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Location(s): All of New Mexico and Southwestern Colorado
Date(s): 47 days from April 29th until June 14th 2006
Photo Viewing Sequences: Left to Right, Top to Bottom.
Generally, most photographs are 4 x 6", either Landscape or Portrait orientation. The 4 x 10" panoramics can
be the result of 2 to 10+ photographs taken of a scene and later digitally merged using Adobe Photoshop Elements. All photographs
are low resolution copies due to limited storage space for this web site.
To enlarge a picture:
Place your mouse cursor over a picture, then left click on the picture to enlarge.
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| New Mexico & Colorado Legs |
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| We did a 1.5 mile hike in the caves. |
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| Checking out Prickly Pear Cactus |
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| Road Runner |
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| Southwestern Dove on eggs. |
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| Barn Owl |
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| American Elk |
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| Huge nasty Mexican Bats |
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| There was a forest here before 1950 (Smokeys Home) |
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| 1,000 year old lava flow starts here ..... |
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| Changing a flat tire in Cloudcroft, NM |
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| Most forests were closed due to fire threat! |
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| So many choices |
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| Santa Rita copper mine, NM |
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| Broadtail Hummingbird |
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| Hike to Gila Cliff Dwellings |
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| Santa Fe, NM |
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| Santa Fe, NM |
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| Santa Fe, NM |
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| Santa Fe, NM |
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| Banderlier NM, Los Alamos, NM |
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| Banderlier NM, Los Alamos, NM |
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| Banderlier NM, Los Alamos, NM |
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| Banderlier NM, Los Alamos, NM |
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| Santa Fe, NM |
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| Pecos NM, NM |
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| Chaco Culture NHP, NM |
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| Chaco Culture NHP, NM |
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| Chaco Cluture NHP, NM |
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| Aztec Ruins NM, NM |
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| Four Corners Monument |
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| Mesa Verde NP, CO |
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| Mesa Verde NP, CO |
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| Chama, NM |
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| Cumbres & Toltec Scenic R/R |
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| Cumbres & Toltec Scenic R/R |
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| Taos Plaza, NM |
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| 2006 NM RV Trip Map-Westbound - 5 Days |
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| Well worth a trip to see! |
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| A neat place to visit, just north of Carlsbad |
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| Iwannahug Cactus |
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| A huge Wild Turkey |
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| Bald Eagle with no right wing |
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| American Bison (Buffalo) |
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| Bobcat |
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| Smokey is buried here! |
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| Valley of Fires State Park |
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| Pistachio Farm, Alamogordo, NM |
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| Everything was bone dry! |
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| Rock Hound SP, Deming, NM |
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| Lots of lizards |
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| City of Rocks SP, NM |
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| Ya gotta be kiddin' me! |
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| Heat and altitude takes a toll |
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| Santa Fe, NM |
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| Banderlier NM, Los Alamos, NM |
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| Banderlier NM, Los Alamos, NM |
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| Banderlier NM, Los Alamos, NM |
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| Pecos NM, NM |
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| Pecos River, NM |
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| Chaco Culture NHP, NM |
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| Chaco Culture NHP, NM |
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| Look at the OTHER billboard |
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| Open Ranges |
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| Mesa Verde NP, CO |
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| Enter your caption..... |
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| Cheesecake (?) S.V.P. |
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| Cumbres & Toltec Scenic R/R |
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| Taos, NM |
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| 2006 NM RV Trip Map-Eastbound - 5 Days |
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| The caverns are HUGE inside. |
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| Barrel Cactus in bloom. |
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| Over 1 Mile of trails |
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| Raven |
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| Prarie Dogs (Puppies) |
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| Pronghorn Antelope |
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| Carlsbad RV Park, NM |
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| The rest of the story..... |
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| ....and extends 44 miles south |
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| U.S. Solar Observatory, Sunspot, NM |
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| White Sands NM(Gypsum) |
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| White Sands NM(Gypsum) |
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| Cactus all over the place |
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| Gila Wilderness, NM |
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| City of Rocks SP, NM |
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| Gila Cliff Dwellings |
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| Gila Cliff Dwellings |
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| Indian Jewelery |
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| Santa Fe, NM |
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| Banderlier NM, Los Alamos, NM |
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| The heat and high altitude REALLY takes a toll! |
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| Banderlier NM, Los Alamos, NM |
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| Pecos River, NM |
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| Chaco Culture NHP, NM |
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| Chaco Culture NHP, NM |
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| Chaco Cluture NHP, NM |
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| Aztec Ruins NM, NM |
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| Four Corners Monument |
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| Mesa Verde NP, CO |
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| Mesa Verde NP, CO |
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| Mesa Verde NP, CO |
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| Cumbres & Toltec Scenic R/R |
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| Cumbres & Toltec Scenic R/R |
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BOTTOM LINE OPINIONS ON NEW MEXICO
The "Land of Enchantment", I doubt that. In general, New Mexico is just an interesting State and not worthy
of a journey or a detour to see/visit.
Although, the most remarkable "Worth A Journey" sights, or what one would say "WOW" to, are Carlsbad
Caverns, the Cumbres & Toltec scenic railroad at Chama and the spectacular geologic sights along the road between Rio
Rancho and Cuba. At these places, photographics just don't do them justice. It must be visited to grasp. It looks like
the Michelen Green Guide was correct again.
