{"id":22079,"date":"2024-07-16T01:32:10","date_gmt":"2024-07-15T15:32:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ourpangaea.net\/?p=22079"},"modified":"2024-07-16T01:32:12","modified_gmt":"2024-07-15T15:32:12","slug":"the-underrated-state","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ourpangaea.net\/?p=22079","title":{"rendered":"The underrated state"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

If I had any tourism statistics I would bet the state of New Mexico is near the bottom of the list for visitors.  And it\u2019s true that New Mexico does not have any Grand Canyons, Yellowstones, Empire State Buildings or Golden Gate Bridges.  If you want to only hit the biggest of the highlights in the US you won\u2019t be coming to New Mexico.  But be warned, you\u2019ll be missing some of the most beautiful wide open spaces in the world and we saw this again in the central-west stretches of this underrated state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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New Mexico is underrated and understated, that’s for sure, but there’s plenty of punch here<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Case in point \u2013 El Malpais National Monument.  Who\u2019s heard of that place, even Americans living in the southwest, almost no one.  Including us, I have to say.  But El Malpais, or The Bad Country, as it was named by early settlers, is a wonderful display of stunning sandstone cliffs and dramatic ancient lava beds.  And we were virtually the only ones there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Ventana Arch, a large cave-like carve out on a sandstone wall, was our first look at El Malpais National Monument<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

We spent the day exploring every nook and cranny of this sprawling park, enduring knee-buckling heat and hot desert winds, walking to highlights like Ventana Arch and taking in the wonderful expansive views at Sandstone Bluff Lookout.  We also walked out to the El Calderon caldera, one of the main volcanos that spewed lava between 11,000 and 60,000 years ago and helped create this vast inhospitable land, and walked across rough lava beds, shredding the bottoms of our shoes and melting our determination. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The views from the Sandstone Outlook across the lava fields were awesome<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Julie exploring the high ridge of this viewpoint overlooking the huge lava field below<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Okay, it’s hard to see what this is but it’s a walking trail across the lava flow we had the audacity to attempt in scorching heat. We turned back.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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I walked through a lava tube about 100 metres long – very cool but also a little spooky<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Near the end of the day we headed north, first through striking Zuni Canyon, later across the wide open plains that distinguish New Mexico, and tucked ourselves in behind a hill near the old mining community of Hospeh, far off the beaten track and with wonderful views across this high plains desert.  New Mexico, where is everyone?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Some roads are begging to be explored<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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We parked our mighty beasts for the night in a field with old oil drilling equipment<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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The next morning we found this pile-up of old pecking chickens<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The next morning we visited what is arguably one of the state\u2019s main tourist attractions, although the long dirt track from the south we used to get there would have deterred some visitors.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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We followed a rough old track across the desert to get to the very special Chaco Culture National Historic Site<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Chaco Culture National Historic Site, located in the long and dramatic Chaco Canyon, is one of the southwest\u2019s most important historic sites. It is here that the Chaco people settled and built huge communal structures between 850 and 1150.  And they did it in style!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Tramp, Hawk and all their occupants made it to the Chaco historic site <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

These people, ancestors of today\u2019s many Native American tribes, settled in this beautiful canyon, presumably when it had more water and better soil for growing crops, and built \u2018great houses\u2019 which have up to 600 rooms and cover more than three acres.  The architectural genius of these buildings is absolutely staggering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The very high temperatures slowed us but couldn’t stop us from exploring numerous Chaco ruins<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Julie checking out some of the thick walls that held up these structures, sometimes many floors high<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

These sites, the foundations and many walls of which are still in tack today due to their thick walls and sturdy features, also sported open plazas, numerous kivas \u2013 or round ceremonial areas \u2013 storage rooms and living quarters.  Some structures were up to five stories high.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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These ‘great houses’ sometimes featured numerous kivas, large ceremonial circle rooms where all the big action took place<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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This two story wall still had the original wood beams sticking out from 700 years ago<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

This area, which was the home to a few thousand people, was also a major trading hub for many similar communities in the area and carried significant economic and political weight in this region.  They had roads, irrigation systems and carried the large wood beams needed for their buildings up to 60 miles. The Chaco people absolutely rocked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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We learned that this Chaco community was really the centre of regional trade and was linked to other centres via numerous trails<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

We loved this stuff, absorbing the history of these amazing people from a knowledge starting point of zero.  But it came at a price \u2013 the temperature was blistering hot and one walk to two of the main great houses, plus a walk along the cliff line looking at petroglyphs, took more than an hour and absolutely wrecked us.  You can\u2019t mess with mother nature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The petroglyphs at Chaco were equally impressive<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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More petroglyphs – very cool<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

We retraced our steps across the dirt desert tracks, hit some bitumen and ended up at the Bisti Wilderness, a dry desert area often described as badlands with strange-shaped features, hoodoos, cones, towers, stripe-coloured shapes and other weird stuff.  We pulled into a little gap between these dried-out hills and set up camp for the night. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Camping on the edge of the moon-like Bistri Wilderness<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

