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Has anybody lost a 2-headed goat lately?
We found it at the Adobe Deli in Deming, New Mexico. |
Lately, it seems as if we have been immersed in rocks. After leaving White Sands we went to Rockhound State Park, then we went to City of Rocks State Park, and finally we went to Chiricahua National Monument whose primary feature is canyons full of rock formations. Even though the rocks we were finding did not fit into her jewelry fabrications, Nancy was in her glory.
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View from the top of Sugarloaf Mountain in
Chiricahua National Monument.
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Rockhound was a tiny park in New Mexico were thousands of semi-precious stones laid at our feet. However, all the stones were very raw and beyond the ability of Nancy's equipment to put into jewelry condition. City of Rocks was another New Mexico state park but its rocks were weirdly shaped boulders in a garden-like setting. The boulders in this park seemed as if they shot up from the desert floor. The coolest part of this park was that the boulders had enough room between them that you could spend hours exploring the alleyways and slots between these massive forms.
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| City of Rocks State Park, New Mexico |
Since our rig and car appeared to be very healthy for the last couple of months, we knew that we were at the end of our luck. Sure enough, on the way home from City of Rocks the road noise under our car attained a deafening pitch. When I pulled over there it was, a flat tire. UGGH! Fortunately, I was able to change the tire and make it to a tire dealer a few minutes before closing. Definitely a beer night for us so we went to Little Toad Creek Brewery and Distillery.
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| A rock garden in Chiricahua National Monument, Arizona. |
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One of several balanced rocks in
Chiricahua National Monument.
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We took a short break from the rocks to visit Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument in New Mexico. Gila is a small village of cliff dwellings similar to Mesa Verde. However, the setting of the cliff dwellings in a narrow canyon with a beautiful towering cliff made this park a worthwhile journey. And speaking of journeys...the trip into this park was an adventure. The road sign for the park informed us that the park was 45 miles away and a 2 hour drive. Not believing that 45 miles could possibly take 2 hours, I set out on our drive. It turned out that this road had more twists and turns, and ups and downs than a Slinky. I was glad I was in my car and not my rig. Anybody with even a mild touch of car sickness would be in tough shape after this drive. Pete (Nancy's brother) would have had a blast in his Mini.
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| Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument |
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| Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument |
The highlight park for me was Chiricahua National Monument in southeast Arizona. Since it was a national monument we figured that it would require a full day to explore. I guess that the typical vacationer could see this place in an afternoon, but for me it was 2 full days. The rocks are fantastic and reminded me a lot of the hoodoos in Bryce Canyon National Park only with a different type of rock and a different color. The massive towering rock pillars in Chiricahua cascade down the sides of mountain canyons creating surreal shapes. It was a place to let your imagination roam. I hiked to the top of the parks highest mountain, as well as, 2 other trails which had me winding through the narrow slots and tunnels formed by these unique formations.
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| Chiricahua National Monument |
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Duck-on-a-rock.
Chiricahua National Monument. |
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Camel's Head.
Chiricahua National Monument. |
We are now headed toward Tucson and will be slowing down for the next 2 months.
CHEERS!
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