Palo Dura Canyon to Jemez Springs, NM

May 15, 2019

We are finally back on the road. We spent several days meandering through Texas and New Mexico.

Palo Dura Canyon

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A hike along the canyon floor.

Spent that night at the Bar Z Winery in Canyon, Texas, a surprising little boom town.

Harvest Host -0-

Tex Randall Statue, Amarillo, Tx

A 47′ statue created by Harry Wheeler in 1959 as a roadside phenomenon to welcome travelers to his Corral Curio shop.

Had to stop at the Cadillac Ranch

Blue Hole in Santa Rosa, NM

Blue Hole and the Santa Rosa area system of collapsed sink hole or cenote lakes is a true geological phenomenon. The water that feeds Blue Hole likely comes from the Ogallala Aquifer, and some of Santa Rosa’s sinkholes probably link up hundreds of feet below the ground. At a constant temperature of 61 degrees it is, according to locals, a summer and winter hangout. It pumps out more than 3,000 gallons of water per minute — enough to fill an Olympic-size swimming pool every three hours.

Blue Hole is the best open-water diving destination in the southwestern United States.

We spent the next night in Wildlife West Nature Park in Edgewood, NM

Harvest Host -0-

May 17, 2019

KASHA-KATUWE TENT ROCKS NATIONAL MONUMENT

The cone-shaped tent rock formations are the product of volcanic eruptions that occurred 6 to 7 million years ago and left pumice, ash and tuff deposits over 1000′ thick. Over time, wind and water cut into these deposits creating canyons and these beautiful rock formations.

We hiked through the slot canyon

and up to the Mesa for views of the Sangre de Cristo, Jemez, Sandia mountains and the Rio Grande Valley

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Cochiti Lake Campgound – $10

Jemez Springs, NM

Enjoying the hot baths

Vista Linda Campground– $5

Julie challenged us to find a hot spring she visited 25 years ago in the Jemez mountains. The path is not clear nor well marked but we were up for the challenge. We set off and later found ourselves questioning where we went wrong. Wandering around in a VERY deserted area found a meth head who steered us in the right direction. His comment was “wow, we don’t see many people up here in the meadow“. Hmm, perhaps we rethink our crazy adventures. The springs are no longer warm but the hike and views will be long remembered.

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Our guide

BLM – Joe Skeen Campground -0-

El Malpais National Monument