After fighting super-hot weather for almost three weeks, not easy when camping, the weather finally changed and we had a cool windy night with a bit of drizzle.  Perfect conditions to explore the Bisti (pronounced Bis-tie) Wilderness by foot (because there\u2019s no roads and in fact no trails).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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We start our exploration of Bistri Wilderness – there are no trails or maps, we mapped our movements via compass and GPS<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

We choose a target about two miles away across these rugged badlands, picked a compass heading of East NE, and off we trudged across this beautiful but barren wasteland.\u00a0 We weaved our way through twisted washes, climbed up and over hills of baked mud and various minerals, found fossilised dinosaur bones and petrified trees, trudged over sand dunes and took a thousand photos as this amazing landscape revealed itself to us.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Some of the little canyons of Bisti with their little hoodoos were super fun to explore<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Alas, our target for the walk, the so-called egg hatchery, proved a bit too far and too difficult for us to reach, despite seeing it in the distance.  But the terrain between us and them was absolutely impossible to navigate and so we called it a win and returned to our cars via a slightly different heading.  What a great adventure this was and a wonderful way to see up close this amazing badlands landscape.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Bisti was like walking on the moon, a great little adventure<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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More moonscape<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

We picked up supplies in Farmington and following a recent theme, visited another ancient pueblo community.  The Aztec pueblo site, no relation to the Aztecs of central Mexico, was built and maintained from 1100 to 1300, slightly later but overlapping the Chaco people.  The architecture and lifestyle was very similar to what we saw at Chaco but on a smaller scale.  Their giant kiva had been rebuilt to give us a much better idea of how this important religious and social building was used by these people. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Aztec ruins near Farmington complemented the Chaco ruins and highlighted how these communities traded and co-existed<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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This reconstructed partly underground kiva gave us a great idea of how it all must have looked and been used 700 years ago<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

We headed southeast and found more vast badlands area, driving along it\u2019s southern edge on a long dirt track, hoping to camp at a distant spot.  Unfortunately this track had become very sticky and slippery from the recent rains and after a short while we decided to turn around and camp at a stunning picnic spot overlooking this massive badlands canyon.  You can\u2019t get too much of this stuff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Stunning views from the lookout which we converted to our camping spot<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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A similar view the following morning <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Our plan was to head southeast towards the town of Las Alamos, famous for being the birthplace of the atomic bomb, but first we needed to pass through an immense Navajo reservation and high-altitude Santa Fe National Forest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Julie and Kathy are showing off their new Indian Fry Bread which we bought at a local market on a Navajo reservation<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

As we drove up into the mountains, leaving the dry desert behind, entering thick forests of pine and aspens, the air got cooler and the green scenery was a welcome tonic.  We climbed and climbed, Tramp doing all the hard work, finally reaching a mountain pass of almost 9,000 feet (2725 metres).  We had our eyes on a walk to a mountain lake and followed a dirt road for a couple of miles to the a crowded parking lot which marked the trailhead. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Ah, smell the pine forest after our vehicles took us high enough to avoid some of the heat<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The crowds camping on the side of the road and people on the trails, some with heavy overnight packs, reminded us that not only was this Saturday but also Saturday of the American Fathers Day weekend. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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We like the desert but time in the forests are always good times<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

This was a beautiful gentle walk through the towering pine trees, birds chirping, the occasional squirrel scampering past, the wonderful smell of the forest.\u00a0 And most of all, we joined the families, the young couples carrying children in backpacks, moms and dad walking with their kids, some heading off with packs for a night in the woods.\u00a0It was a Father’s Day special day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And San Gregorio Lake lived up to the hype, providing a serene spot for our picnic lunch, young families enjoying this beautiful setting not far away.  Great stuff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Lake San Gregorio, a fitting reward to a beautiful walk<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

We continued along the winding mountain road, eventually camping up a side spur of a side spur, enjoying a night around the fire at 8,325 feet (2,522 metres), surrounded by swaying pines and pretty birch trees, happy Father\u2019s Day campers in full tilt not far away.\u00a0 New Mexico continues to deliver.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A hectic and noisy Father’s Day weekend found us camped up a gentle slope and enjoying a beaut fire at night<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If I had any tourism statistics I would bet the state of New Mexico is near the bottom of the list for visitors.  And it\u2019s true that New Mexico does not have any Grand Canyons, Yellowstones, Empire State Buildings or Golden Gate Bridges.  If you want to only hit the biggest of the highlights in the US you won\u2019t be coming to New Mexico.  But be warned, you\u2019ll be missing …<\/span> Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":22103,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[25],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22079","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-united-states"],"jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.ourpangaea.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/DSC_0518-scaled.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ourpangaea.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22079","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ourpangaea.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ourpangaea.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ourpangaea.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ourpangaea.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=22079"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.ourpangaea.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22079\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22133,"href":"https:\/\/www.ourpangaea.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22079\/revisions\/22133"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ourpangaea.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/22103"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ourpangaea.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=22079"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ourpangaea.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=22079"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ourpangaea.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=22079"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}