stephen W. Kearny led 1,700 soldiers into Santa Fe to claim it and the whole New Mexico Territory for the United States. By 1848 the U.S. had officially gained New Mexico by terms of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. Santa Fe then became the capital of New Mexico territory prior to it’s statehood in 1912.

(The Palace of the Governors, Santa Fe)

(It’s a colorful crowd in the plaza)

Continue reading “Road Trip – 2016 Santa Fe and Taos, New Mexico” →

(Koosharem Reservoir in southern Utah)

It’s that time of year again here at Prohltravel: time to load up the car, fill up the gas tank, grab the road maps and hit the highway for USA Road Trip, 2016 Edition! This time we’re heading south, destination New Mexico, Arizona and, of course, a whole lot of points inbetween. So buckle up and come along for the ride…well, metaphorically speaking, anyway. The Civic’s kinda full with the two of us and all our assorted gear. That’s one of the advantages of road trips over airline travel. When we’re flying, every item is heavily scrutinized. If it’s not essential, we leave it behind. When driving, pretty much anything that might come in handy, we throw it in the trunk or the back seat somewhere. This way I don’t have to feel bad about not picking up hitchhikers, so that’s a plus. Sorry, dude, no room.

Why the Southwest? Well, we’re always looking for new horizons and roads not traveled before and New Mexico fit the bill this time. As for Arizona, though I’d been to the Grand Canyon once twenty or so years ago, my wife had never seen it and if there’s one quintessential American destination, it has to be the Grand Canyon. I read up on New Mexico and it sounded intriguing, Land of Enchantment and all that, so we hit the road.

(This is the best thing we saw the entire first day – Snake River at the Oregon-Idaho border)

Continue reading “Road Trip 2016 Edition” →