3545. Go to El Malpais National Monument in Grants

We were looking at potential route to Phoenix from Dodge City since we were staying in Chandler coming down from Flagstaff didn't really make sense. We found a route that took us through southwest through New Mexico and crossing farther south than we usually do. As I was looking at this route, I saw it literally ran along the side of El Malpais National Monument. I've been wanting to visit El Malpais for awhile but figured the hubby wasn't too much into exploring lava tubes. The only thing was the visitor center was 10 minutes of the way. When I mentioned all this to the hubby, he was game and we could even stop and get my stamp.

El Malpais National Monument is a stark landscape of limestone and ancient volcanic rock.. basalt, lava tube caves, cinder cones, and spatter cones. It is nothing like we have in the Midwest. 

We stopped at the visitor center, got my passport stamped, and then checked out the small museum. We learned a bit of the rugged and unique landscape. Then it was back in the car to explore part of the eastern edge of the park. 

Our first stop was Sandstone Bluff Overlook. This required a relatively steep drive up a gravel road. The road is actually closed when it rains because it will flood out. There is small parking lot on top along with some informational signs and then you can check out the views.

We saw the ancient Zuni Mountains.

The lave flows

And Mount Taylor which is the second latest volcano in New Mexico and an old extinct volcano.

The sandstone ledges were impressive too.

Back in the car, we passed more lava flows on our way to our second stop -- La Ventana Natural Arch. This is technically not part of the National Monument but part of the El Malprais National Conversation Area. 

You can view the Arch from the parking lot or follow a short trail to get closer. You can even scramble the rocks to get even closer -- the hubby would have freaked if I tried that.

We then followed the highway through the El Malprais National Conversation area to back to US 60 and that took us into Arizona.

El Malprais is definitely worth the detour. We only saw a tiny fraction of the park. Hopefully one day we can explore the other side. The hubby does like the lava flows. We probably spent 10-15 minutes at each stop which was a nice stretch break. 

3522. Visit the Pecos National Historic Park in Pecos

 Our first stop on Day 2 of our journey to Arizona was Pecos National Historic Park in Pecos, NM which is about 30-45 minutes north of Santa Fe. We went Fort Union National Historic Park last time and I wanted to get my stamp at Pecos this time. The hubby for whatever reason was being a grump and that's about all we did.. get my stamp. 

Pecos National Historic Park is a crossroads in which people of various backgrounds and historical periods passed through -- hunters, gathers, soldiers, explorers, immigrants, and even tourists. It is pretty rural and rugged. You can explore the many trails or walk out to the old mission which is exactly what I wanted to do. It is one of the many no fee National Park Sites.

When we arrived, we went to the visitor center. I stamped my passport. I got a new National Park Passport which has a spot for each of the National Park sites and lots of extra space for additional stamps. Plus there are regional stickers that you can buy that might include that a site. Each year they design a stamp for each of the 9 regions featuring one of the parks in that region. There are currently 36 sticker for each region so not all parks have a sticker yet.

Then we checked out the small museum which was filled with relics found on site as well as historical facts of the area. It was actually very fascinating. I thought it was just the mission but it is much more than that.

I really wanted to check out the mission but it was cold and windy. We were not dressed properly and like I said the hubby was grumpy and didn't want to walk the gravel path to the mission. Some days you just go with the flow and pick your battles. The mission wasn't high on my list and it would give us more time for lunch and at our next stop. 

If you are traveling through Northeast New Mexico, definitely check out Pecos. Go explore the trails and mission. It looks to be a great place to hike. Hopefully I can get back one day and explore more.

3417. Go to the Fort Union National Historical Site in Watrous

On the way to Arizona last year, I saw we were really close to two national historical sites in New Mexico. I made a mental note of them so we could stop on future trips. When I started trip planning this year, I decided I wanted to visit Fort Union and figured the hubby would enjoy it.

Fort Union was a military fort near the Mountain and Cimarron branches of the Santa Fe Trail that was a key stop between military forts of New Mexico for 40 years. It played a role in the Civil War where the Union managed to defeat the Confederates and keep the fort in Union hands. At one time it had the largest hospital in the area.

Today the fort lays in ruins. The fort actually was in three locations and only parts of the last fort remain. The path follows the perimeter of the fort. If it wasn't for a former resident that lived at the fort in the late 1800's, the fort may never have survived. She came back for a visit in the 1930s and was saddened by the state of ruin of the old, thriving fort. Despite dying a few years later, she was key in trying to save what was left of the fort.

Fort Union was a supply depot along with a Military fort. They are barracks, officer quarters, the quartermaster's office, a hospital, and many other outbuildings. You can not actually walk in any of the buildings. All of the have no roofs and most have only a few walls remaining. Some are down to the foundation and maybe a chimney.

You can actually see the wagon ruts cross the fort. Also prior to reaching the fort is a pull off where you can see the wagon ruts of the Santa Fe Trail.

We also finally learned the names of these animals we have seen hanging out with cattle on the drive between Kansas and Santa Fe. They are Prong Horn Antelope.

The hubby was impressed. It was a good pick. I would highly recommend stopping if you are ever in the area. It is about 90 miles north of Santa Fe. However, I would try to avoid visiting in summer. The is out in the open and offers very little shade.

3399. Go to the Petroglyph National Monument

When I planned our trip home from spring training, I had us stopping at four National Parks. However when we started having car problems and decided a trip home through southern Colorado wasn't the best idea, we could only stop at one. I really wanted to see the Petroglyph National Monument near Alburqueque as petroglyphs fascinated me.

Petroglyph National Monument is actually spread across four different parks within 20 miles of the Visitor Center. The only thing at the visitor center is information, a few interesting displays, and a chance to stamp your National Park Passport. They also have maps on how to get to the other sites.

We opted for Boca Negra Canyon. It is the closest to the visitor center and offered several short trails to see petroglyphs. The hubby was a bit concerned when we drove into the park and saw the first trail. I advised him to keep driving. We parked in a small parking lot and headed to the trails.

As soon as we got out the car, we saw petroglyphs. We opted for one trail and wandered for a bit. It was very windy so climbing higher was not really an option. The hubby was freaking out every time I wanted to go higher. There were stairs and marked paths for me to climb so I could get picture. You can tell he's not a hiker.

Even though we probably spent 15-20 minutes at Boca Canyon and saw quite a few petroglpyphs. You could spend an hour exploring all the paths and seeing up to 100 petroglyphs. Other sites have more strenuous trails that take longer but you also get to see more petroglphs.

Yes, I would have loved to spend more time climbing and exploring but between a tight time table and the wind it was just not possible. Maybe one day. However, if you're in the area, I would check out Petroglyph National Monument and see the ancient drawings on the rocks.