On another point, we always ask ourselves two questions when we travel around:
A. Would we return again? We don't think so.
B. Would we live there and were would it be? ONLY in Santa Fe. Everything else is just not worthy or just a dump.
(See separate web page on retirement areas).
On another point, I learned alot about the American Natives (Indians) and I was rather suprised, but generally, I was
rather saddened. As I saw it, the rest of the world evolved but the Indian(s) was trapped in a theological mindset that did
not let them evolved. The rest of the world was evolving, building castles, roads, writing books, and so on ad nauseum.
Yet the Indians were still in the stone age and never even reached the bronze age. They had no real written language to speak
of. Just cavemen type pictographs on walls and rocks. They never really understood basic physics (the wheel, lever or inclined
plane). Almost nothing for them has changed for at least 13,000 years since the Siberian nomads crossed of the Bering Sea
into the Americas. They just existed with the land. With all the resources this continent has, it took the Europeans that
came here to develop them.
Even today, the only thing that has changed for them is that they now build gambling casinos on their reservations to
take money from the "Europeans" as taught to them by the "Europeans".
Item of travel: On the return eastbound leg, we opted to travel on I-64 and I-79 through West Virginia. Never again,
just too curvy, too much up and downhill and insufficient services for RV's along the way. It was a horrible drive, especially
during twilight and night. We'll stick to I-81 in the future for trips to the southwest areas.
FYI: The 47 day trip expenses for two(2) came to a total of
$61 / day for travel/campgrounds,
$34 / day for food,
$94 / day for EVERYTHING.
ACTUAL TRAVEL, SIGHTSEEING AND TOURING SCHEDULE
04/29/2006 - DAY # 000 - Late departure to the Baltimore, MD rest area.
04/30/2006 - DAY # 001 - Travel Day to Wytheville, VA - 483 miles / Time 9:07
05/01/2006 - DAY # 002 - Travel Day to New Hope, TN - 393 miles / Time 7:00
05/02/2006 - DAY # 003 - Travel Day to Texarkana, AR - 453 miles / Time 7:26
05/03/2006 - DAY # 004 - Travel Day to Abiline, TX - 385 miles / Time 6:51
Stop at Fry's Electronics next to Irving, Texas. YIPPEE!
05/04/2006 - DAY # 005 - Travel Day to Carlsbad, NM (5 nights) - 323 miles / Time 6:10
05/05/2006 - DAY # 006 - 008 - Sightseeing: Carlsbad Caverns NP, NM; Guadalupe Mtns. NP, TX;
Sitting Bull Falls/Lincoln Natl Forest, NM; Living Desert State Park, Carlsbad, NM;
05/08/2006 - DAY # 009 - Travel Day to Cloudcroft, NM (7 nights) - 126 miles / Time 2:51
DAY # 010 - 015 - Sightseeing: Sacramento Mtns.; Alamogordo, NM; White Sands NM;
Sunspot Solar Byway/Observatory; Mescalero Apache Reservation; Billy the Kid Byway;
Smokey Bear HP; Ruidoso, NM; Malpais Lava Flow; Valley of Fires;
05/15/2006 - DAY # 016 - Travel Day to Deming, NM. - 171 miles / Time 3:44
05/16/2006 - DAY # 017 - Travel Day & Sightseeing to Rock Hound State Park; Florida Mountains.
05/17/2006 - DAY # 018 - Travel Day to Silver City, NM (4 nights) - 67 miles / Time 1:42
DAY # 019 - 021 - Sightseeing: City of Rocks SP; Silver City; Gila National Forest;
Gila Cliff Dwellings NM; Scenic Byways.
05/21/2006 - DAY # 022 - Travel Day to Socorro, NM - 171 miles / Time 3:44
05/22/2006 - DAY # 023 - Travel Day to Santa Fe, NM (7 nights) - 149 miles / Time 4:24
DAY # 024 - 030 - Sightseeing: Santa Fe; Los Alamos; Bandelier NM; Pecos NHP;
Santa Fe National Forest; Cowles;
05/30/2006 - DAY # 031 - Travel Day to Bloomfield, NM (4 nights) - 151 miles / Time 3:08
DAY # 032 - 034 - Sightseeing: Chaco Culture NHP; Ute Indian Reservation, Towaoc,
CO; Four Corners Monument; Mesa Verde NP.
06/03/2006 - DAY # 035 - Travel Day to Chama, NM (2 nights) - 98 miles / Time 3:32
DAY # 036 - Sightseeing: Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad to Antonino, CO
06/05/2006 - DAY # 037 - Travel Day to Taos, NM (5 nights) - 94 miles / Time 2:06
DAY # 038 - 041 - Sightseeing: Taos; Carson NF; Eagles Nest; Angel Fire,
06/10/2006 - DAY # 042 - Travel Day to Amarillo, TX - 324 miles / Time 8:03
06/11/2006 - DAY # 043 - Travel Day to Joplin, MO - 472 miles / Time 7:57
06/12/2006 - DAY # 044 - Travel Day to Evansville, IN - 439 miles / Time 7:12
06/13/2006 - DAY # 045 - Travel Day to Burnsville, WV - 435 miles / Time 7:53
06/14/2006 - DAY # 046 - Travel Day to Egg Harbor Township, NJ - 407 miles / Time 7:31
ESTIMATES ----> 5,064 miles / Driving Time 104 hours (+/-)
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